The 2024 Massachusetts Food System Forum will be held in Worcester at Holy Cross on December 17, 2024.
As in past years, we expect around 250 partners, people with lived experiences, and leaders from the Massachusetts food system to participate in this dynamic one-day event. At the Forum, partners across the local food system learn, share, and network. The day will include breakout sessions that will consider intersections between the food system and public health, regional planning, climate change, and education as well as sessions on food waste, community engagement, and agriculture. Attendees will also enjoy locally-sourced meals and ample time to network.
As of November 15, the Forum is sold out.
Interested in sponsoring the event? Please email Kristina at [email protected]
The 2024 Massachusetts Food System Forum will explore obstacles we have in common across the food system and opportunities for collective action to build a more sustainable, equitable, resilient local food system.
8:00am – Check-in, Breakfast, and Networking
8:45 – Networking Circles
9:30 – Morning Sessions: Obstacles we have in common
11:30 – Plenary: A conversation between Senator Jo Comerford, Representative Natalie Blais and Policy Director Becca Miller
1:00pm – Lunch
2:00 – Afternoon Sessions: Collective Action & Collaborations
3:30 – Networking Opportunity
4:00 – Forum Ends
*subject to change
The morning sessions will explore several salient challenges facing the food system including PFAS, the climate crisis, farmland access, the cost of local food, and urban agriculture. Each discussion will help lead to a shared understanding of the issue and opportunities to address it.
PFAS: A shared environmental obstacle
This panel will discuss PFAS, what they are, and how they impact all food system stakeholders. Speakers will discuss the shared environmental impacts of PFAS, efforts to address PFAS, and state policy responses across New England.
The climate crisis and climate resilient Massachusetts agriculture.
The climate is warming rapidly and farmers practices are changing to adapt. This panel will work towards a shared understanding of the opportunities and challenges for climate resilient agriculture, and how state policy change could help.
Farmland access: Obtaining land for new and historically underserved farmers.
Obtaining farmland is increasingly difficult as farmland sells for more than $14,00 an acre, and prime farmland is lost to abandonment, development or other land uses. This panel will work towards a shared understanding of the difficulty of land access for young, beginning, and BIPOC farmers, what the current landscape looks like for financial assistance, and how policy change could help.
Unpacking the true costs of local food
As farmers face rising costs and consumers encounter high prices at markets, understanding the true costs of food is more critical than ever before. This panel will bring together advocates to discuss the multifaceted aspects of food pricing beyond mere market price. We will discuss strategies for effectively communicating the complexities of local food pricing and examine how we can address the underlying costs that affect both farmers and consumers. We will work towards a shared understanding of how to ensure that healthy, local food remains accessible to residents of all income levels.
Urban Agriculture & challenges around advocacy
Urban agriculture practitioners connect urban residents with the food system, increase access to local food, build community, and engage residents in advocacy. This session will explore urban agriculture efforts rooted in community, and advocacy for municipal-level policies and practices that support urban agriculture.
The afternoon sessions will be an opportunity to engage with each other about how we can take collective action and collaborate on multi-sector solutions to build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient local food system. These sessions will leave attendees with a deeper awareness of current efforts including food waste reduction, food system education, food system planning, and sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, and actionable ways to contribute to those efforts.
Accelerating food waste reduction 10 years into the food waste ban
This panel will discuss food waste reduction progress in Massachusetts 10 years into the commercial food waste ban. We will explore food waste’s impact on the environment, efforts to reduce and redirect food waste and the ban’s impact on them, and opportunities to build on success so far and advance complementary waste reduction efforts.
Expanding and Enhancing Food System Education
This panel will explore effective models for food system education for students, and how partnerships between schools and nonprofit organizations can develop food literacy in students. We will discuss the changes and resources needed to strengthen and expand food system education throughout the state.
Furthering implementation of Massachusetts’ food system plans
This panel will focus on the Farmland Action Plan and the Healthy Soils Action Plan. Key points of discussion will include: sharing out what work being done currently, discussing next steps, and plans for partnering on implementation. We will also discuss the upcoming 10 year anniversary of the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan.
Bridging Land and Sea: Collaboration Between Farmers and Fishermen for a Sustainable Future: a Case Study from Cape Cod
This panel will focus on the collaborations between Cape Cod fishermen and farmers and on leveraging their unique strengths and addressing shared challenges. Key points of discussion will include shared innovation (climate adaptation strategies, biodiversity conservation), policy advocacy (access to funding, infrastructure improvements), and community engagement and education (consumer flexibility based on availability of species).
