Farming & Agriculture

This installment was originally posted on the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) blog . INSTALLMENT NO. 6 OF 6 The Power of Institutions to Change the Food System New England schools, hospitals, and institutions of higher education serve approximately 3.8 million people every day and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on food and beverage each year. Increasingly, these institutions are

This installment was originally posted on the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) blog . INSTALLMENT NO. 5 of 6 Over the past several weeks, this blog series has presented data on the K-12, college, and hospital sectors in New England and has provided information on shared language, operational characteristics, and purchasing trends as they affect farm to institution activity. Understanding

This installment was originally posted on the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) blog . INSTALLMENT NO. 4 of 6 As interest in local food procurement increases at the institutional level, purchasers are reaching out to some of New England's 35,000 farms to help supply them with local product [1]. According to data collected by FINE and our partners, institutions are buying a variety of items

This installment was originally posted on the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) blog . INSTALLMENT NO. 3 OF 6 Schools, institutions of higher education and hospitals in New England spend hundreds of millions of dollars on food and beverages annually. Institutions have the potential to significantly impact regional economies and communities by using their tremendous purchasing power to invest

This infographic originally appeared on the ZeroCater blog . Hundreds of years ago, the food most people ate typically came from their backyard, or that of a neighbor, or local farmer. Today, food travels across city and state lines, and often makes a lengthy trek overseas. Local food has become more of a commodity rather than the norm. But with the help of the food justice movement, the food

This installment was originally posted on the Farm to Institution New England (FINE) blog . INSTALLMENT NO. 2 OF 6 Local food programs at New England schools, institutions of higher education, and hospitals are increasing in breadth and depth, however, there is no agreed upon definition of the term “local.” FINE does not assign a set definition of local when collecting primary data but rather

UPDATE: Read Migrant Justice's announcement on their agreement with Ben & Jerry’s! Dairy workers kicked off the “Human Rights Can’t Wait” speaking tour through the Northeast September 13, engaging hundreds of students and community members. Presentations included a packed house at Columbia Law School, a community dialogue at the MayDay space in Brooklyn, and a full day at Yale University with

This installment was originally posted on the Farm to Institution New England blog . Welcome to Measuring Up , a six-part blog series designed to provide an introduction to the importance of data in understanding the farm to institution landscape in New England. There are 4,628 K-12 schools, 210 colleges and universities, and 256 hospitals that provide dining services in New England. In total,