Thursday is "Help Grow A Farm" Day

Okay, I just made that up. But do you care about the future of local farming in the Boston area? If so, two communities could use your support: Lexington and Waltham.

Ninety-year-old Busa Farm in Lexington is in the process of being sold to the Town. The land use is limited to recreation, open space, historic preservation, or affordable housing due to the type of funds involved in the sale. While the idea of soccer fields has been formally proposed, a group of Lexington residents is advocating that the Town keep the land devoted to agriculture as a community farm, where it would provide local food as well as opportunities for recreation, employment, and education.

This Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of Our Redeemer, the Lexington Community Farm Coalition is holding a panel entitled “A Year in the Life of a Community Farm,” where various local growers are slated to speak about the importance of sustainable agriculture in our communities. Come listen, maybe even chat about your experiences with (or developing interest in) community-supported farms. Once good land is gone, it’s really hard to get it back. Event is open to all. (Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St., Lexington)

Also on Thursday, December 3 at 7 p.m., representatives of Waltham Fields will be at Waltham City Hall to advocate for a fair reuse plan for the former Fernald School property. The closing of the Fernald School, right around the corner from Waltham Fields, represents one of those unusual opportunities to acquire land for positive community uses like farming. More voices are always welcome. (Waltham City Hall, Council Chamber, Second Floor, 610 Main St., Waltham)

Comments

[Julia]

This is so interesting... I just got involved with the MA Dept.of Ag -- they have two grant programs for farms. Both require the farms to sign a covenant to *not* develop the land. In exchange, they get grants (up to 50K), technical assistance and financial planning assistance to help the farms succeed. It may be too late for Busa farm (which would be a huge shame!!) but not for other struggling farms.

http://www.mass.gov/agr/programs/farmviability/

Also, The Carrot Project offering alternative financing opportunities for small farms.

www.thecarrotproject.org

[MidLifeMama]

GAH. I can't make either meeting. But thanks for the heads up.