Food Solutions New England

Food Solutions New England Food Solutions New England (FSNE) is a six-state network working to create a just, healthy & resilien

The FSNE Network Vision

Food Solutions New England envisions a powerful food movement that democratically transforms New England’s food system so that it is sustainable, just, and resilient. The FSNE Network Mission

Food Solutions New England is a regional, six-state network that unites the food system community around a shared set of values – democratic empowerment, racial equity and dignity fo

r all, sustainability, and trust – and strengthens the movement’s ability to achieve New England Food Vision goals. Network Approach

The Food Solutions New England network is made up of many different people, organizations, businesses and groups whose work and strategies may vary. But together, our network is guided by these shared values. We collectively believe that the food system we are trying to create must include substantial progress in all these areas.

~Shared Values~

Democratic Empowerment:

We celebrate and value the political power of the people. A just food system depends on the active participation of all people in New England. Racial Equity and Dignity for All:

We believe that racism must be undone in order to achieve an equitable food system. Fairness, inclusiveness, and solidarity must guide our food future. Sustainability:

We know that our food system is interconnected with the health of our environment, our democracy, our economy and our culture. Sustainability commits us to ensure well-being for people and the landscapes and communities in which we are all embedded and rely upon for the future of life on our planet. Trust:

We consider trust to be the lifeblood of collaboration and collaboration as the key to our long-term success. We are committed to building connections and trust across diverse people, organizations, networks, and communities to support a thriving food system that works for everyone.

As of July 1, 2025, Food Solutions New England (FSNE) has transitioned from its longtime home at the University of New H...
07/30/2025

As of July 1, 2025, Food Solutions New England (FSNE) has transitioned from its longtime home at the University of New Hampshire and its work will continue through a new institutional partnership with the University of Vermont’s Institute for Agroecology (IFA).

Going forward, the IFA is excited to continue FSNE’s communications and narrative strategy work, such as the Food System Communicators Community of Practice and the Strategic Collective Narrative Coalition, as well as regional policy efforts like the New England Integrated Policy Program. The IFA is also exploring ways to collaborate with FSNE’s equity leadership programs, including the FSNE 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge and the Network Leadership Institute.

This new chapter builds on a strong foundation of shared values and a deep commitment to regional collaboration. Both FSNE and the IFA are excited about what we can achieve together!

Starting in September, FSNE's social media feeds will no longer be posting. Rather, regional updates, resources, and other news will be shared out through the UVM Institute for Agroecology feeds. Please give the UVM Institute for Agroecology a follow and join us in making this transition a success!

Program like SNAP ensure that good food is on the table for our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. _Shared fr...
07/23/2025

Program like SNAP ensure that good food is on the table for our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues.
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SNAP helps 42 million people afford food. That includes older adults, disabled people, and working parents. Trump’s budget cuts these benefits and punishes the most vulnerable.

Learn more in FRAC’s newest blog.

Our neighbors who feed us and our kids are crucial to building a community that thrives. That’s why supporting legislati...
07/16/2025

Our neighbors who feed us and our kids are crucial to building a community that thrives. That’s why supporting legislation and advocacy that makes it possible to compete against a national and international system that is rigged against local producers is so important. If you can, get involved with the groups your state doing that work.
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When the USDA abruptly canceled the Local Food for Schools & Child Care (LFSCC) program this spring, they cut off a vital lifeline that brought fresh, local food to 90 Vermont schools, supported 147 small farms, and strengthened our state’s rural economy.

Thanks to swift action by the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network, local advocates, and legislative champions, Vermont secured $500,000 in one-time emergency funding to help close the gap and sustain the progress achieved through Local Food for Schools (LFS).

While this funding does not fully replace what was lost, it serves as a critical bridge for schools and farmers who had already planned around these anticipated sales. We are deeply grateful that Vermont is honoring its commitment to providing students with fresh, local food and thankful to the countless Vermonters who mobilized quickly to secure this support.

We also recognize that it’s only a temporary fix.

If we value farm viability, rural economies, and student nutrition, we must invest in programs like LFS and LFI to help level the playing field for our local producers. These programs don’t just feed kids—they support farmers and build resilient communities.

To learn more and discover ways to get involved, please visit our blog at the link in our bio.

📷: the WNESU Farm to School Cafe team, photographed by Kimberly Kaufman

To change the narrative is to change culture. And culture change is part of what is going to bring us closer to a a trul...
07/08/2025

To change the narrative is to change culture. And culture change is part of what is going to bring us closer to a a truly equitable food system.

Join the National Right to Food Community of Practice and UVM Institute for Agroecology for their Right to Food Narrative Framework Summer Workshop Series. Join colleagues, collaborators, and partners from across the country for this series of shared learning and collective communications strategy.

The first workshop - Why and Where We Use Narrative - will be held July 22 from 2-3:30 PM ET. The event is free but registration is required. Register for July 22 at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Z0vCHjrfTrSHpH3-7ZbsmA

The woods, fields, streams, and ponds are teeming with food in New England right now. Take a beat, soak it in, and share...
07/01/2025

The woods, fields, streams, and ponds are teeming with food in New England right now. Take a beat, soak it in, and share with your friends and colleagues 🌰🌰🌰

“How we grow food is a fundamental part of our relationship with Nature: It is where industrial-scale production does pr...
06/17/2025

“How we grow food is a fundamental part of our relationship with Nature: It is where industrial-scale production does profound environmental and cultural damage. It is also where we can build community strength and ecological resilience.”

Read the full article by in their bio.
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Access to farmland is about more than just growing food — it’s central to an integrated vision for conservation, resilience, and justice in New England.

In our Summer 2025 issue of From the Ground Up, authors Brian Donahue and Alex Redfield explore why farmland, though just 5% of the region’s landscape, plays an outsized role in how we build equitable, sustainable, and connected food systems.

They examine the economic, ecological, and political challenges facing farmland access today — and offer examples of local solutions and policy tools that are working to keep land in farming and put it into the hands of a more diverse next generation of farmers.

🗺️ Learn how land access, food justice, and environmental conservation intersect in powerful ways.

🔗 Find the full article and audio at the link in our bio.

Brian Donahue is Professor Emeritus of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University and a farm and forest policy consultant. He co-founded Land’s Sake, a nonprofit community farm in Massachusetts, and co-owns a farm in the western part of the state. Brian is the author of several books on farming, forestry, and land use, and a co-author of Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities and A New England Food Vision.

Alex Redfield is Policy Director for Wildlands, Woodlands, Farmlands & Communities. With two decades of experience in agriculture, government, and conservation policy, his work focuses on creating an equitable future for New England’s landscapes. He lives in South Portland, Maine.

"The LFPA and LFSP initiatives not only fortified regional supply chains and fostered crucial stakeholder partnerships, ...
04/16/2025

"The LFPA and LFSP initiatives not only fortified regional supply chains and fostered crucial stakeholder partnerships, but improved the health and well-being of all students and food insecure families. Furthermore, they injected vital financial capital into small farming enterprises. This nationwide investment of hundreds of millions of dollars yielded significant positive outcomes for community health and local food economies, reflecting a strategically sound policy approach. (...)

The cancellation's repercussions for Connecticut are significant: $9.3 million that would have continued to strengthen local agriculture, student resources, and food security initiatives, will no longer be available."

Read the full op-ed at: https://www.greenwichtime.com/opinion/article/ct-food-sharing-pantries-schools-20267723.php

Join ‘Collective Narratives for a Thriving Maine’ during the 2025 Convergence on May 29. Connect with fellow advocates t...
04/14/2025

Join ‘Collective Narratives for a Thriving Maine’ during the 2025 Convergence on May 29. Connect with fellow advocates to craft strategic narratives that support a just, equitable food and climate future. Hosted by Food Solutions New England & Food Convergence Project, this interactive session will help build impactful messaging and lasting collaborations. Led by Maine Shared Communications WG from Maine Food Convergence Project and & Food Solutions New England.

Register and learn more here: https://www.mainefoodconvergence.org/convergence2025

The FSNE 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge starts next week - April 7! Register today and join thousands of ...
03/31/2025

The FSNE 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge starts next week - April 7! Register today and join thousands of individuals and hundreds of officially participating organizations in a shared journey of learning and charting a course of action to dismantle racism in our food system and our world.

Reigster today at https://fsne.info/2025-rec!

For decades, communities have been building local food systems to feed and take care of each other. And strategies like ...
03/19/2025

For decades, communities have been building local food systems to feed and take care of each other. And strategies like the New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan are exactly what’s needed, especially now. No matter the chaos, folks are going to take of each other and continue making a more just and equitable world.

Read the NH Food and Ag Strategic Plan at link in bio or at .
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The big reveal 🌱 We’re thrilled to release the 2025 New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan.⁠
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A first for New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan will serve as an actionable roadmap for positive change, streamlining our collective efforts to obtain funding, pass policies, develop programs, invest in infrastructure, and build networks to increase farm, fish, and food business viability and foster equity across our food system.⁠
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The expertise and guidance housed within the New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan puts thousands of people in the driver’s seat to deliver ideas for change to the right people at the right time and drive positive impacts in our food system. Explore everything the Strategic Plan has to offer at the link in our bio.⁠
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A Strategic Plan for All, Made by Many 🌱 The New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan was spearheaded by the NH Food Alliance in partnership with the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, UNH Extension, more than 89 food system organizations and hundreds of individuals. ⁠
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On the cover 🌱 “Sunrise Approach” Cathedral Ledge in Bartlett, NH created by .studio

As the federal government continues to be rocked and becomes even more unreliable, we have to lean into the decades of w...
03/14/2025

As the federal government continues to be rocked and becomes even more unreliable, we have to lean into the decades of work that communities have been doing to build resilience and live into the values of equity and justice, especially in the food system. This work at the local level, like advocacy for a farmer security fund by and other partners, is what will see our communities through.
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Farmer organizations representing all types and scales of farms across Vermont have come together to ask the state legislature to establish a Farm Security Fund to ensure farmers have financial assistance they need to recover from the impacts of extreme weather.

It’s time to start adapting to the climate crisis and ensuring our farms can continue producing the food we need. Supporting Vermont’s farms means boosting rural economies, protecting the health of our land, preserving the heart of our communities, and ensuring a strong local food supply—critical as agriculture faces the same extreme weather challenges around the globe.

Learn more and pledge your support at nofavt.org/farmsecurityfund

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