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The Foodshed Forum is a program of The Foodshed Network

 
Renée Giroux of the Northwest CT Food Hub, in partnership with The Foodshed Forum, organized a dynamic and informative event last week at Hopkins Vineyard in Warren, CT. The Sustaining Litchfield County’s Foodshed panel packed the room!!
 
Thank you to everyone who joined us. We appreciate your thoughtful questions, knowledge sharing and the overall sense of solidarity. Thank you to George and Hilary Hopkins for generously opening their beautiful tasting room and to The Farmer's Table for supporting promotion. Thank you to the deeply passionate panelists, committed to feeding and representing communities while doing the hard work of sustaining foodsheds. 
 
A special thank you to Renée for her excellent organizing, facilitation and for the many wonderful ways she weaves, connects and builds-bridges. 
 
Below find a few highlights from the discussion as well as resources for those who want to follow up on the data and advocate. 
 

 
W H A T  WE  C A N  D O
 

  • Support your local food hub
  • Purchase directly from farmers - farmers' markets, farm-stands and CSAs
  • Advocate for food and agriculture policy - both federal and state
  • Cultivate social infrastructure around Connecticut's food economy

 
P O L I C Y & 
A D V O C A C Y 
 

 
State-Level Actions:
  • Ask your legislators to co-sponsor the Community Investment Act (CIA) bill to strengthen funding for farmland preservation, affordable housing, and local food systems. Learn more here.
  • Thank your legislators on the Appropriations Committee for supporting Connecticut agriculture through farm to school programs in the Appropriations budget bill — a small note of appreciation goes a long way in encouraging continued investment. 
Federal-Level Action:
 
The national landscape is constantly evolving. 
  • Sign up for Civil Eats here, to stay informed and support independent journalism focused on food, farming, and sustainable agriculture. Civil Eats also produces a policy tracker that is excellent. Learn more here.
 

 
R E S O U R C E S
(hyperlinked)
 

 
Northwest Connecticut Food Hub, co-founded by Renée Giroux, is a program of Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities, Inc., a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable agriculture, local food and active, healthy lifestyles in the communities of Northwest Connecticut. Learn more here.
 

 
Green Village Initiative 
 

 
We break down the research 
 

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