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Foodshed Forum Fairfield County is a program of The Foodshed Network.

 
THANK YOU
 

 
Thank you for joining us at Localizing Food in Connecticut! Your enthusiasm made the event a huge success. Special thanks to North Greenwich Congregational Church, Dough Girls, and our Community Partners. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to our panelists for breaking down complex challenges into actionable steps for change. We’ve only scratched the surface and look forward to diving deeper. Stay tuned for our next Forum where we will build on all that was discussed.
 
Check out what we learned below and how you can take action to build a resilient local food system.

 
WHAT WE LEARNED
 

Building trusted, community-rooted relationships is essential to localizing the food system. No single individual, organization, or sector can do it alone – but together, we can.

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A $4 Billion Industry: Connecticut is home to 5,000 farms, mostly small, independently owned, and diversified.
Expanding Diversity: We need more women, Black and Brown, veterans, and beginning farmers to strengthen our agricultural future.
Essential Infrastructure: To thrive, local farms rely on connected infrastructure. Regional food hubs, like Brass City Harvest, Northwest CT Food Hub, CitySeed, and CLiCK Willimantic, provide critical distribution, cold storage, and market access.
Market Demand: Expanding consumer and institutional markets, such as farm to school programs.
Food Insecurity: Connecticut is the most food insecure state in New England. Philanthropy alone cannot bridge the gap; catalytic public and private investment is essential.
Holistic Solutions: From urban farms with pay-what-you-can pricing to doubling SNAP, Local Food Purchase Assistance, Farmers' Market Nutrition Program as well as food as medicine frameworks, investing in our entire local food web strengthens both farm viability and community access to local food.
Systems Thinking Partnerships: Localizing our food system requires diverse partnerships skilled in systems thinking to address interconnected challenges simultaneously.

 
HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION
 
(BOLD FONT IS HYPER-LINKED to RESOURCES)

 
Donate: Support organization efforts at Brass City Harvest, Fairfield County's Community Foundation Food Security Fund, Northwest CT Food Hub, The Foodshed Network.
Advocate: Urge your Senators (here) to pass legislation that supports local farmers, protects families, and restores SNAP funding.
Share: Spread the word by discussing what you learned with friends and family, or simply forward this email.
Shop: Buy CT Grown food at local farmers' markets and subscribe to Foodshed CSA.
Survey: Take the Foodshed Forum survey to help us continue making an impact.
 

 
WE have the power to be food system changemakers.

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(TSNE) all donations are made to TSNE on behalf of The Foodshed Network.