Project Overview
Southeastern Massachusetts’ agricultural community will erode unless new producers begin farming locally through expanded farm transfer/tenure options. Transfer planning mixes human/personal/legal/financial risks and is often avoided until it is too late.
Through this project and with additional support from SARE and the Mass. Office of Small Business, SEMAP has launched “Farms Forever” (FF) to increase farmland transfer/tenure activity locally. Focus groups identified clear needs among exiting/entering producers. We found helpful resources, notably Land For Good (LFG). However, producers still feel stuck, unconnected. What is missing? We believed it was a local, on-the-ground catalyst for producer action, referrals, networking, and follow-up.
Accordingly, Farms Forever has and will continue to:
• catalyze transfer planning through LFG “packages”
• create local peer examples/outreach
• implement referral network
• provide communication hub/follow-up
• engage non-farming landowners.
FF draws on a tested model: NECRME seeded SEMAP’s successful B2B Network, connecting growers/buyers through a Coordinator and communications network. NECRME support allowed us to jump-start FF and initiate similar connection-building to sustain local agriculture long-term.
Number of Participants: 354
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
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EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
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REPORTS & EVALUATIONS
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