recommendations
E. Match farmers and growers with suitable land in concord • Encourage formal or informal partnerships, such as land shares, between farmers and landowners. • Explore opportunities to offer incentives to property owners to lease land for agricultural use. • Advertise parcels of two acres or more to match growers interested in commercial food production with suitable, underutilized land (see Farmer Matching Program below).
In 2050, I hope the existing remaining farmland will still be growing food and will not be turned into houses and playing fields. —Concord Resident
Map created by the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project that may help to match farmers with suitable two-to-five-acre parcels of land in Concord. Parcels outlined in red indicate suitable agricultural land currently in use, while blue indicates suitable agricultural lands not currently in use. There is potential for more farming to take place on prime soils throughout the town. Source: Becca Weaver
LOCAL LEADERS New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (nespf) - Farmer Matching Program
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With a resurgence of interest in local food and farming, accessible farmland remains a key barrier to small-scale beginning farmer enterprises. In Massachusetts, 90 percent of farmland lost since 1982 is due to residential development concentrated in the Route 495-belt and the Pioneer Valley. These are the same areas where farmland is sought by new farmers today. Building on a 2011 pilot project, New Entry will use local partners, GIS technologies, and their farmland database and land matching programs to identify smaller parcels of land (2-5 acres each) (see Suitable Land In Concord, above) connected to homeowners or commercial interests in Concord and five other peri-urban communities.
to interested local producers. Workshops will explain the specifics of leasing land and farming on small plots to all parties. Zoning and other concerns will be addressed by partners to facilitate each community’s approval process.
According to Becca Weaver, The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Farmer Matching Coordinator, such plots have typically not been considered as part of the farmable land base, yet are well-suited to beginning producers wanting to farm and direct market in their own communities. Landowners will be encouraged to make their land available
This initiative may help solve a key barrier to the development of more sustainable community food systems.
Concord, Massachusetts
New Entry and local partners will help match landowners to land seekers, addressing access, infrastructure needs, leasing terms, and any factors that arise. Resource Guides will be developed for communities, landowners and new farmers in these and other communities to expand the process statewide. A database will track the land base in each community, interested farmers, and successful match-ups.