This year's It Takes a Region will be held in Jersey City, NJ, on November 7th, 8th, 9th. Are you interested in shaping the conference to meet specific needs of the food system? Join the 2019 Conference Planning Committee! Email your expression of interest, including briefly why you would like to join the CPC, to [email protected] by March 4th. Conference Planning Committee members are expected to: Attend 1 monthly Zoom call of approximately 1 hour between March - November Complete follow-up tasks between meetings (approximately ½ hour to 1 hour per month) related to promoting the Request for Proposals and reviewing submissions, planning pre-conferences, promoting the conference to your network, and strategizing on conference programming Conference Planning Committee members in good standing (attendance at 7 of 9 monthly meetings and successful completion of tasks) will receive: Listing as a Committee member with a bio and photo on the conference website Opportunity to shape conference program to meet specific needs of their area of the food system Free registration A full travel scholarships for those who require it to attend Got questions or want to apply? Email [email protected]

Gerldine Wilson started a community garden to address food access and the need for green space in her neighborhood. Learn more about her neighborhood, and her personal journey, in the community food movement.

As one part of our commitment to racial equity and food justice, Food Solutions New England (FSNE) has been working to normalize conversations about the role of racism in shaping our food systems (local, regional, national and global). We believe that by building awareness, shifting attitudes and changing behaviors, we can create conditions to increase capacity and fuel courage to identify and address the different ways that bias, prejudice, privilege, and oppression show up in our work and lives. We are also realizing that one of the powerful ways to change institutional and structural racism in the food system is to continue to support changes at the level of the individuals who can influence these structures.

Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm owner and operator Lisa Calvo used Farm Bill funding—Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Grants—to conduct on-farm research to improve farm efficiencies and sustainable production practices to support her business and the growing shellfish industry. This is the fourth article in a series of interviews exploring how policies in the Farm Bill influence people, programs, and food systems throughout the region.