A woman carrying the tea leaves she has picked for the day back to the weighing station on a tea plantation in the Upper Tana Watershed, Kenya.
Tea leaves in Kenya A woman carrying the tea leaves she has picked for the day back to the weighing station on a tea plantation in the Upper Tana Watershed, Kenya. © Nick Hall

Our Priorities

Provide Food and Water Sustainably

Food demand is expected to increase by more than 50% in just the next 30 years as the world’s population continues to grow—it’s a challenge that can be met.

Land and water stewardship can restore health to our food systems. Food is sustainable when it benefits the environment and maintains soil fertility. We’re fostering innovations in technology, collaborating with communities to use resources more efficiently and promoting policies that enable sustainability. Together, we can secure healthy food and clean water for all people without sacrificing the environment.

How We Secure Food & Water

Fishing boat
We Manage Fish Stocks We supply fishers with electronic monitoring and promote fishing practices that reduce bycatch to help species recover while feeding the world. © Michael Yamashita
Farmers survey soil in field
We Get Dirty We work with soil scientists to help increase soil productivity and improve water quality, carbon storage and biodiversity—all while increasing profits for farmers. © Timothy T. Lindenbaum/TNC
Water Security
We Create Water Funds From New Mexico to Nairobi, TNC develops water funds that invest in strategies to secure better water quality and improve the health and well-being of communities. © Alan W. Eckert/The Nature Conservancy
Zero Deforestation Initiatives
We Aim For Zero Deforestation We work with farmers, ranchers and landowners in Latin America and Southeast Asia to meet demands for food while protecting forests and growing incomes. © Kevin Arnold
× Fishing boat
× Farmers survey soil in field
× Water Security
× Zero Deforestation Initiatives

When we develop innovative agricultural practices, use technology to manage fisheries and protect water at its source, we are ensuring that nature can endure while nourishing the world.

Giulio Boccaletti

The Nature Conservancy’s Chief Strategy Officer

In The Spotlight

Agricultural fields near Grand Junction, CO.

Initiative

Tackling Water Shortage

Learn how we're working with farmers to protect the Colorado River.

BALRANALD, NSW, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 7: Simon Booth plays with his kids, Claire and Ryan in a dried up paddock on their farm February 7, 2008 in Balranald, New South Wales, Australia. Simon traveled out to his fields to see how the rainstorm the day before had affected his land. One area had received just under 2 inches (184 points), which was the most rain in one incident in over 10 years for his station. Booth remembers when he grazed 250 head of cattle in this paddock, a sight his children Ryan and Claire may never see. The Murray-Darling Basin of Australia has been plagued with severe drought since the late 1990's and many growers and policy makers are being forced to work on implementing more efficient irrigation systems. (Photo by Amy Toensing)

Magazine Feature

After The Big Dry

Australia’s 14-year drought—the worst in national history—sparked a new market for farmers to buy and sell water, and help give some back to nature.

By Julian Smith

View of Central Arizona Project.

Feature

Investing Our Way Out of the Global Water Crisis

Exploring the potential for water markets and impact investment to serve as part of the solution to global water scarcity.

Trending Now

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Fishermen from Pate Island in Lamu County pull a beach seine net in the Indian Ocean waters.
Pate Island Fishermen Fishermen from Pate Island in Lamu County pull a beach seine net in the Indian Ocean waters. © Mwangi Kirubi

Discover our other priorities and find ways you can help transform the future of the world.

In addition to providing food and water sustainably, The Nature Conservancy is listening to science to address today’s most pressing challenges.