Breakout Session Descriptions
Get ready to make some tough decisions: we're excited to bring you six dynamic breakout session options for the 2026 NH Food System Statewide Gathering. Browse through the descriptions and featured speakers for each session below.
Morning Breakout Sessions: 11AM-12:15PM
Shared Ground: Lessons from a North Country Project balancing Housing and Land Conservation
Session Location: Lakehouse Loft
New Hampshire faces two urgent and interconnected challenges: the need for more housing and the need to protect the land that supports our food system and working landscapes. This session brings together members of the Housing and Farmland Protection Workgroup for their first in-person gathering and invites others interested in this topic to join.
The session will feature brief presentations from three speakers working at the intersection of housing, conservation, and agriculture. We’ll hear examples from the Tinker Brook project in Berlin, the Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm community in Peterborough, and the Foster Farm project led by Kawasiwajo Community Land Trust. Each project highlights a different approach to balancing housing development with farmland and working lands conservation. Participants will learn about the Housing and Farmland Protection Workgroup, reflect on lessons across these projects, and explore how similar partnerships could help address housing needs while protecting working lands across New Hampshire.
Hosted by the Housing & Farmland Protection Workgroup
Featured Speaker: Sally Manikian, The Conservation Fund; Ben Frost, Kawasiwajo Community Land Trust; Lono Hunter, Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm
Resources from this session: Coming soon!
Stronger by Association: Learning from our Neighbors to Support NH’s Farmers’ Markets
Session Location: The Boathouse
Farmers’ markets play a vital role in strengthening local farms, supporting small businesses, and connecting communities with fresh, local food. But how can we better support the people who run them? Join us for one of the first gatherings of the Farmers’ Market Workgroup as we begin exploring opportunities to strengthen farmers’ markets across New Hampshire. This session will feature a guest speaker from the Vermont Farmers Market Association (VTFMA), who will share how Vermont has built a statewide network that supports market managers, vendors, and community markets.
Together, we’ll learn about Vermont’s model and begin a conversation about what support farmers’ markets need here in New Hampshire. This interactive session will help identify priorities, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration as the Farmers’ Market Workgroup begins shaping its direction. Whether you manage a market, sell at one, support local food systems, or are simply curious about strengthening farmers markets in New Hampshire, your perspective is welcome.
Hosted by the Farmers' Market Workgroup
Featured Speaker: Andrew Graham, Farmers Market Specialist, NOFA-VT, Vermont Farmers Market Association (VTFMA)
Resources from this session: Coming soon!
Food Access, Locally: Mapping the Gaps & Opportunities for Farmers & Eaters
Session Location: The Pavilion
When every Granite Stater has access to fresh, locally grown food, we all win. Join the leaders of the Local Food Access Workgroup as we collaboratively map the landscape of New Hampshire food access programs that prioritize access to locally grown, caught, and produced foods.
We will come together to crowdsource and share about programs, from federal nutrition assistance programs and nutrition incentive programs to community-led local food access initiatives, to understand where the gaps and opportunities are for support and growth. Then, we’ll consider the barriers to participation in these programs for both farmers/food producers and eaters and think creatively to find actionable ways to overcome these obstacles together.
Hosted by the Local Food Access Workgroup
Resources from this session: Coming soon!
Afternoon Breakout Sessions: 1:30-2:45PM
AI in Action: Practical Tools for Food Systems Professionals
Session Location: Lakehouse Loft
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how organizations research, communicate, analyze data, and make decisions. For food systems professionals across sectors, understanding how to effectively use AI is quickly becoming a strategic advantage.
This introductory workshop will build foundational AI literacy and equip participants with practical and immediately applicable skills. Using tools such as ChatGPT and other emerging AI platforms, participants will learn how AI systems interpret language, why context dramatically shapes outcomes, and how to craft prompts that generate useful, relevant results. Through real-world food systems examples, attendees will explore tangible ways to integrate AI into their daily work.
This session focuses on practical application rather than technical depth. No prior experience with AI is required. Participants will leave with concrete ideas, practical use cases, and clear direction for incorporating AI into their daily work in meaningful and mission-aligned ways.
Featured Speaker: Rebecca Emery, Seacoast AI
Resources from this session: Seacoast AI Free AI Guide
Embodied Leadership: Somatic Tools to Regulate Stress and Prevent Burnout
Session Location: The Boathouse
What if the earliest signs of burnout are signals asking for attention, not willpower? In this experiential session, Cynthia Paciulli Barbarits, MD — surgeon, healthcare leader, and somatic guide — will share practical, body-based techniques to help nonprofit professionals and food systems leaders manage stress and build sustainable resilience.
Mission-driven work often demands constant responsiveness, emotional labor, and long-term stamina. Through guided somatic practices, participants will learn techniques to recognize early signs of stress, regulate activation in real time, and shift from reactivity to aligned, values-driven action.
Integrating biology, beliefs, and bioenergetics, this session offers accessible tools that can be applied immediately in high-demand, purpose-centered environments. Attendees will leave with embodied practices to restore energy, expand self-awareness, and sustain clarity, connection, and impact in their leadership.
Featured Speaker: Cynthia Paciulli Barbarits, MD, When All Else Fails Body as Guide Coaching
Resources from this session: Coming soon!
Turning Tension into Dialogue: Tools for Navigating Conflict with Confidence
Session Location: The Pavilion
Difficult conversations are inevitable, but unproductive ones don’t have to be. Whether you're preparing to raise a sensitive issue or responding to someone who is frustrated or upset, high-stakes exchanges can quickly become stressful and uncomfortable. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn practical tools to navigate these moments with greater clarity, confidence, and composure. Together, participants will: discover how the questions they ask shape the direction and tone of a conversation; listen for what's underneath positions and/or demands to transform stuck discussions into constructive ones; develop an effective approach to de-escalate heated moments in real time.
Through guided practice, you’ll build the skills needed to foster shared understanding and move conversations forward.
Featured Speaker: Cara Cargill, Program Manager & Mediator, New Hampshire Agricultural Mediation Program
Resources from this session: Coming soon!
