A New England Food Vision sets bold “50 by 60” goal

Food Solutions New England (FSNE) is thrilled to announced the release of A New England Food Vision, a collaborative report and bold vision outlining how New England can locally produce at least of 50 percent of clean, fair, just and accessible food for all citizens by 2060.

Incorporating more than three years of collaborative research and input from hundreds of voices throughout New England, A New England Food Vision imagines a future that is possible if our region were to commit to supporting sustainable food systems for all New Englanders.

“Today it takes an estimated 16 million acres to feed New England’s 14.5 million residents, but the region has just two million acres of active farmland,” states Brian Donahue, Associate Professor of American Environmental Studies at Brandeis University and one of A New England Food Vision authors. “Business as usual will no longer suffice. As a region, we must rethink how we can support more of our own population – and grow local economies – through local, sustainable food production.”

A New England Food Vision is bold in aspiration — healthy food for all, sustainable farming and fishing amidst thriving communities; and bold in scope — a tripling of land in food production, vibrant working water fronts and healthy ecosystems. A New England Food Vision does not offer a plan, but it does challenge us to design and engage in actions that will transform our food system.

“We believe that A New England Food Vision will create new conversations, new collaborations and new, actionable plans,” states Tom Kelly, Chief Sustainability Officer at the University of New Hampshire and another A New England Food Vision author. “To achieve this bold goal of '50 by 60,' we will need diverse voices to imagine a future in which food nourishes a social, economic and environmental landscape that supports a high quality of life for everyone in our region, for generations to come.”