In this episode of Sustainability Leaders, host Melissa Fifield, Head of the BMO Climate Institute, speaks with John Piotti, CEO of the American Farmland Trust, about why farmland should be viewed as essential climate infrastructure and what it takes to invest in it accordingly.

They discuss how well-managed farms can deliver measurable climate and environmental benefits and why connecting public and private capital to regenerative practices matters for resilience across food systems. The conversation covers practical financing pathways—including agricultural conservation easements as a tool to protect land and unlock capital—plus the realities of scaling regenerative practices like cover crops, reduced tillage, and crop rotations.