Forum targets buying locally grown food

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Local farmers and advocates of buying locally grown food sat down with state legislators Thursday night at a public forum addressing challenges facing Valley farmers and seeking new ways to promote the importance of supporting local agriculture.

The forum, held at the Northampton Senior Center and hosted by local nonprofit Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, allowed local growers and consumers to interact with state Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, and Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, and generated an open discussion of the important role that consumers, farms and the local government play in supporting a healthy and sustainable local food system.

Both Kulik and Scibak noted the importance of harnessing increased public awareness of the benefits of buying local produce and using it to improve the local economy, environment and the overall health of Valley residents.

"There is definitely an increased awareness beyond the confines of the Pioneer Valley in terms of looking at food safety and food security, which has prompted state residents to want to buy local and consume fresh, organic products," Scibak said. "And we need to keep pointing out to people that food, farming and agriculture is a viable economic development strategy and is an integral part of the economy in the Valley."

Kulik, who was also encouraged by a growing interest in supporting local agriculture, said despite cuts in state funding, legislators are coming up with ways to promote local produce and give farmers the resources they need to thrive.

"There are a number of things we can be doing now to prepare ourselves for obstacles that may come up in three, five and 10 years down the road," he said. "We all need to make sure that we keep working diligently in spite of a lack of state and federal funding."

Kulik also said he and Scibak expected legislation recently passed in the House would soon be enacted to establish a new all-volunteer Food Policy Council.

"This council will provide an open forum that will bring together stakeholders, producers, local farmers and even those involved in land preservation, food security and marketing - and they will work together to help craft state policy on a variety of agricultural issues unique to the commonwealth," Kulik said.

Although many shared Kulik's and Scibak's enthusiasm about using local agriculture as a means of increasing tourism and consumption at farms across the Valley, farmers who spoke at the forum stressed that exaggerated land values and competition from major supermarkets were still impeding their business.

Among them was Ben James, owner of Town Farm in Northampton and member of the Northampton Agricultural Commission, who said a steadily growing interest in local farming has made him "feel like a rock star" but stressed that unless Valley farmers are paid more for the produce they cultivate, they will continue to struggle.

"Even with the public enthusiasm about buying local food, I am still staggered at the amount of work that goes into growing our food compared to what it is valued at," James said. "It is a huge challenge for us. Even with the support of the local community, the majority of residents still get their food at Stop & Shop, and we still have a tremendous way to go on that front."

Echoing James' concern was Paul Voiland, of Montague, who said he worried that high land values would put area farmers behind before they could begin. He argued that recently passed labor and zoning laws are turning young people away from their traditional summer jobs in farming, and that a lack of agricultural education in local schools was keeping students from considering farming as a career.

"We have zoning laws that prevent certain work at certain hours and we have zoning laws that make it difficult for farmers to provide their staff with affordable housing. I think these are the things the legislators should be looking at," Voiland said. "The problem is that this vibrant new interest in agriculture is largely generated by farms that depend on hand labor and you have to be willing to pay people enough to do the work."

Although she, too, said farmers have to make more for the food they are producing to survive, Ruth Hazzard, who has served as a vegetable entomologist and team leader for UMass Amherst Extension's vegetable program, said she has noticed that agricultural organizations across the Valley are working more closely with the state departments that oversee them.

"Something that has changed over the last 10 years is that these organizations are working together more than they have in the past," Hazzard said, adding that the relationship between UMass Extension and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is better than it has been in her 20 years of experience. "They are really working hard to support our efforts to do research and solve problems particular to our area."

Residents interested in volunteering time to support CISA or with questions about the organization are encouraged to contact program director Kelly Coleman at 413-665-7100 or visit the nonprofit's website, www.buylocalfood.org.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.