The 6th Annual Farmland Access & Transfer Conference is just days away! On November 16-18, the conference will go virtual, enabling more New England participants than ever before to attend, learn, and share ideas.
The issues, strategies and skills shared at this conference have increasing relevance to today’s farmers – both those who are transitioning out of farming and those who are starting new farm enterprises – and their impact on our regional food system.”
Learn more and register at the links below.
New England Public Media recently shared the farmland access story of Hassan Aden, a Somali Bantu refugee based in Enfield, CT, who drives up and down I-91 in order to plant, weed and harvest his own fields. He is not alone in seeking affordable, workable land in New England and organizations like All Farmers exist to help. All Farmers has recently launched a campaign to create a permanent farm for 60 multi-generational refugee and immigrant farm families in the Greater Springfield area. Find out how you can support farmland access for this community below.
Both Connecticut Food System Alliance and Massachusetts Food System Collaborative have released reports reflecting on local food system response to and recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These reports are based on community conversations and make suggestions for sustainable and resilient paths forward.
Every bite each of us takes has been shaped by a complex range of forces, some in our control and others well outside of our control. By endeavoring to understand those forces better, and to play a more active role in influencing them, Massachusetts residents are working toward a food system that better meets the needs of everyone in the state.”
Election Day is behind us, but the policy changes over the last four years and the ripple effect of this election cycle will have long-term impacts on the food system – from the farm economy to food access. Civil Eats and Food Tank offer reflections below.
Our recent weeks in review is a digest of noteworthy items that we are seeing, sharing, and saying on social media. We’re sharing it here to our farmers, supporters, and fellow farming advocates who may not follow us on all social platforms. If you do follow us on one social platform you might not be seeing all that we share, so this blog digest is a good place to get access to highlights from across platforms.
Farmland Access Opportunities
- Register now: Farmland Access & Transfer Conference goes virtual, Nov. 16-18
- Read: Farmland Access & Transfer Conference – Confronting the challenges of farmland access, next-generation farmers, and the injustices that have shaped access to land and our food system, Republican Journal
- Read/Listen: On New England Soil, Somali Bantu Refugees Reclaim A Farming Tradition, Ben James for New England Public Media
- Spread the word: All Farmers is actively seeking to acquire farmland in the Greater Springfield area to create a permanent home for immigrant and refugee farm families
Regional Food System Solutions
- Connecticut: Successful Food Supply Chain Adaptations & Sustainability, Connecticut Food System Alliance
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts’ Local Food System: Perspectives on Resilience and Recovery, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative
Looking Ahead Post-Election
- Read: How Four Years of Trump Reshaped Food and Farming, Lisa Held for Civil Eats
- Read: How the 2020 Election Will Impact Food, Agriculture, and Labor in the U.S., Elena Seeley for Food Tank
- Engage: The Change is Us: Democratic Empowerment for Food System Transformation, an online roundtable discussion, Nov. 12
If you’d like more, you can find the rest of what we’re saying and sharing on social media — Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
