Food Security Plan takes off in Northampton



The above is a copy of a food security plan for the town of Shelburne, MA

Proposal. During the January – March 2010 winter term, a team of Conway
graduate students will prepare a food security plan for the 34.5 square mile city of
Northampton. The student team will create a working handbook that could be
used by other communities and groups interested in the transition town
movement. The report would include:

The potential for food production within Northampton

The patterns of open space (both private and public) and development in
the city center and how different patterns may be conducive to different
kinds of production

An approximation of the broader foodshed from which Northampton
residents draw their food (and an overview of the general kinds of foods
being used)

The kinds of social and ecological systems that might be created (or
already exist) to effectively support food production in the city

Analysis of 4-5 specific agricultural parcels leased by the city to local
farmers

The important questions or kinds of more detailed data that should be
explored in future phases of the development of this plan