One consequence of the shifting balance away from small farming is food insecurity. As farms become larger and more industrialized, the food on the shelves comes from further and further away. This distance can leave some communities out in the cold. Without access to local food, more and more food insecure citizens turn to hunger relief programs to fill the bellies of their families. Maine Farmland Trust highlighted several new programs and methods working in the Pine Tree State to connect communities with their local food system and make sure that food system is working for them. Their solutions range from partner farms, to food banks growing their own, to community employment programs for teenager to connect them with the food in their area.
The vivid photos of these diverse efforts paint a hopeful picture of the future of food in this northeast corner of the nation. When one community finds a way to win out over the rising tide of industrialized food, the whole movement feels the success in the chance to learn from these new models. Check out their photo series and more info on the highlighted programs on their website.
