Maine Food Network Gathering sets 2017 priorities

FILE PHOTO / MAT TROGNER, ALLAGASH BREWING CO. Tanya Swain, project director of Maine Food Strategy, tells the Maine Food Network Gathering in Orono that her organization seeks to bring stakeholders of Maine's food system together to share best practices that can be duplicated across sectors, identify gaps in the system and collaborate to strengthen the Maine food economy. Here, she talks to Allagash brewmaster Jason Perkins at a separate event in August.

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By Staff

With food security a hot-button issue, the second annual Maine Food Network Gathering in Orono set priorities for next year for local food partnerships and the local food economy.

Topics ranged from the role food networks play in overcoming barriers to fresh, local food, to workforce development resources for small business owners. Discussions also centered around ways to diversify Maine’s marine economy, including aquaculture.

U.S. Sen. Angus King keynoted the event, which drew about 150 attendees, according to its sponsors.

“Maine has a rich history of agriculture and fisheries. The broad scope of agricultural production, from small local direct market farms to larger commodity growers, is strengthening our rural economy, gives us more access to fresh, locally produced goods and also creates jobs and grows businesses,” King told the attendees, who included representatives from agriculture, fisheries, food production and food recovery organizations.

He added, “Agriculture and aquaculture are here in the same room, and that cross-pollination of enormously valuable resources is a promising development.”

There also was a panel discussion on food sovereignty and how it supports food security and community health conducted by members of the Penobscot and Maine Wabanaki nations, as well as others involved in Maine’s food economy.

“The Maine Food Strategy’s role is bringing stakeholders of our food system together to share best practices that can be duplicated across sectors, identify gaps in the system and come together to strengthen the Maine food economy,” Tanya Swain, project director of the Maine Food Strategy, said in a statement. “The majority of Maine businesses fall into the small to start-up category, and the Network Gathering is about providing resources and information as these owners scale up to the next level.”

As Mainebiz reported in August about an early meeting involving Maine Food Strategy, the world is moving toward 9.5 billion or more mouths to feed by 2050, according to United Nations' estimates. That’s why agriculturalists are looking for new ways to get more out of farming, including in Maine, where the Maine Food Strategy initiative is bringing together interests across the state to broadly strengthen the food system now and in the future.

The initiative is advised by a volunteer steering committee and is financially backed by Boston-based Third Sector New England.