When we think about agriculture in Marin County, we have a shared sense of what comes to mind: rolling pastureland, organic milk, grass-fed beef, artisan cheeses, fields of row crops and community-grown fibers. There is this iconic picture that comes to mind. But agriculture in Marin has not always been the same. 

Once Marin produced a quarter of California’s butter and was fourth in the state in potato production. We dry farmed 857 acres of artichokes and planted 2,000 acres of peas—crops that are no longer grown commercially within the county.

Agriculture in Marin changed with the times in response to economic and environmental factors, and it will continue to change into the future. We have to be ready for those changes so agriculture can thrive for future generations.

In the same way, the concept of preserving agriculture in Marin is also constantly changing. For so many years, preserving agriculture has been synonymous with protecting agricultural land. With forward-looking political leadership, we used land use regulations—through agricultural zoning—to slow the conversion of West Marin into highway-fed development. Here at the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, we’ve built on those protections with the addition of a layer of legally binding conservation easements that permanently protect 55,700 acres of farmland and ranchland throughout the county.

Despite our great progress and success, protecting agricultural land alone is not enough. To truly preserve agriculture into the future, we also need to invest in broader protections for our food systems, agricultural economy and environment. For our farms and ranches to thrive, they need working barns, pack houses, irrigation, reservoirs, roads, bridges and housing—all the infrastructure that helps put food on our tables. 

In the past several years, we are beginning to see the shift toward increased investment in larger, intertwined systems as a complement to protecting the land itself. This trend needs to continue and grow. Two great examples are MALT’s growing Small Grants Program funded by private donations and Marin County’s FARE Grant Program funded by Measure A public funds.

In addition to protecting agricultural land through conservation easements, MALT also makes grants to agriculturalists throughout Marin as part of our strategic pillars. 

Beginning with our Stewardship Assistance Program, which provides funds to those with a MALT easement in place, we have grown our grants portfolio, first through our Drought Resilience and Water Security, or DRAWS, initiative and now through our newly launched Small Grants Program. 

In response to historic drought conditions, the DRAWS initiative funded 95 projects with nearly $1 million in grants centered around water security. The inaugural round of funding for our Small Grants Program, which focused on building climate resilience, awarded $200,000 last month. We plan on a new funding round every six months.

Examples of the types of projects we have funded include rainwater catchment systems, compost application on pastures, fencing to support rotational grazing and creekside restoration to conserve biodiversity.

The funding for MALT’s small grants programs comes from private donations from caring people in the community. We also leverage our grant funding with federal, state and county sources to amplify its impact and help move projects to completion.

We are incredibly enthusiastic about a new stream of public funding that will further protect our food systems, agriculture economy and environment. When Marin County voters chose to extend Measure A in 2022, one of the most exciting aspects of the program was the creation of the FARE Grant Program.

Receiving a 30 percent share of Measure A funds, the FARE—standing for Food, Agriculture, and Resilient Ecosystems—Grant Program will make awards between $15,000 and $200,000 for planning and implementation projects that support sustainable food systems, climate-beneficial management and improving natural resource values on Marin’s working lands. 

Project topics could include initiatives for local food supply sustainability, community gardens, carbon-capture farming, increasing access to low-cost farmland and farming for low-income and underserved communities. Applications for this county program are open through Dec. 8, with the first awards made around May 2024.

The FARE Grant Program shines a light on the evolution of preserving agriculture in Marin and the continued investment of Marin County voters in the future of farming and ranching. 

It is a critical time to be involved in the efforts to preserve agriculture in Marin. As agriculture continues to change, we are developing and investing in the structures and systems needed to preserve agriculture for future generations. MALT is especially proud to be a part of this broad effort to continue to build food resilience and to strengthen our community.

Lily Verdone is the executive director of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. She lives in Petaluma.