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Advocates urge funding to convert vacant lots into urban farms, citing food access and community benefits
Summary
Supporters — including community farms, municipal programs and youth groups — told the committee H121/S61 would expand productive urban green space, improve food access and provide job and youth training opportunities by funding conversion and ongoing maintenance of vacant lots into community farms and gardens.
Residents, urban growers and municipal leaders testified in favor of bills H121/S61 to establish a vacant‑lots‑to‑urban‑farmland fund. Witnesses described local projects that arose from small public‑ or community‑led investments and said a scalable state program could accelerate that work across cities.
"This bill is important because urban agriculture is beneficial for air quality, economic development, and reducing urban heat island effects," said Morgan Barlin of Easty Farm in East Boston. GrowBoston’s director, Shani Fletcher, explained that Boston’s GrowBoston program has converted more than 28 acres across 150 parcels into food‑producing open space and that many municipalities lack the capacity to subsidize land acquisition and development.
Youth and workforce benefits were emphasized: students and FFA members described how hands‑on farm programs build job skills and civic engagement. “We would like to see urban farmland scaled up so youth can learn where food comes from and pursue agricultural careers,” said a representative of the Franklin County FFA chapter.
Witnesses also urged that the fund support ongoing operating costs (utilities, staffing, equipment), not only acquisition. No committee vote was taken at the hearing; proponents asked the committee to report the bill favorably to allow a statewide program to be developed.
