Issue #43 | June 2023







Supporting collective action
toward an equitable, sustainable, resilient, and connected local
food system in Massachusetts.
Advocate
Things you can do right now to
support systemic policy change.
Provide input on APR

Provide input about the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program using this form by June 9.

Livestock farmer input needed

If you raise livestock, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is conducting a study of livestock slaughtering and processing options for geographically isolated and rural communities and is seeking input via this survey.
Collaborate
Highlights of the
Collaborative's work.
Getting to 30% regional food consumption by 2030

Can New England feed itself in the years to come? The New England State Food System Planners Partnership, a collaboration between the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, five other state-level food system organizations and Food Solutions New England, released a report on June 5th that outlines the critical role Massachusetts consumers can play in making the region’s food system stronger and more self-reliant. The report, a product of 16 researchers exploring the opportunities and needs along the food supply chain in New England, highlights the land, sea, and labor needs of the region, consumer purchasing metrics, distribution trends, and population projections that will impact the region’s ability to feed itself in the coming years. The Partnership framed the report around a regional goal of producing and consuming 30% of New England’s food needs by 2030.

The report illustrates Massachusetts’ consumer purchasing power in the effort to strengthen the local food system for itself and its New England neighbors. Massachusetts is home to 45% of the region’s population and accounts for 46% of food sector employment in the region. But Massachusetts holds only 13% of agricultural land, meaning our local food supply chain is highly reliant on producers from outside its borders.

The gap between what Massachusetts consumes and what it produces can come from across the country or even the world, or it can come from right next door at a farm, in a greenhouse, or from a fishery right here in New England. Together, we can build a comprehensive food system development plan in order to strengthen local farms and food businesses, be less dependent on a global food supply, and expand access to agricultural land and retain our fisheries landings so more of the food consumed here can be produced here.

All Massachusetts residents experienced the limitations and shortcomings of relying on a global supply chain when we were forced to ration food and other goods during the height of the pandemic. Becoming more self-reliant requires expanding our food supply chains, building up our infrastructure, and retaining control of our land and sea resources. In return, it can mean more local jobs, a competitive business environment, and a more predictable food system that is less susceptible to interruption like natural disasters or public health emergencies.
Senate budget complete, with some new food system investments

The Massachusetts Senate completed its budget debate in May, making some significant investments in food system needs. These include $1,000,000 for food literacy, $250,000 to continue the grant program for local food policy councils, and $1,020,000 for healthy soils.

The Senate budget also increases administrative budgets for the departments of Agricultural Resources and Public Health, matching the Governor’s requested increases for those agencies. The Governor, House, and Senate were all in alignment with their proposals for $25 million for the Food Security Infrastructure Grant program, another priority for local food system stakeholders.

The three budget proposals also all have the same funding level for HIP, to carry forward whatever resources remain at the end of June and add $5,000,000 in new funds. We anticipate that this will total approximately $13,000,000. The program has already spent more than that much in the current fiscal year and has been growing at a rate of greater than 30%, so advocates will need to be watchful for the need for additional investment in HIP later in the year through a supplemental budget, in order to ensure that it can continue operating to meet demand.

Both chambers will now establish a conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate budgets for approval and submission to the Governor. The state’s fiscal year ends on June 30, with the intent being that the new budget will be in place at that time.

See our updated budget table here, and our letter to the conference committee here.

Hearings held on agriculture bills

The Joint Committee on Agriculture held three hearings on proposed legislation in May. Bills heard included several of the Collaborative’s priority bills, including An Act protecting our soil and farms from PFAS contamination, An Act promoting equity in agriculture, and An Act strengthening local food systems. Many advocates and practitioners testified in support of these and other bills.

Videos of the Committee’s hearings are available here, and the Collaborative’s testimony can be found at the bottom of this page.

Local Food Policy Councils receive nearly $250,000

For five years, the Collaborative has been facilitating the local food policy councils network, which provides a space for these groups to develop relationships, learn from experts, share best practices, and identify challenges to their work. One ongoing challenge is securing funding to support the important work of bringing community members and local organizations together to improve the local food system. 

Last year, the Collaborative and the local food policy councils network advocated for a state budget amendment to support a grant program. Councils shared about their work and how the funding would benefit their group with legislators and it was successfully added to the state budget. In the spring the state awarded nearly $250,000 to 17 Local Food Policy Councils. Projects the awardees will undertake include:

Cape Cod Cooperative Extension will create a local food equity action plan and food systems map for Cape Cod to help keep food local and increase food access. 

The Hilltown CDC will create a farmer/food producer working circle to discuss distribution, production, and environmental issues negatively affecting the local food system and identify strategies to address these conditions. Meetings will provide a platform for agricultural producers’ voices to be shared with the Hampshire County Food Policy Council as food system priorities are developed. 

The Holyoke Food Economy Coalition is working with Serve Food Kitchen and Holyoke Community College to help entrepreneurs succeed and support culturally relevant food offerings.

The Medford Food Justice Council will prioritize a focus on raising awareness of food insecurity and reducing stigma, removing systemic barriers to food security, and improving access to the food assistance system. 

The Food Access Working Group of South Berkshire County will develop a strategic plan and improve connections to the region’s most vulnerable residents. 

The Town of Ware will create the Quaboag Valley Region Food Policy Council. Engaging community members and organizations in the Council, including local farmers, food consumers, and distributors, to establish partnerships and pathways for increased food access for the Quaboag region is a priority.

Food policy councils across the state will benefit from this additional funding to support their important work. For more information about the food policy councils network, see our website or reach out to Brittany Peats.

Mack Park Food Farm in Salem. Credit: Jaime Campos
Upcoming changes in leadership at the Collaborative

Collaborative Executive Director Winton Pitcoff will be leaving the organization on June 23 to take on a new role at MDAR, and the steering committee has begun a search process for a new Executive Director. “The Collaborative is well equipped with the resources it needs as it considers its next opportunities,” he wrote. “A staff of the most thoughtful and committed people I have ever been lucky enough to work with. A dedicated steering committee, each of whom are food system leaders in their own right. A track record of successful campaigns and programs. And all of you, a supportive and vibrant community of advocates and practitioners who believe deeply in the need for a healthy food system and who have creative and innovative ideas for how to make it happen. I look forward to seeing all of the Collaborative’s successes in the future.”

Read his full letter, and a statement from Vivien Morris, the Collaborative's steering committee chair, here.
Celebrate
Inspiring work being done by some
of our friends in Massachusetts.
The Edgewater Food Forest in Mattapan

Thanks to the hard work of many community members, the Edgewater Food Forest, a quarter-acre food forest in Mattapan, is now home to thriving fruit trees and berry bushes and anyone in the community can harvest the food for free. This new space is a collaborative effort between neighborhood groups, the city of Boston, and the nonprofit Boston Food Forest Coalition, a community land trust that has helped build 10 of these sites so far. Food forests mimic natural ecosystems, with a focus on native food-bearing plants that provide habitat for native insects and birds. 

The city of Boston sold the lot to the Boston Food Forest Coalition for $100. For a weekend in April, 2021, the coalition worked with community groups to clean it up. The teams also built benches and a raised platform for yoga and performances and the community continues to tend the plants. Figs, apricots, plums, strawberries, blackberries, golden berries, black walnuts, and mushrooms are now growing in the food forest.

"We're not going to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change by stopping the climate from changing," said Boston Food Forest Coalition executive director, Orion Kriegman. "We're going to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change by coming together as a community."

The Edgewater Food Forest in May, 2023. Credit: Hope Kelley/Boston Food Forest Coalition
Discover
Thoughtful insights about
food system issues.
Historical Perspectives on Food System Transformation

It is essential that food system advocates understand the history of the food and agriculture movement to ensure that we continue to learn from the organizers that have spearheaded the work before us. This blog post highlights three case studies: the struggle for farmworker justice and the United Farm Workers; the necessity of community-based methods of self-sufficiency and the Freedom Farm Cooperative; and the origins of the Farm Bill and the farmer response to the Dust Bowl.

Fannie Lou Hamer representing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Credit: Methodist Church Global Ministries/Kenneth Thompson
Participate

The Massachusetts Food System Collaborative envisions a local food system where everyone has access to healthy food, to land to grow food, to good jobs, and to the systems where policy decisions are made. Read more about our vision and our work.