News

In late May, the Massachusetts Senate completed its budget debate, resulting in some budgetary wins for the local food system. The Senate budget includes $1,000,000 for food literacy, $250,000 for the local food policy council grant program, and $100,000 for the Cliff Effect Pilot Program.  The Senate budget funds the MDAR administrative budget at a […]

Last week, state senators filed 1,100 amendments have been filed to the Senate Ways and Means fiscal year 2025 draft budget. Senators now have a week to review and consider these amendments before debating and voting on a final budget starting on May 21st, 2024. Senators may choose to cosponsor as many amendments as they […]

After the House Committee on Ways and Means released its FY25 budget draft, and the full House of Representatives debated the content, the House passed its proposed budget at the end of April. The debate ultimately failed to yield any new support for food system priorities, but did continue forward some important investments.  The House […]

Almost 1,500 amendments have been filed to the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means draft budget (H4600). Representatives now have a week to review and consider these amendments before debating and voting on a final budget starting April 24. Representatives may choose to cosponsor as many amendments as they wish, to show support for efforts that […]

On January 24 Governor Healey released her second budget proposal, proposing continuing and increasing some important investments in a challenging fiscal environment. The Governor’s commitment to environmental justice is reaffirmed, proposing Environmental Justice liaisons across the EEA agencies to support community outreach, public hearings, and stakeholder involvement, and better align hiring practices and inter-agency coordination […]

250 people attended the 2023 MA Food System Forum on December 8th in Worcester. Attendees met and reconnected with each other over breakfast and lunch and attended lively workshops. Please see below for summaries of the workshops.  Morning Sessions What’s next for food waste reduction in Massachusetts?    This session focused on what is currently working […]

The Collaborative was glad to contribute to the state’s newly released Farmland Action Plan, after advocating for its creation a few years ago. The plan’s three primary goals of protection, access, and viability are deeply intertwined and interdependent, and it will take collaboration between many stakeholders to achieve the goals as they are laid out.  […]

The 2023 Forum was held on Friday, Dec. 8th from 8am – 4pm at Holy Cross in Worcester. We look forward to strengthening the statewide food community, discussing important food topics, and developing skills so we can all advocate for a stronger, more equitable MA food system. As of December 5th, the Forum is sold out. […]

The 2023 MA Food System Forum will take place on Friday, December 8th, at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester from 8 am – 4 pm. Purchase a ticket here. If the event fee of $50 is prohibitive, we have a limited number of scholarships. To apply for a Forum Scholarship, please fill […]

The Collaborative is hiring a Network Manager who will develop, implement and manage projects that support a sustainable, equitable, and resilient local food system. The Network Manager will work with a portfolio of stakeholder organizations to clarify the public policy issues that affect their work and their constituencies, build their capacity to engage in advocacy […]