New Hampshire Food Alliance unveils statewide food and agriculture strategic plan with 143 recommendations

The New Hampshire Food Alliance presented the state’s first New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan to the House Environment and Agriculture Committee, outlining a multi‑year effort that produced 27 product, market and issue briefs and 143 specific recommendations designed to strengthen the state’s food system.

Nicole Cardwell, director of the New Hampshire Food Alliance (a UNH‑coordinated network), said the plan was developed over two years with support from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, UNH Cooperative Extension and hundreds of subject‑matter experts. The alliance collected input from 118 subject‑matter experts representing 89 organizations, 26 advisory‑committee members and public comment and listening sessions. The plan was published on March 18 and is available as a printed report and as an interactive website with downloadable briefs and a recommendations filter.

Cardwell described the briefs as concise two‑page analyses that summarize current conditions, challenges and assets and provide up to five recommendations each. The briefs are organized into three categories — products (specific commodities), markets (channels such as grocery and restaurants) and cross‑cutting issues (for example, food waste, farm viability and workforce). She said the alliance emphasized equity and farm viability as lenses applied across the topics.

Committee members asked about priorities and updates. Cardwell said the alliance avoided ranking the 27 topics in a rigid priority list; instead, the site and print materials are intended as an accessible “menu” of policy options for legislators, funders and community organizations. The interactive site allows filtering by policy changes, goals and briefs to identify recommendations that match a legislator’s interests. Cardwell said the alliance plans to keep the web resource dynamic so recommendations can be tracked and updated as work proceeds.

Alan Reetz of Hanover Co‑op Food Stores said independent retailers and regional buyers rely on local suppliers and urged lawmakers to use the plan as a tool. Reetz described successful local sourcing at the co‑op and credited an earlier alliance‑led effort with helping secure approximately $1.2 million for small‑scale meat processing during the pandemic.

Members discussed several cross‑cutting topics raised by the plan, including farm viability (many New Hampshire farms have low gross sales and rising costs), food waste (national estimates show a high share of waste occurs at the household level) and composting and recovery models. Cardwell said the alliance sees the plan as a starting point, with a statewide gathering and breakout sessions planned to begin implementing recommendations.

Ending Committee members thanked the presenters and several urged follow‑up, including sharing recommendations that could be converted into bills before the short bill‑filing window in September. Alliance staff offered to help legislators identify recommendations and potential co‑sponsors.