SEMAP ANNUAL APPEAL

Greetings!    : 

Thank you so much for your support of the Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership.

With your help, in 2011 SEMAP educated the community on our local food system through 16 Local Food 101 seminars presented to 227 attendees; 15 experiential workshops from sprouts, to kale, to rain barrels, and well known authors with a total of 231 attendees; and our new community track added to the 2011 Farm Conference, bringing us 34 attendees for workshops covering chickens, bees, and navigating farmers' markets. SEMAP also expanded its Volunteer Corp. from 12 to 78!

In 2011, SEMAP continued its commitment to technical assistance in support of our region's growers and producers with the 4th Annual Farm Conference, which included the workshop "Down & Dirty with Your Local Land Trust," covering how to work with land trusts in conserving farmland, with 32 attendees. For February 2012, we have added an organic track and a youth track. In land matching, SEMAP worked with 11 landowners and nine land seekers. Through SEMAP's Referral Network, we responded to 91 requests with referrals to 50 agricultural service providers.

In January 2012, SEMAP is proud to launch a new program: Farm to Institution, a scalable and replicable pilot program that works with institutional buyers and farmers to build-out the local food distribution system in southeastern Massachusetts. Accessing this new market will be an additional revenue stream for most of our growers, as the vast majority base their income solely on direct-to-consumer sales - thus resulting in a more sustainable farm business. While the official pilot does not launch until next month, SEMAP conducted a pre-pilot with six growers sourcing to UMass Dartmouth and here are the results: in less than four months 44,000 pounds of produce were sold for $27,000. We will be updating you with new data, so stay tuned! From here, we hope to replicate this model with k-12 and formally launch our Farm to School program in 2013.

We hope that you will continue to be part of the local food movement by renewing your investment in SEMAP. Please take a moment to review SEMAP donation information.  And keep in mind, your donation also supports these info-packed e-newsletters and maintenance of the On-Line Farm Guide... 

Thank you for your support and generosity!

Sincerely, 

Bridget Alexander Ferreira, Esq.

SEMAP Executive Director

2011 School Garden Grant Project: Helping Gardens Grow 

Learning about the process of growing food helps children develop a deep understanding of the connection between healthy eating and a healthy body. School gardens offer an opportunity to integrate math, science and health curriculum into a dynamic, interactive setting. They also provide a base of knowledge that allows children to take an active role in healthy food choices.

• $2000 grant offer to schools, districts or school-affiliated nonprofit organizations.
• Yearlong support and mentoring from FoodCorps.
• Access to a resource center providing curriculum, coaching, materials and ideas.
• Participation in gardening discussions and forums with expert assistance.  

Apply from August 17-December 31, 2011  

Application at 

http://wholekidsfoundation.org/gardengrants.php