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Issue #27 | February 2022
Supporting collective action
toward an equitable, sustainable, resilient, and connected local
food system in Massachusetts.
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Things you can do right now to
support systemic policy change.
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Farmland Action Plan
2023 Budget
As the legislature gets ready to debate the state’s budget for 2023, review Governor Baker’s proposed budget and talk to your representatives and senators about what programs you’d like to see funded.
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Highlights of the
Collaborative's work.
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Update on legislation, budget, and other funding
As the legislature kicks off year 2 of its 2021-22 session, the pace is picking up as bills must be passed by the end of the year or start all over again in the next session. At the same time, budget work will begin soon for the 2023 fiscal year, with discussions about how to allocate the second portion of the state’s funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to follow soon thereafter.
February 2 was the deadline for bills to move out of their first committee readings if they are to stay under consideration for this session. Some of the Collaborative’s bills, such as the HIP enabling legislation and the food donation bill that aims to reduce food waste were reported favorably and will now be taken up by separate committees for their second readings. Some were “sent to a study committee,” a gentle way of saying that they will not be taken up this session, so the bill that would have established a food system coordinator will have to be brought up again when the new session begins in 2023. Others, like the ag equity bill, were granted extensions, to give legislators a little more time to consider them this session. Because there are more than 6,000 bills under consideration, there’s a lag in public information and we don’t have complete information on all of our priority bills as of this writing, but they can all be found here, along with testimony we have submitted this session.
The House Committee on Ways and Means will soon hold hearings as they develop their draft budget for 2023, usually released in mid-April. This is the bill that funds state government functions as well as programs like HIP, Mass In Motion, MEFAP, and support for the Buy Local organizations. The Collaborative is working on developing budget priorities for the next year, and welcomes input from stakeholders about what you’d like to see receive support. Email winton@mafoodsystem.org with your thoughts.
There’s no official word on when discussion will begin on spending the remainder of the state’s ARPA funding. The first round that was appropriated in December included important funding for the emergency food system, the Massachusetts Food Trust, agricultural fairs, and a farm-to-school grant program. It also featured language including farmers and food system workers in considerations for premium pay for essential workers, and gave MDAR a seat at the table in making decisions about how to spend land conservation investments. $2.3 billion remains in that federal aid package for the state to appropriate and spend by 2027. The Collaborative looks forward to working with stakeholders and our legislative allies to ensure that local food system needs are addressed with that spending.
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Inspiring work being done by some
of our friends in Massachusetts.
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Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition
Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (MFFC) was founded in 2006 by a group of Mattapan residents who were concerned about the health of the Mattapan community. After surveying residents about issues that were most important to them, the group decided to focus on increasing access to healthy food and promoting active living.
The organization has managed the Mattapan Square Farmers Market for 15 years, making it a place to find affordable, culturally connecting residents through foods that are offered by farmers, and learn more about healthy living. They select farmers that are able to sell their produce at reasonable prices, direct residents to other food resources in the community, encourage and facilitate the use of SNAP and HIP benefits, and reach out to WIC recipients who receive WIC farmers' market coupons and to elders who receive Senior Farmers Market coupons.
MFFC founded the Vigorous Youth group in 2008 to serve residents ages 14-21. Through year round programming and employment, youth focus on their professional and personal development and learn about their role in improving the physical and food environment in Mattapan. The youth run a farm stand in front of the Mattapan Community Health Center where they learn marketing, customer service, cash recording, and product display skills, all while promoting healthy eating. The youth also helped establish the Woolson Street Community Garden and maintain the Kennedy Playground Children's Garden.
Partnerships and collaborations are needed in order to meet the community's needs. Through their partnership with Boston Organization of Dietitians and Nutritionists of Color (BOND), MFFC provides cooking classes that also include making healthy meals on any budget, mindful eating, nutrition goal setting, and more.
The group continues to hear from the community through their Healthy Neighborhood Study about what matters most to residents when it comes to building healthy neighborhoods as well as educating the community through their Transportation Talks with a topic on food access. They have also helped a neighborhood association build a food forest and are a model for the Summer Eats meal program for libraries and farmers markets.
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Thoughtful insights about
food system issues.
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A Regional Imperative: The Case For Regional Food Systems
Expanding on the 2010 Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group paper, It Takes a Region, Kathy Ruhf and Kate Clancy have just published A Regional Imperative: The Case For Regional Food Systems. This report tackles the difference between a local food system and a regional one to clarify confusion. Once people understand that a regional food system is larger, more diverse, and offers more opportunity for self reliance, it will be easier to make the changes needed to strengthen regional food systems.
They write, “We are convinced that employing a regional framework is a critical step towards food system resilience and justice, especially in the face of climate change, the pandemic and continuing racial injustices. Greater movement in this direction requires a commitment to collaboration across political boundaries and to embedding regional thinking in all food systems change work.”
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Upcoming Food System Events
Know of another great source of events or jobs? Let us know!
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Job Posting Sites
Job Listserv
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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.
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