The Farm & Local Food Initiative

How we grow and distribute food matters. By building a robust local food system that values sustainable practices, we can help protect our natural resources while serving the varied constituencies who depend on those resources for their health and economic well-being.

The Farm & Local Food Initiative is designed to help build a thriving Massachusetts farming community that:

• encourages sustainable practices to protect our land, air and water
• is economically viable, providing a quality standard of living for farm owners and workers
• increases the availability of fresh, healthy food to local communities, including populations in need.

Our initial funding supports nonprofits working in Massachusetts (outside of Greater Boston) who provide technical assistance and educational supports to farmers running small-to-mid-sized farms. These farms lend themselves to sustainable practices and tend to find their best niches in local markets within local food systems. We also support a few related food system areas including food waste and recovery; access to fresh, healthy food; and youth education around farming and sustainable practices.