Energy & Environment

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project

The mission of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (New Entry) is to assist people with limited resources who have an interest in small-scale commercial agriculture, to begin farming in Massachusetts. The broader goals of New Entry are to support the vitality and sustainability of the region’s agriculture, to build long term economic self-reliance and food security among participants and their communities, and to expand access to high-quality, culturally appropriate foods in underserved areas through production of locally-grown foods.

Contact: Jennifer Hashley, Director: nesfp@tufts.edu

Website: New Entry Sustainable Farming Project

Organizational Focus

• Local Economy: Connecting farmers to each other through skills training network, and to customers through the World PEAS Food Hub.

• Social Equity & Justice: Providing resources for farmers from a range of economic and social backgrounds, including immigrant populations in need of connections to local networks and markets. Assisting commercial growers with translation services, marketing, and production practices where needed.

• Food Access: Strengthening connections between local farmers and markets in Lowell to improve consumer access to fresh, healthy food.

• Skills Training & Employment: Providing training and technical assistance for beginning farmers through business planning workshops, farm incubator programs that use peer mentorship to build the community of local commercial food producers. Assisting market and community gardeners with the transition to commercial growing when appropriate.

• Urban & Regional Farming: Working with farmers in Lowell and the surrounding region, including an incubator farm in Dracut, MA.

• Culturally Appropriate Food: Working with farmers on crop planning and marketing to provide a broad range of produce for Lowell residents, including varieties in demand by culturally diverse communities.

Projects and Initiatives

The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project provides farm business planning, marketing, and technical assistance training for regional farmers. Through the World PEAS Food Hub and CSA these farmers gain a retail outlet for their fresh produce, supporting the local economy and increasing access to healthy foods in Lowell. Additionally, New Entry runs a Farmland Matching Program and collaborates with several Lowell-based organizations on a mobile market program.

Partnerships

• Mill City Grows

• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

• Lowell Farmers’ Market

Networks

• Local Farmers

• Food Distributors

• Restaurants

• Institutional Buyers

• Youth Programs

• Volunteers

• Neighborhood Organizations

• Immigrant and Refugee Communities

• Religious Groups and Organizations

Geographic Scale:

Household, Neighborhood, Municipal, Regional, State, National

Content created by Metabolic Consulting.