Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership, Inc.

CONTACT:

1 State Bog Rd., P.O. Box 569
East Wareham, MA 02538
508-295-2212 x 50
www.semaponline.org

Sarah Kelley, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

Vegetables fresh from the fields, and fruits that haven’t been shipped cross-country, taste better and are better for us. Local farms are good for the environment and for quality of life in communities. But economies of large-scale agribusiness have reduced numbers of local farms, and of acres farmed, to below minimums needed by local farming communities. What can be done? Where quality of life is concerned, philanthropy responds. In 1998, John Bullard, ex-Mayor of New Bedford and Director of the Family Business Center of UMass Dartmouth organized a broadly representative coalition to form SEMAP, to strengthen local agriculture. They developed a two-pronged strategy—providing technical business training and facilitating services for farmers; and building demand for local produce through public education. SEMAP was incorporated in 2004 as a public charity because philanthropic funds are needed to fortify this hard-pressed sector. SEMAP’s Business-to-Business Network of over 100 members links local producers with food buyers from restaurants, schools, and markets. Its “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” Campaign increases demand, and a searchable online farm guide— www.semaponline.org—lists over 300 local farms with product information and specific market outlets. Its “Farms Forever” program assists new and second-generation producers with farmland transfer and succession. Though SEMAP is a small organization, it has a major impact on its region—which you can help strengthen.

(2008: CULTURE: Education: Informal)