Resilient Local Food System Action Plan – DRAFT UPDATE

Draft Resilient Local Food System Action Plan

A ten-year framework to strengthen how the Plymouth County area grows, shares, and accesses food — now open for public review.

ABOUT THIS PLAN

Food is fundamental to who we are.

In the Plymouth County area, the food we grow, harvest, process, and share connects us to the land, to one another, and to generations who farmed and fished here long before us, from cranberry bogs and working farms to fishing docks, farmers markets, and community gardens.

This plan was built on listening to farmers and fishers, food pantry managers and volunteers, food-related businesses, town officials, environmental advocates, and residents across 31 municipalities. What we heard, again and again, was both a deep attachment to this place and a clear call to act before more is lost.

This is a living document, a ten-year framework for 2026–2036 designed to guide efforts and investments across the region, adapting as conditions, information, and collaborations evolve. This work belongs to the whole region.

Download the Draft Plan (PDF, 203 pages)

PLANNING PROCESS

Two years of listening, learning, and collaboration.

WHAT THE PLANNING PROCESS FOUND

Our region’s food system faces clear challenges.

Working lands and waters are under pressure.

Only about 2% of the area’s farmland is permanently protected; farmland acreage has continued to decline; and land values have risen sharply, putting both farms and working waterfronts at risk.

Viability is fragile.

Most farms in the area report operating at a net loss, and only a small share of food businesses believe they earn a sufficient profit. With many producers near retirement and few pathways for new entrants, the area risks losing both working land and knowledge.

The “missing middle” of infrastructure is thin.

The project area has no dedicated food hub and only one shared commercial kitchen, and limited processing, cold storage, aggregation, and dockside seafood infrastructure connecting producers to markets.

Food insecurity is rising fast.

In 2025, about 40% of area households were food insecure, with need falling hardest on older adults, low-income households, renters, residents without
vehicles, and communities of color. Many eligible residents do not use the assistance available to them, and many who are in need of assistance are not eligible for current programs.

The system is not yet ready for disruption.

Food, farming, and fishing are largely absent from municipal planning, even as extreme weather increasingly threatens food production, distribution, and access.

THE ACTION PLAN

Six goals for the decade ahead.

A shared vision

A resilient local food system that nourishes everyone, sustains thriving farms and fisheries, supports local food businesses, strengthens our local economy, protects natural resources, and
fosters healthy, connected communities for generations to come.

Guiding principles

1. Protect and strengthen working lands and waters
2. Strengthen the viability of farms, fisheries, and food businesses
3. Build food infrastructure and supply chain capacity
4. Improve food access, security, and community well-being
5. Foster education, workforce, and food system awareness
6. Strengthen regional coordination, inclusion, and accountability
1. Protect and strengthen working lands and waters

Safeguard at-risk farmland, waterfronts, and marine resources, and build climate resilience.