OFJ and GrowBoston Strategic Goals (2023 - 2026)
Building a just, equitable, resilient, and sustainable food system in Boston
As new offices within the City of Boston, the Office of Food Justice (OFJ) and GrowBoston: Office of Urban Agriculture want to ensure that we have the biggest impact we can on building food justice in Boston--in partnership with residents, community groups, food producers, and other governmental agencies. We have identified four major goals that will allow our work to have a bigger collective impact on the food system.
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food@boston.gov
Why
Food access is inequitably distributed for Boston residents and the food system is largely destructive to the planet. Addressing the injustices and environmental harm within our food production and distribution systems calls for significant changes. While we work to create a fairer, more resilient, and sustainable food system for the future, we as local government agencies are also committed to the immediate steps necessary to continue creating more equitable food access.
We believe that these goals will leverage the unique power and relationships of local government agencies to address current and future challenges. They are designed to improve food security in Boston; address the food system’s impact on climate and workers; and build a more fair and resilient food system. Such a system better represents our residents’ values and strengthens BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) -led and -owned food production.
How
Goals- Connect farmers markets and small retail stores in historically disinvested neighborhoods to local and regional producers
- Help strengthen the capacity of these markets to understand community needs and source local and culturally-relevant produce
- Provide support through tools like technical assistance, subsidies, or incentives
- Use the City’s millions of dollars of food purchasing power to buy food produced in ways that support worker livelihoods, local economies, racial equity and sustainable production
- Implement the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP): align City-spending with its values to shift the food system within and beyond the City
- Work with Boston Public Schools (BPS)—the City’s largest food-buyer—and City departments to prioritize purchasing from local, small, and BIPOC vendors
- Reduce the amount of food sent to landfills or incinerated and increase access to healthy foods that remain safe to consume
- Work across the City to increase fresh food that is recovered instead of thrown away
- Supporting improved coordination and infrastructure for emergency food organizations, food rescue entities, and food waste generators across the City and regionally
GrowBoston, in partnership with OFJ, will:
- Invest in educational and professional development activities
- Support BIPOC-led food-producing organizations and those directly serving BIPOC producers;
- Leverage public land and buildings for urban agriculture
- Invest in fruit tree care
- Make other investments and efforts to expand community-led urban agriculture in Boston.
OFJ and GrowBoston will be convening with partners and Boston residents, and measuring progress along the way. See our full overview for more information on strategies.
Who's Involved:
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food@boston.gov
