ARLINGTON, VA— The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and partners today announced the launch of the Expanding Agroforestry Project (EAP), an effort to help U.S. farmers strengthen their operations, diversify revenue, and improve land health. Eligible producers throughout the 30-state project area are invited to apply for financial and technical support to adopt agroforestry practices—the intentional integration of trees and shrubs with crops and livestock.
Farmers interested in applying or learning more, visit: nature.org/ExpandingAgroforestry. The current application window is June 30 to August 11, 2026.
The Expanding Agroforestry Project is a three-year effort funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Advancing Markets for Producers initiative and led by TNC in collaboration with a network of partners including six regional leads: Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative, Propagate, Savanna Institute, Tuskegee University, the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, and Virginia Tech.
Participating farmers are eligible to receive incentive payments from a $39 million fund. They will also have access to regionally tailored technical assistance and peer learning opportunities with the aim of establishing tens of thousands of acres of new agroforestry plantings. Project partners are also working to strengthen markets for agroforestry products such as nuts, fruits, and timber, as well as livestock raised in pastures with planted trees.
“Farmers are land stewards to the core, and this project is an opportunity to recognize and support their transformative stewardship efforts.” said Graham Savio, agroforestry program manager for TNC’s North America Agriculture Program. “In collaboration with our partners, we want to make it easier for producers to adopt proven stewardship practices by providing the financial support, technical expertise, and market connections they need to succeed.”
Agroforestry is used on less than 2% of U.S. farmland, but millions of acres of working lands are well-suited to support plantings. This project focuses on the near-term opportunity of helping eligible farmers put agroforestry practices to work on their lands today, while building a nationwide model for large-scale adoption in the future. The result: stronger, more resilient farming operations and benefits for soil, water, and wildlife.
"Most farmers already want trees on their land,” said Ethan Steinberg, co-founder and CEO at Propagate, an EAP regional lead. "What’s stopped them is financing and the years before a new planting pays off. This project changes that math, so that growers across the country now have the support to plant with confidence, knowing their land and their livelihood can both come out ahead."
