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Farming Falmouth outlines orchard expansion, food-system assessment and farmland preservation plans
Summary
Farming Falmouth told the Select Board it plans to triple its community orchard, expand service gardens that donated 9,300 lb of produce last year (goal: 12,000 lb), protect more farmland, and run a town discussion series to shape immediate actions to strengthen the local food system.
Farming Falmouth used its Jan. 28 presentation to the Select Board to describe programs aimed at preserving farmland, increasing local food production and strengthening food access.
Executive Director Jess Cole recapped the group's accomplishments: construction of a community orchard (120 trees planted in 2021) and plans to triple the orchard footprint in 2026; three community gardens and service gardens at Tony Andrews Farm that donated 9,300 pounds of fresh produce last year (the objective is 12,000 lb for the coming season); educational programming and volunteer-built infrastructure at the Patch, a preserved farmland parcel the nonprofit purchased in 2023 and converted to farmer housing and community education space.
The group also summarized a recently completed food-system assessment and five priority recommendations: adopt municipal food-forward farmland-preservation policy, support local growers and supply chains, invest in equitable access to fresh food, expand food education, and convene working groups to implement actionable steps. Farming Falmouth launched a townwide discussion series this month with standing-room audiences and invited the Select Board and town staff to participate in upcoming sessions, including Feb. 9 at the Navigator Club.
Board members praised the organization's volunteer-driven model and asked staff to consider town-owned parcels as potential community-garden sites and to explore state avenues to designate farmers as an eligible group for seasonal-community housing programs.
Speakers quoted: "Our mission is to build a stronger local food system," Jess Cole said. "We want to make land accessible to generations of farmers to come." Board members and staff discussed possible partnerships and funding supports.
Why it matters: Farming Falmouth's work links farmland preservation with local food access and workforce housing for farmers, and the group is seeking town collaboration on policy and land-use tools.
Next steps: Farming Falmouth will share further details of the food-system working groups and return with specific asks for town support; Select Board members asked to be notified of meetings and potential sites for community gardens.
Provenance: Presentation and board Q&A recorded in Jan. 28 Select Board transcript (Jess Cole, Farming Falmouth).
