This growing season has been particularly hard for farmers across the state. This summer’s frequent storms led to saturated soils and flooding in the Connecticut River Valley and central Massachusetts in mid-July. Subsequent floods during the following days added to the existing damage. What used to be once in a generation flooding is now a […]
read more…The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and the Environment (EEA) has released the state’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2025 and 2030. The Plan is focused on greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission reduction, including includes CO² sequestration, while the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment focuses on identifying the most urgent issues and update to the […]
read more…
Farmers feel the impact of climate change acutely, with excessive rain, extended droughts, temperature extremes, and other impacts all placing significant pressure on growers’ ability to plan, produce, and remain sustainable. It also impacts the food security of all Massachusetts residents. This resource is a searchable data set of many federal, state and private programs […]
read more…
Participate in upcoming online listening sessions Massachusetts is developing its plan to address climate change, and farmers need to provide input to ensure that the plan fairly represents the needs of agriculture and the role that farmers can play in helping the state meet its goals. Four listening sessions will be held over the next […]
read more…The 2021 MA Food System Forum was held December 3-9. Hundreds of food system stakeholders participated in discussions focused on how the various parts of the food system intersect and support each other, how they sometimes put pressure on each other, and how stakeholder work can help the local food system be more sustainable, equitable, […]
read more…Farmers and advocates have upcoming opportunities to influence how state policy related to climate change includes and addresses issues of concern to agriculture. The State is in the process of a Climate Change Assessment to provide an updated analysis of how climate change may impact the Commonwealth over the coming decades. It will serve to […]
read more…In 2018 agricultural networks identified climate change as one of the most critical factors impacting the long term viability of farmers and fishermen as well as the security of the Commonwealth’s food supply. We came to understand that efforts to respond to climate change operated mostly in isolation and as a result, no systemic, multi-sector […]
read more…Signed by the Governor and enacted in late March of 2021, overall the law gets more specific on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) limits and mechanisms and processes to get to the 2050 requirement of net zero GHG emissions. Some things of note: The law redefines direct and indirect GHG emissions and emission sources to be any use, distribution, […]
read more…The Collaborative’s network of farmers and agricultural support organizations has consistently reflected that climate change is a critical issue for agriculture, impacting COVID recovery planning as well as long term disruption to our food system. From its impact on water management and soil erosion to invasive species, to frost damage, and worker health and safety, […]
read more…
Disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, and Massachusetts’ state and local responses to that disruption, highlight the impact and benefit our food system has on all of us. COVID’s acute impact on our food system also exposed systemic issues that, if not addressed, will become more problematic through the unrelenting pressures caused by climate change. […]
read more…
