News

In response to the spread of COVID-19 and the measures being taken to address it, the Collaborative has compiled this list of readings and resources to keep the MA food system community informed and aware of relevant actions and activities. If you know of additional items that should be included, please send them to [email protected]. (Items […]

The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the actions taken to protect public health highlights the fragility and interconnectedness of many complex systems. The food system is no exception. Disrupted logistics, including all inputs and outputs, labor, distribution, and all associated activity is the principal cause of the current challenges faced by the food system, […]

New solar siting regulations support the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan’s recommendations to protect farmland from conversion to solar use, but threaten to reduce sustainability for farms by limiting the amount of land that farmers may use to generate revenue from solar projects. The updates to the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program (225 CMR […]

In response to the spread of COVID-19 and the measures being taken to address it, the Collaborative has compiled this list of readings and resources to keep the MA food system community informed and aware of relevant actions and activities.

A number of climate change measures under consideration in the legislature could have significant impact on agriculture and other food businesses. Recently passed by the Senate, An Act Setting Next Generation Climate Policy (S.2477) is a very complex bill that deserves attention from food system stakeholders as it moves through the legislative process.  This bill […]

A research project funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts. This submission was written by Jessica O’Neill, Executive Director of Just Roots and co-author on the study’s resulting research findings, now published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine and the American Journal of Public Health. A small, […]

Farmers and fishermen rely on state and federal grant programs to help them adapt to climate change and other pressures, and to take advantage of new opportunities and concepts to remain viable. The Collaborative has investigated the spending of many of the grant programs administered by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to help […]

These materials were presented at the November 2019 MA Food System Forum. Keynote (Dr. Becca Jablonski): Tensions and Trade-offs in Food System Work Lobbying for Nonprofits workshop (Allen Mattison): Strategic Advocacy Lobbying Basics Permissible Issue Advocacy vs. Prohibited Campaign Intervention Using the Section 501(h) Lobbying Definitions

These materials were presented at the November 2019 MA Food System Forum. Keynote (Dr. Becca Jablonski): Tensions and Trade-offs in Food System Work Lobbying for Nonprofits workshop (Allen Mattison): Strategic Advocacy Lobbying Basics Permissible Issue Advocacy vs. Prohibited Campaign Intervention Using the Section 501(h) Lobbying Definitions

On September 27 the Joint Committee on Public Health held a “Food Is Public Health Oversight Hearing” in Greenfield. Speakers included advocates and practitioners from across the Commonwealth, all speaking to the need for programs and investments in healthy eating as critical to protecting public health. A written summary and video of the full hearing […]