Farm Infrastructure Work Group

Building Resilient Food Infrastructure

Monadnock Grown Coalition convenes farmers, farm service organizations, retailers, food access experts, and stakeholders to identify current farm infrastructure needs in the region.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for accessible, secure food and resilient processing and distribution systems.

Our ad hoc work group meets to increase local food sales by improving farmers’ links to markets, expand storage and processing capacity, and broaden local food access across all income levels.

Our Priorities

Increased farm marketing, both on-farm and regional
Better links to wholesale and retail markets
On-farm or shared food processing, including USDA meat slaughter, vegetable processing, and freezing
Centralized or on-farm cold storage
Shared farm equipment
Social infrastructure and education on the importance of local food

What We're Working On Now

The Coalition is in communication with Donna Bascom of Bascom Farm in Charlestown and the Sustainable Valley Group in Vermont, leaders of the Great Falls Food Hub feasibility study. We’re gauging the possible impact of this initiative on our farms.

Two of its goals are to create a new food processing kitchen and to expand a frozen food storage facility in Bellows Falls, VT, both of which would be open to Monadnock Region farmers.

Our Impact

The impact of Coalition members on food and farm resiliency in the region is measurable and profound. A partial list of programming since 2017:

The Monadnock Food Co-op Farm Fund has awarded over $225,066 in grants to 28 local farms since 2017

The NH Conservation Districts Climate Resilience grant has directed $1,052,000 to farms statewide since 2022

The Coalition leads the Monadnock Food Access Alliance and co-founded the Monadnock Mobile Food Pantry program with The Community Kitchen in 2022

The Monadnock Grown Mobile Fund (Locals’ Local) has raised nearly $100,000 since 2022 to purchase locally produced food for distribution

Since 2014, the Coalition has produced quarterly forums for farmers offering technical assistance, farm marketing, estate planning, and business management support

Developed the Monadnock Grown marketing campaign, including the Local Food Finder, Local Food Guide, stickers, and labels

Publishes the Monadnock Grown monthly newsletter with 2,000 annual posts promoting farm events, workshops, grants, and conservation news

The Hannah Grimes Center launched a Business Lab for growers and entrepreneurs to build grounded business plans

In 2025, Cornucopia Project and NCAT were awarded the $100,000 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation to increase local food in school cafeterias, benefiting more than 3,500 students and families 

Cheshire County Conservation District developed the farm equipment rental program

Cheshire County Conservation District and Cheshire Medical Center developed the Monadnock Farm Share, a subsidized CSA program for eligible individuals

The Coalition leads the SNAP Outreach Initiative, targeting low-income families, seniors, disabled individuals, single-parent families, and social service networks to increase enrollment in SNAP and nutrition programs like Granite State Market Match and Double Up Food Bucks

Who's at the Table

Sarah Harpster (NH Hunger Solutions), SW Region Planning Commission, Hannah Grimes Center/Radically Rural, Monadnock Food Co-op, City of Keene Environmental/Climate Change Committee, The Community Kitchen, Cheshire County Conservation District, and the food waste diversion team.

Join the Alliance

The Monadnock Food Access Alliance meets on the second Thursday of every month from 8:30 to 9:30am on Zoom. Everyone with a stake in ending hunger is welcome.