Monadnock farmers are paving the way to a more sustainable food future by integrating the use of regenerative farming practices to mitigate the effect of unpredictable weather patterns. Examples include the use of agrivoltaics (solar panels) on farmland to harvest energy; no-till and cover cropping to improve soil health, manage erosion, and sequester carbon, and pasture rotation (crops and animals) to allow the land to rest, leading to healthier soil. Ecosystems that are diverse, resilient, and soil-health promoting contribute to the bottom lines of both farmers and the communities in which they live.

At MFCC, we work to elevate the role of farmers in policy advocacy and build a diverse, educated constituency that can effectively support a sustainable and robust food future in the state. We accomplish this by partnering with the New Hampshire Food Alliance to bring stakeholders together in the annual New Hampshire Agricultural Policy forum, sending actionable legislative alerts through our networks, and by promoting climate-smart webinars and workshops offered by coalition members such as Village Roots Permaculture, Cheshire County Conservation District, NOFA-NH, and The Sustainability Project/Emerson Brook Forest.

We also support experiential learning programs offered by Stonewall Farm, a coalition member and nonprofit farm located in Keene, NH. Elementary-age to graduate school students and beyond, learn on-farm regenerative practices that promote a healthy, biodiverse, and abundant food system.

Funding is available that support efficient farm production. Please visit the Cheshire County Conservation website for more information.

To join the Policy or Food Strategy work group, email coordinator@mfccoalition.org

To receive our monthly newsletter or receive policy alerts, email coordinator@mfccoalition.org

 

Read the “Climate-Smart Agriculture Report for New Hampshire” produced by the American Farmland Trust’s, caRPE-Tool. This report is a snapshot of potentially achievable reductions in state-level greenhouse gas. Brief report. Full report.