The Foodshed Forum, in collaboration with Northwest Connecticut Food Hub, invites you to Sustaining Fairfield County’s Foodshed, a free in-person panel discussion on Friday, March 7 from 10:00am – 11:30am at Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses.
Panel speakers include Kristin Floberg – Senior Planner at Western Connecticut Council of Governments, Renée Giroux – Co-owner of Earth’s Palate Farm and Manager of the Northwest Connecticut Food Hub & Reverend Sara Smith – President of nOURish Bridgeport.
Farmers contribute four billion dollars into Connecticut’s economy. Their crops provide sustenance and nourishment to communities across the state. Farmers care for the land and waterscapes that sustain biodiversity. They foster food cultures.
Losing our agricultural community and economy would be a tragic loss to Connecticut. And yet, farmers, especially those who are marginalized, endure a myriad of challenges: access to farmland and institutional markets, competition from developers, zoning regulations, housing and uncertain weather patterns.
According to Kristin Floberg, the lead manager of the Regional Agricultural Farm Viability Study, “The Western Connecticut Region was once dominated by agriculture, but over the last 75 years, suburban development has resulted in the loss of many farms and decreased the availability and increased the cost of land for new farms, especially large parcels whose soil and topography are suitable for the types of farming that once defined the region.
The Regional Agriculture Farm Viability Study was conducted to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing current and future farmers in Western Connecticut, reviewed regulatory barriers to the expansion of agriculture, and provided recommendations for WestCOG and its local governments to support, expand, and establish farming practices in the Region.”
Floberg will discuss the studies findings and recommendations.
Sustaining Fairfield County’s Foodshed will educate consumers and municipalities about their roles as investors in our local food economy, and in the future of agriculture in Connecticut. Moderated by Jovan Bryan, Community Conservation Coordinator at Connecticut Land Conservation Council, the panel will discuss:
– What it takes to collectively preserve Fairfield County’s foodshed.
– The needs of urban and rural farmers in order to thrive in Fairfield County.
– Pathways towards resilience, racial equity, farmer and consumer connectivity.
– The role of food hubs in building the local food economy through farm to school programs.
The Foodshed Forum, a program of The Foodshed Network, in collaboration with Greenwich Conservation Commission, is an educational and convening platform focused on systemic change in the food system. Our programs facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas and best practices among practitioners, and anyone who is interested in learning about and participating in a just, equitable, resilient and regionalized food system.
All are welcome. RSVP: [email protected]
For more information and to view the invitation:
https://view.flodesk.com/emails/679ed09ce5c99ab2b2a4b201
More information about The Foodshed Forum.