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Climate Change & Farming Week
CISA’s annual Climate Change and Farming Week is an opportunity for CISA, farmers, allied organizations, and individuals to host events that build awareness of and support for local food and farm businesses as they seek solutions to the many challenges of growing food in a warmer, wetter New England. Climate Change and Farming Week is held annually in September, in conjunction with nationwide Climate Week events and the UN General Assembly meetings in New York. This collaborative event series seeks to celebrate climate resiliency and facilitate stronger and broader relationships between our food system’s stakeholders through learning and adapting together.
Join us for Climate Week 2024 – September 15-22!
Our third annual Climate Change and Farming Week will consist of 10 events happening this September 15-22, 2024. Events are a variety of farm tours, film screenings, and more! See below for more details. Please contact Stephen Taranto with any questions.
*Photo credit: Paul Shoul
List of Events for Climate Change and Farming Week 2024!
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Planning and Adapting for Heat and Other Climate Impacts at Farmers’ Markets – September 16th, 2-3:30pm
This webinar will target farmers’ market managers and vendors and will provide examples of practices that will help reduce the impacts of extreme heat and climate change on farmers’ market operations. Join staff from CISA and Mass Farmers Markets as they provide an overview of how climate change can affect infrastructure, produce availability and quality, and how to make sure vendors and customers are comfortable and safe.
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NOFA Mass Climate Week Film Screening: Common Ground – September 16th, 6-9pm
Kick off CISA’s Climate Week with a film screening of Common Ground, a fascinating documentary that dives into the dynamics of modern agriculture and the importance of healthy soils for the longevity of our people and planet. This is a great opportunity for farmers, gardeners and foodies to sit back and enjoy a well-made film featuring the work we know and love alongside the systems that we are struggling to overcome, and how to move forward together. Gather at 6pm to enjoy some food before the film starts at 6:30. The film is scheduled to end around 8:15, followed by a discussion until 9. Watch the trailer & read more about the Common Ground film here.
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Maximizing MDAR Funding Opportunities and Navigating Climate Conditions – A Tour at the Food Bank Farm – September 17th, 5:30-7:30pm
At this event you will learn about MDAR’s new succession planning opportunity, MDAR grants and the MDAR APR Program. We will tour the Food Bank Farm and hear about their experience putting the land into APR, obtaining APR approvals for farm projects and grants and resources used for infrastructure on the farm as well as the challenges of weather and farming on land under the Wetland Exemption.
Please bring your own lawn chair if you would like to sit during the speaking portion.
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Farming in a Changing Climate with Berkshire Agricultural Ventures – September 18th, 4-7pm
Join us for our 2nd annual climate event to hear insights and lessons from our local farmers and regional experts. Optional farm tour of April Hill starts at 4pm, and the main speaker presentations start at 5pm. Main event will be followed with refreshments and conversation.
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Dining for a Cooler Planet: Showcasing Local Farmers and Climate Resilience with UMass Dining – September 18th, 5:30-8pm
UMass Dining will host a special event at Hampshire Dining Commons featuring a panel discussion on Local Agriculture and Climate Action, a cooking demonstration by our Executive Chef Bob Bankert at 6:00, and a special menu showcasing local ingredients.
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Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing Program Informational Webinar – September 18th, 7-8:30pm
Join one of the three upcoming webinars that explain the new USDA Climate-Smart Farming & Marketing Program. Project partners and technical assistance providers from Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), NOFA-MA, the Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust and the Maine Farmland Trust will explain the enrollment process and review the 27 climate-smart practices the project can fund.
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Working to Build Climate Change Resiliency at the Hampshire College Farm: A Farm Tour – September 19th, 4-7pm
Come tour the Hampshire College Farm! We are a small, diversified vegetable and livestock farm right on the Hampshire College Campus and we are trialing ways to help building resiliency into our day to day farming practices. Come chat with the farm staff and students about projects we are working on to help diversify our systems and build farm durability in our ever changing climate. Our projects aim to both enhance the farm’s systems while also providing areas for research and questioning for our students and community members alike. And we would love to talk with you about it!
Small snacks and refreshments provided.
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“Kiss the Ground” Showing with CISA and the Miller Worley Center for the Environment – September 19th, 6:30-8:30pm
Join Mount Holyoke College’s Miller Worley Center and Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture to celebrate their Climate Change and Farming Week for a showing of “Kiss the Ground” followed by a discussion led by Growing Vines. This film reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.
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Reed Farm: Composting for Business Diversification and Climate Change Adaptation – September 20th, 4-5pm
Join Reed Farm for a look at their composting enterprise that adapts to climate change by diversifying income streams and reducing farm waste. Reed Farm received an adaptation grant from CISA in 2022 and used it to attend the Maine Compost School to learn about turning their farm’s “waste” into compost and a new source of income. Come tour the farm’s processing plant, production house, and composting field, and learn about changes and updates to their operation.
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Climate, Conservation, and Community: An Informational Tour of the Fort River Community Garden – September 21, 10-11am
Come join members of the volunteer management committee for the Fort River Community Garden for a tour of the garden space! You will learn how the sociocratic model is used to run the garden, and some history of how the garden came to be. It is situated on conservation land that was donated to the town of Amherst after failed attempts at agroforestry. Portions of the landscape have also been managed and replanted along the bank of the Fort River, which runs through the property.
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Stony Hill Farm Tour: Planning for Climate Resilience – September 22nd, 4-6pm
As the climate changes, western Mass is expected to have more days with temperatures in the 90s, new pests, wetter springs, more intense rain events, and decreased soil moisture during the summer. We’re channeling our climate anxiety into efforts to build our soils and increase our biodiversity to make our farm more resilient–-join us for a tour of our small organic farm to see what we’ve been up to! We’ll discuss the motivations behind our ongoing transition to no-till, and look at trials of organic mulches, cover crops, and beneficial insect plantings. We’ll also look at our efforts to transition away from fossil fuels (including solar electricity generation that powers our electrically-heated greenhouse, well pump, climate-controlled wash/pack room, etc). We’ll share ideas for future projects and discuss funding from the new Climate-Smart Farming & Marketing Program that is helping in these efforts. Pie and seltzer will be provided!
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Questions? Inquiries? Contact CISA’s Climate Program Coordinator, Stephen Taranto, at stephen@buylocalfood.org or 313-665-7100, ext. 17.