Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryThe Sustainability Institute Research Institutes, Centers and Programs1-1-2002Findings and recommendations for use by othercitizens, local, state and federal policymakers,educators, and the food industryCitizen Panel on the Future of Food in New EnglandFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/sustainabilityThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Research Institutes, Centers and Programs at University of New Hampshire Scholars'Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Sustainability Institute by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars'Repository. For more information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationCitizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England, "Findings and recommendations for use by other citizens, local, state and federalpolicymakers, educators, and the food industry" (2002). The Sustainability Institute. 47.https://scholars.unh.edu/sustainability/47The Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New Englandconvened in April 2003. Comprised of fifteen citizens fromthe six New England states, the panel gathered information,engaged in reasoned discourse, reviewed expert testimonyand deliberated findings and recommendations.We are honored and humbled by our experience. We offeran informed perspective forged by a deeper understandingof ourselves as active, concerned citizens and by acommitment to a stronger regional food system.We celebrate and salute the essential but largely unseenfarmers and food producers who nourish our bodies, enrichour culture and connect us to the land. We are inspired tourge our fellow citizens to put a face on our food and getinvolved.As residents of the six New England states, we believeindividuals can influence and shape the future of the localfood system. We believe citizen action, both individual andcollective, can create a diverse, flexible and resilient foodsystem—one that is more self-reliant and self-sufficient inthe future.Food is both universal and exquisitely personal. We addressour report to all New England residents—every one of ushas a stake in the future of our food.Over the next two decades we envision a regioncharacterized by entrepreneurial agriculture andactive citizen involvement. Our report iscomprised of findings and recommendations toachieve this vision, some of which requireimmediate attention and action.Three essential components form the foundationof our recommendations:1. A strong regional approach built on ourcollective strengths.2. Programs to educate consumers and toprovide farmers and food producers withessential support, effective managementmethodologies and technical services.Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England3. A recognition that policy considerations from bothgovernment and non-government organizations affect theentire region.  A more collaborative approach to policyissues offers opportunities to bridge differences for the goodof the region.We view this report as a public policy statement. As suchwe urge our fellow citizens, as well as local, state and federalofficials to take action on these recommendations.Building a Regional ApproachThe six New England states must move beyond individualstate parochialism to build interstate strategies. A regionalapproach, by enabling greater diversity and integration ofour food system, leads to stronger regional self-reliance.Increased self-sufficiency means more profitable, viablefarms, a more secure food system with greater local andtherefore regional economic growth.Findings:• Our New England character and landscape depend onagriculture.• The New England states share important naturaladvantages, especially water and soil resources.• Four hundred years of agricultural history demonstratediverse, flexible and resilient farms, farmers and farmproducts. We enjoy many regional economic benefitsfrom agriculture.•  We enjoy relatively short distances betweenproducers and markets.•  Two key metropolitan markets—Boston andNew York—anchor the region.•  The region embraces a culturally and ethnicallydiverse population.•  Many non-government organizations andstate government agencies alreadycollaborate on food system issues.•  The region does not receive a fair shareof federal assistance.Recommendations:• Create and expand regional ‘buy local’ campaigns.• Make individual state regulations and statutes moreuniform within the region.• Encourage public universities and agricultural extensionservices to expand and strengthen regionalcollaboration.• Investigate and establish regional branded labelingprograms. Consider meat and specialty dairy productsas pilot programs.• Encourage states to reduce regulatory barriers to foodprocessors, especially for milk plants and livestockprocessing facilities.ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTOF THE FOOD SYSTEMTo help build the regional food system and boost economicdevelopment, we propose educating consumers andencouraging producers to take advantage of local demandand regional successes.Findings:• Consolidation continues within the national foodsystem, particularly in the food processing and retailingindustries.• Globalization impacts all levels of the New England foodsystem.• Consolidation and globalization lessen the number ofwholesale markets and weaken the support infrastructurefor New England agriculture.• Increasingly over the last decade consumers havedemanded safer, high quality, local food.• New England agricultural businesses have establishedsuccessful local direct marketing ventures and nichemarkets.• The number of small-scale processing facilities in theregion is inadequate.Recommendations:• Educate consumers about:• buying locally grown and processed foods;• where food dollars go, and how locally-spent moneystrengthens the local community;• the impact on the local economy of globalization andconsolidation.• Build upon successful small-scale agricultural enterprisesto expand the local economic base.• Expand and enhance the agricultural serviceinfrastructure: lending, financial planning and legalassistance.• Enforce antitrust laws to protect consumers andproducers.• Support successful enterprises.• Establish and support more small scale regionalprocessing facilities.CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND2FARM PROFITABILITY &LONG-TERM VIABILITYProfitable farms are the foundation of a regional foodsystem and necessary to maintaining a regional land,expertise and infrastructure base. To assure long termviability of local farms and the regional food system,necessary support must be developed and maintained.Findings:• Clear and present economic threats exist to dairy andorchard operations.• Ongoing consolidation within the food processingindustry decreases revenues below the cost of productionfor many New England farms.• Loss of farms, farmland and services such as farmequipment suppliers, large animal vets and feed stores,jeopardize the viability of the farm economy.• Farmers are experiencing low return on investment anddeclining farm incomes.• Trends show a diminishing number of medium-sizedfarms, large farms growing bigger and small farmsmultiplying in number.• Multi-generational farm succession presents challengesand opportunities.• Farm labor costs are higher in New England comparedto the rest of the nation.• Farm labor availability is limited.• High costs of  health insurance and worker’scompensation put some farms at risk.• Federal agricultural subsidies favor Western and Midwestcommodities over New England crops.• A typical US farmer receives only nineteen cents of theconsumer’s total food dollar.Recommendations:• Take immediate regional action on milk pricing.• Cultivate and support the essential services necessary toretain a diversified agricultural base.• Develop support for farm entrepreneurship(diversification, niche and direct marketing, local farmer/consumer relationships).• Support farmers’ efforts to add value to their crops.• Strengthen management and marketing training andeducation for farmers.• Increase and support farmer cooperatives, trade groupsand shared processing operations and facilities.• Assign value to the positive environmental servicesprovided by farming (open spaces, working landscapes,clean air and water).• Foster and support new farmers, and encourage youngpeople to consider careers in agriculture.• Streamline federal foreign agricultural worker programs.RESOURCE CONSERVATIONLand, soil, water and other natural resources are essentialto a productive regional food system. These resources mustbe protected and maintained.Findings:• New England continues to lose prime and locallyimportant farmland due to economic factors anddevelopment pressures.• The demand for water of sufficient quality and quantityto satisfy New England’s water resource needs continuesto grow.• Existing land and water conservation programsoperating at all levels of government throughout NewEngland are insufficient to offset the region’s loss offarmland.Recommendations:• Make more effective and aggressive utilization of allavailable farmland preservation methods at all levels ofgovernment and by all appropriate conservationorganizations.• Where appropriate, all units and levels of governmentshould develop and implement farmland preservationlegislation and/or programs, especially where suchprograms are not currently available.• In both of the above cases, all units of government shouldfully fund farmland protection programs.CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND3FOOD SECURITY & FOOD SAFETY“Traditional definitions of food security focus on theextent to which people have physical and economic accessto sufficient food to meet their dietary needs.” (NortheastFarms to Food, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture workingGroup, 2002, p. 70). The report explains this issue furtherby stating:The concept of community food security (CFS) goesbeyond the issues of  hunger and poverty. Itemphasizes community-based (rather thanindividual- and family-based) solutions to theproblems of food access, nutrition, and hunger. CFSembraces a systems approach that synthesizesdisparate fields, from nutrition to public health tocommunity economic development. It addresses thequalitative as well as quantitative aspects of diet,such as the nutritional content, safety, and culturalappropriateness of food. As a new movement, CFSfocuses primarily on urban settings and on lower-income consumers, but stresses links with producers,rural communities, and the environment.Food Security Findings:• Community Food Security (CFS) is a growingmovement.• CFS and sustainable agriculture are companionmovements.• A growing number of citizens are committed to theavailability of good nutritious food for all consumersand creating economic and transportation access tofarmer’s markets, pick-your-own and roadside stands.• Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Farmer’s MarketNutrition Program (FMNP) and senior citizen foodprograms have a positive impact on farmer’s marketsregionally.• We see an increase in school-based programs aboutnutrition and diet, as well as the creation of edible schoolyards.• Within the region we found an increasing number offarmer’s markets, school and community gardens andlocally grown food to school and business cafeteriaprograms.Food Security Recommendations:• Inform and improve WIC, FMNP and seniors programsto include the same opportunities for roadside standsas for grocery stores.• Support and expand ongoing education and outreachprograms for nutrition and diet issues.• Continue building relationships and connectionsbetween rural and urban communities.Food Safety Findings:• A diverse local food system is less vulnerable to bio-terrorism.• The threat of bio-terrorism provides an opportunity foradditional awareness and funding.• Food safety is a continued concern for consumers.• Consistent inspections of food processors are not areality.• Government inspectors and inspection programs areunder funded.Food Safety Recommendations:• Increase government funding and commitment toinspections.CONSUMER BEHAVIOR &CITIZEN ACTIONWe want to encourage consumer behavior that strengthensthe New England food system. Citizeninvolvement is crucial for this to beeffective. We need action by and forour fellow citizens.Findings:• Media and advertising,tradition, culture,economics, politicsand access shapeconsumer behaviorin the purchasingof food.• Many consumerssimply do not buylocally produced food.CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND4• Nationwide, many Americans eat a large proportion ofhighly processed foods. These habits have lead toincreased rates of diet-related diseases (e. g. diabetes,obesity).• New England consumers are beginning to buy morefood through Community Supported Agriculture(CSAs), farmer’s markets, farm stands, pick-your-ownand cooperatives.• Some non-profits and governmental organizations havebegun to promote local/regional products and help localfarmers.• Farm to school initiatives and institutional purchasingof local food are expanding.• Federal and state grants encourage local production andconsumer connections with the food system.Recommendations:• Support organizations that presently involve citizens inlocal food systems.• Provide more support for CSAs, farmer’s markets, farmstands, pick-your-own and consumer-producerconnections.• Urge municipalities and school boards to supportrelevant nutrition and health education (e.g. schoolgardens, local food promotion), increase the use of localproducts and decrease reliance on corporate fundingin schools.• Support municipal ordinances that support local foodsystems.• Advocate at state and municipal levels for the subsidyof Community Supported Agriculture for appropriaterecipients.• Individuals and advocacy organizations should lobbylocal officials, and state and federal legislators and policymakers to support local food systems.Additional Recommendation:To fully understand the region’s food system, we mustaddress New England’s rich maritime and fishing historyand contemporary pract ices. We strongly recommendthat the UNH Office of Sustainability Programs convenea panel on the Future of Fishing in New England.–June 21, 2003Citizen Panel MembersBillie Best, Community ActivistAlford, MADevan Chase, Southside Community Land Trust/Immigrant Farmer ProgramProvidence, RIKye Cochran, Local Energy and FoodQuechee, VTKenneth Hall, Ph.D., Extension Food Scientistand Professor Emeritus, UConnStorrs, CTLisa Knapton, Moonstruck FarmPlainfield, NHErick Leadbeater, Gould Hill OrchardsContoocook, NHFrancis Morrissey, NH Employment Security/State Monitor AdvocateEliot, MEBeth Myers, Swallow Song FarmBethel, MEBelle Rita Novak, Community Activist/Organizer & Manager of Urban Farmers MarketSpringfield, MAElizabeth Patten, Nutrition EducatorFreeport, MEDavid Pinney, Ph.D. candidate, Yale UniversitySomersville, CTJeffrey Roberts, Consultant/Independent Education Program ProducerMontpelier, VTMary Ellen Sheehan, South Village GardenAcworth, NHHannah Smart, Student/Dairy FarmerBrunswick, VTRobert Ward, Planner/Landscape ArchitectAndover, NHCITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND5Expert Panel MembersOffice of Sustainability ProgramsNesmith Hall131 Main StreetDurham, New Hampshire  03824-3592804410CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLANDKathy Ruhf, Director, New England Small Farm Institute,Belchertown, MADavid Salmonsen, Congressional Relations/LegislativeCounsel for American Farm Bureau Federation,Washington, DCMichael Sciabarrasi, Extension Professor, AgriculturalBusiness Management, University of New Hampshire,Durham, NHDr. Jane Kolodinsky, Professor/Chair of CommunityDevelopment and Applied Economics, University ofVermont, Burlington, VTJames Putnam II, Senior VP for Financial Services, FirstPioneer Farm Credit, Enfield, CTDr. Richard Rogers, Professor of Resource Economics,University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MAThe Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England was sponsored by the University of NewHampshire Office of Sustainability Programs and Cooperative Extension with a grant from the NathanCummings Foundation. Artwork © Mary Ellen Sheehan. This report reflects the findings andrecommendations of the Citizen Panel and are not necessarily those of the sponsors or the funder. Formore information on the issues and process, including expert testimony, bibliography and links, pleasevisit www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/fas/futurenefood/index.html or call 862-4088.

Findings and recommendations for use by other citizens, local, state and federal policymakers, educators, and the food industry

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
The Sustainability Institute Research Institutes, Centers and Programs
1-1-2002
Findings and recommendations for use by other
citizens, local, state and federal policymakers,
educators, and the food industry
Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/sustainability
This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Research Institutes, Centers and Programs at University of New Hampshire Scholars'
Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Sustainability Institute by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars'
Repository. For more information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England, "Findings and recommendations for use by other citizens, local, state and federal
policymakers, educators, and the food industry" (2002). The Sustainability Institute. 47.
https://scholars.unh.edu/sustainability/47
The Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England
convened in April 2003. Comprised of fifteen citizens from
the six New England states, the panel gathered information,
engaged in reasoned discourse, reviewed expert testimony
and deliberated findings and recommendations.
We are honored and humbled by our experience. We offer
an informed perspective forged by a deeper understanding
of ourselves as active, concerned citizens and by a
commitment to a stronger regional food system.
We celebrate and salute the essential but largely unseen
farmers and food producers who nourish our bodies, enrich
our culture and connect us to the land. We are inspired to
urge our fellow citizens to put a face on our food and get
involved.
As residents of the six New England states, we believe
individuals can influence and shape the future of the local
food system. We believe citizen action, both individual and
collective, can create a diverse, flexible and resilient food
system—one that is more self-reliant and self-sufficient in
the future.
Food is both universal and exquisitely personal. We address
our report to all New England residents—every one of us
has a stake in the future of our food.
Over the next two decades we envision a region
characterized by entrepreneurial agriculture and
active citizen involvement. Our report is
comprised of findings and recommendations to
achieve this vision, some of which require
immediate attention and action.
Three essential components form the foundation
of our recommendations:
1. A strong regional approach built on our
collective strengths.
2. Programs to educate consumers and to
provide farmers and food producers with
essential support, effective management
methodologies and technical services.
Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England
3. A recognition that policy considerations from both
government and non-government organizations affect the
entire region.  A more collaborative approach to policy
issues offers opportunities to bridge differences for the good
of the region.
We view this report as a public policy statement. As such
we urge our fellow citizens, as well as local, state and federal
officials to take action on these recommendations.
Building a Regional Approach
The six New England states must move beyond individual
state parochialism to build interstate strategies. A regional
approach, by enabling greater diversity and integration of
our food system, leads to stronger regional self-reliance.
Increased self-sufficiency means more profitable, viable
farms, a more secure food system with greater local and
therefore regional economic growth.
Findings:
• Our New England character and landscape depend on
agriculture.
• The New England states share important natural
advantages, especially water and soil resources.
• Four hundred years of agricultural history demonstrate
diverse, flexible and resilient farms, farmers and farm
products. We enjoy many regional economic benefits
from agriculture.
•  We enjoy relatively short distances between
producers and markets.
•  Two key metropolitan markets—Boston and
New York—anchor the region.
•  The region embraces a culturally and ethnically
diverse population.
•  Many non-government organizations and
state government agencies already
collaborate on food system issues.
•  The region does not receive a fair share
of federal assistance.
Recommendations:
• Create and expand regional ‘buy local’ campaigns.
• Make individual state regulations and statutes more
uniform within the region.
• Encourage public universities and agricultural extension
services to expand and strengthen regional
collaboration.
• Investigate and establish regional branded labeling
programs. Consider meat and specialty dairy products
as pilot programs.
• Encourage states to reduce regulatory barriers to food
processors, especially for milk plants and livestock
processing facilities.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
OF THE FOOD SYSTEM
To help build the regional food system and boost economic
development, we propose educating consumers and
encouraging producers to take advantage of local demand
and regional successes.
Findings:
• Consolidation continues within the national food
system, particularly in the food processing and retailing
industries.
• Globalization impacts all levels of the New England food
system.
• Consolidation and globalization lessen the number of
wholesale markets and weaken the support infrastructure
for New England agriculture.
• Increasingly over the last decade consumers have
demanded safer, high quality, local food.
• New England agricultural businesses have established
successful local direct marketing ventures and niche
markets.
• The number of small-scale processing facilities in the
region is inadequate.
Recommendations:
• Educate consumers about:
• buying locally grown and processed foods;
• where food dollars go, and how locally-spent money
strengthens the local community;
• the impact on the local economy of globalization and
consolidation.
• Build upon successful small-scale agricultural enterprises
to expand the local economic base.
• Expand and enhance the agricultural service
infrastructure: lending, financial planning and legal
assistance.
• Enforce antitrust laws to protect consumers and
producers.
• Support successful enterprises.
• Establish and support more small scale regional
processing facilities.
CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND
2
FARM PROFITABILITY &
LONG-TERM VIABILITY
Profitable farms are the foundation of a regional food
system and necessary to maintaining a regional land,
expertise and infrastructure base. To assure long term
viability of local farms and the regional food system,
necessary support must be developed and maintained.
Findings:
• Clear and present economic threats exist to dairy and
orchard operations.
• Ongoing consolidation within the food processing
industry decreases revenues below the cost of production
for many New England farms.
• Loss of farms, farmland and services such as farm
equipment suppliers, large animal vets and feed stores,
jeopardize the viability of the farm economy.
• Farmers are experiencing low return on investment and
declining farm incomes.
• Trends show a diminishing number of medium-sized
farms, large farms growing bigger and small farms
multiplying in number.
• Multi-generational farm succession presents challenges
and opportunities.
• Farm labor costs are higher in New England compared
to the rest of the nation.
• Farm labor availability is limited.
• High costs of  health insurance and worker’s
compensation put some farms at risk.
• Federal agricultural subsidies favor Western and Midwest
commodities over New England crops.
• A typical US farmer receives only nineteen cents of the
consumer’s total food dollar.
Recommendations:
• Take immediate regional action on milk pricing.
• Cultivate and support the essential services necessary to
retain a diversified agricultural base.
• Develop support for farm entrepreneurship
(diversification, niche and direct marketing, local farmer/
consumer relationships).
• Support farmers’ efforts to add value to their crops.
• Strengthen management and marketing training and
education for farmers.
• Increase and support farmer cooperatives, trade groups
and shared processing operations and facilities.
• Assign value to the positive environmental services
provided by farming (open spaces, working landscapes,
clean air and water).
• Foster and support new farmers, and encourage young
people to consider careers in agriculture.
• Streamline federal foreign agricultural worker programs.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
Land, soil, water and other natural resources are essential
to a productive regional food system. These resources must
be protected and maintained.
Findings:
• New England continues to lose prime and locally
important farmland due to economic factors and
development pressures.
• The demand for water of sufficient quality and quantity
to satisfy New England’s water resource needs continues
to grow.
• Existing land and water conservation programs
operating at all levels of government throughout New
England are insufficient to offset the region’s loss of
farmland.
Recommendations:
• Make more effective and aggressive utilization of all
available farmland preservation methods at all levels of
government and by all appropriate conservation
organizations.
• Where appropriate, all units and levels of government
should develop and implement farmland preservation
legislation and/or programs, especially where such
programs are not currently available.
• In both of the above cases, all units of government should
fully fund farmland protection programs.
CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND
3
FOOD SECURITY & FOOD SAFETY
“Traditional definitions of food security focus on the
extent to which people have physical and economic access
to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs.” (Northeast
Farms to Food, Northeast Sustainable Agriculture working
Group, 2002, p. 70). The report explains this issue further
by stating:
The concept of community food security (CFS) goes
beyond the issues of  hunger and poverty. It
emphasizes community-based (rather than
individual- and family-based) solutions to the
problems of food access, nutrition, and hunger. CFS
embraces a systems approach that synthesizes
disparate fields, from nutrition to public health to
community economic development. It addresses the
qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of diet,
such as the nutritional content, safety, and cultural
appropriateness of food. As a new movement, CFS
focuses primarily on urban settings and on lower-
income consumers, but stresses links with producers,
rural communities, and the environment.
Food Security Findings:
• Community Food Security (CFS) is a growing
movement.
• CFS and sustainable agriculture are companion
movements.
• A growing number of citizens are committed to the
availability of good nutritious food for all consumers
and creating economic and transportation access to
farmer’s markets, pick-your-own and roadside stands.
• Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Farmer’s Market
Nutrition Program (FMNP) and senior citizen food
programs have a positive impact on farmer’s markets
regionally.
• We see an increase in school-based programs about
nutrition and diet, as well as the creation of edible school
yards.
• Within the region we found an increasing number of
farmer’s markets, school and community gardens and
locally grown food to school and business cafeteria
programs.
Food Security Recommendations:
• Inform and improve WIC, FMNP and seniors programs
to include the same opportunities for roadside stands
as for grocery stores.
• Support and expand ongoing education and outreach
programs for nutrition and diet issues.
• Continue building relationships and connections
between rural and urban communities.
Food Safety Findings:
• A diverse local food system is less vulnerable to bio-
terrorism.
• The threat of bio-terrorism provides an opportunity for
additional awareness and funding.
• Food safety is a continued concern for consumers.
• Consistent inspections of food processors are not a
reality.
• Government inspectors and inspection programs are
under funded.
Food Safety Recommendations:
• Increase government funding and commitment to
inspections.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR &
CITIZEN ACTION
We want to encourage consumer behavior that strengthens
the New England food system. Citizen
involvement is crucial for this to be
effective. We need action by and for
our fellow citizens.
Findings:
• Media and advertising,
tradition, culture,
economics, politics
and access shape
consumer behavior
in the purchasing
of food.
• Many consumers
simply do not buy
locally produced food.
CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND
4
• Nationwide, many Americans eat a large proportion of
highly processed foods. These habits have lead to
increased rates of diet-related diseases (e. g. diabetes,
obesity).
• New England consumers are beginning to buy more
food through Community Supported Agriculture
(CSAs), farmer’s markets, farm stands, pick-your-own
and cooperatives.
• Some non-profits and governmental organizations have
begun to promote local/regional products and help local
farmers.
• Farm to school initiatives and institutional purchasing
of local food are expanding.
• Federal and state grants encourage local production and
consumer connections with the food system.
Recommendations:
• Support organizations that presently involve citizens in
local food systems.
• Provide more support for CSAs, farmer’s markets, farm
stands, pick-your-own and consumer-producer
connections.
• Urge municipalities and school boards to support
relevant nutrition and health education (e.g. school
gardens, local food promotion), increase the use of local
products and decrease reliance on corporate funding
in schools.
• Support municipal ordinances that support local food
systems.
• Advocate at state and municipal levels for the subsidy
of Community Supported Agriculture for appropriate
recipients.
• Individuals and advocacy organizations should lobby
local officials, and state and federal legislators and policy
makers to support local food systems.
Additional Recommendation:
To fully understand the region’s food system, we must
address New England’s rich maritime and fishing history
and contemporary pract ices. We strongly recommend
that the UNH Office of Sustainability Programs convene
a panel on the Future of Fishing in New England.
–June 21, 2003
Citizen Panel Members
Billie Best, Community Activist
Alford, MA
Devan Chase, Southside Community Land Trust/
Immigrant Farmer Program
Providence, RI
Kye Cochran, Local Energy and Food
Quechee, VT
Kenneth Hall, Ph.D., Extension Food Scientist
and Professor Emeritus, UConn
Storrs, CT
Lisa Knapton, Moonstruck Farm
Plainfield, NH
Erick Leadbeater, Gould Hill Orchards
Contoocook, NH
Francis Morrissey, NH Employment Security/
State Monitor Advocate
Eliot, ME
Beth Myers, Swallow Song Farm
Bethel, ME
Belle Rita Novak, Community Activist/
Organizer & Manager of Urban Farmers Market
Springfield, MA
Elizabeth Patten, Nutrition Educator
Freeport, ME
David Pinney, Ph.D. candidate, Yale University
Somersville, CT
Jeffrey Roberts, Consultant/
Independent Education Program Producer
Montpelier, VT
Mary Ellen Sheehan, South Village Garden
Acworth, NH
Hannah Smart, Student/Dairy Farmer
Brunswick, VT
Robert Ward, Planner/Landscape Architect
Andover, NH
CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND
5
Expert Panel Members
Office of Sustainability Programs
Nesmith Hall
131 Main Street
Durham, New Hampshire  03824-3592
804410
CITIZEN PANEL ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN NEW ENGLAND
Kathy Ruhf, Director, New England Small Farm Institute,
Belchertown, MA
David Salmonsen, Congressional Relations/Legislative
Counsel for American Farm Bureau Federation,
Washington, DC
Michael Sciabarrasi, Extension Professor, Agricultural
Business Management, University of New Hampshire,
Durham, NH
Dr. Jane Kolodinsky, Professor/Chair of Community
Development and Applied Economics, University of
Vermont, Burlington, VT
James Putnam II, Senior VP for Financial Services, First
Pioneer Farm Credit, Enfield, CT
Dr. Richard Rogers, Professor of Resource Economics,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
The Citizen Panel on the Future of Food in New England was sponsored by the University of New
Hampshire Office of Sustainability Programs and Cooperative Extension with a grant from the Nathan
Cummings Foundation. Artwork © Mary Ellen Sheehan. This report reflects the findings and
recommendations of the Citizen Panel and are not necessarily those of the sponsors or the funder. For
more information on the issues and process, including expert testimony, bibliography and links, please
visit www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/fas/futurenefood/index.html or call 862-4088.


https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&amp;context=sustainability

Findings and recommendations for use by other citizens, local, state and federal policymakers, educators, and the food industry

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New Hampshire