NH Farm to School Workgroup

The NH Farm to School Workgroup is a short-term, time-limited workgroup convened to inform the future direction, priorities, and strategic focus of NH Farm to School as it transitions into its next phase. Over approximately five meetings, the workgroup will gather input from key stakeholders to assess current needs, opportunities, and gaps across education, agriculture, and food systems. Insights from this process will help guide programmatic, policy, and partnership decisions to strengthen farm to school efforts statewide and better support New Hampshire farmers, schools, and communities.

This workgroup is led by:

Laura Alimayu, NH Farm to School Coordinator, UNH Extension
Mike Smith, NH Ag in the Classroom, UNH Extension

The NH Farm to School workgroup will be launched in February 2026. The four meetings of this time limited workgroup are as follows:

February 16, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm
March 16, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm
April 20, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm
May 18, 2026 1:00 to 2:30pm

If you are interested in joining this workgroup, please fill out the form linked below.

JOIN THE WORKGROUP

Status

Brief Topic

Type of Action

Goals & Tags

Keyword

Recommendation	Status	Brief Topic	Type of Action
Improve outreach and education campaigns for food assistance programs and food insecurity issues Launch public education campaigns to raise awareness about food assistance programs and food insecurity issues, addressing stigma while providing… Goals & Tags: Nonprofits, State Agencies, Communities/Consumers, State/NH, (goal) Engagement and Education, (goal) Nutrition and Access	Not Started	Nutrition Access & Security	Program creation, support, or expansion, Coordination/Network development or support
Streamline enrollment and extend recertification for food access programs Implement auto-enrollment in SNAP, WIC, and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) with Medicaid and extend SNAP recertification periods to ensure… Goals & Tags: State Agencies, Communities/Consumers, State/NH, (goal) Nutrition and Access, (goal) Equity and Justice	Not Started	Nutrition Access & Security	Policy/Regulation
Address policy and funding barriers for food access programs Advocate for state and federal funding to expand federal nutrition programs, including support for staff and program implementation. Simplify… Goals & Tags: State Agencies, Federal Agencies, Communities/Consumers, State/NH, National, (goal) Nutrition and Access, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Nutrition Access & Security	Investment/Funding, Policy/Regulation
Protect farm workers and reduce barriers to worker benefits Define key terms in regulation, including “intern,” and reduce barriers to worker benefits through law changes. Specifically welcome communities that… Goals & Tags: Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Equity and Justice	Not Started	Labor & Workforce	Policy/Regulation
Collaborate to generate higher value for New Hampshire food products in the marketplace Enhance marketing and technical assistance collaboration between the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food and other state agencies, local… Goals & Tags: NH Dept of Agriculture, Markets, and Food, State Agencies, Local/Regional Government Agencies, Schools or Institutions, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Nonprofits, Technical Assistance Providers, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Labor & Workforce	Coordination/Network development or support
Address the underutilization of public programs and establish public benefit navigation services for farmers and workers Assess causes of underutilization within existing programs that serve farmers and food producers. Establish public benefit navigation services to… Goals & Tags: Nonprofits, Technical Assistance Providers, State Agencies, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Labor & Workforce	Resource/tool creation, support or expansion, Program creation, support, or expansion
Facilitate cross-sector collaboration to connect seasonal agricultural workers with off-season employment Connect employers from different sectors and seasonal agricultural workers with employment outside of food production seasons, providing pathways to… Goals & Tags: Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Nonprofits, State/NH, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Labor & Workforce	Coordination/Network development or support
Support communities to find solutions at the intersection of agriculture and housing Investigate whether zoning regulations and conservation easements could have roles in permitting more housing units on agriculture parcels, including… Goals & Tags: Local/Regional Government Agencies, Communities/Consumers, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Local/Municipal, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Labor & Workforce	Coordination/Network development or support
Explore opportunities to enable land to be used by farmers without requiring ownership Build incentives for current landowners to permit leasing, renting, or other simplified, standardized legal agreements for agricultural work to… Goals & Tags: Communities/Consumers, Local/Regional Government Agencies, State Agencies, Farm, Fish, or Food Business, Local/Municipal, State/NH, (goal) Equity and Justice, (goal) Farm, Fish, and Food Business Viability	Not Started	Labor & Workforce	Policy/Regulation, Research/Study
Analyze the distribution routes of New Hampshire’s food hubs to identify coordination opportunities Collaborative distribution would include backhauling and other creative solutions to address the unique distribution needs of underserved rural areas. Goals & Tags: Farm, Fish, or Food Business, State/NH, (goal) Local Food Economy	Not Started	Food Hubs & Collaborative Marketing	Coordination/Network development or support, Research/Study

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NH Farm to School Workgroup

Recommendations of interest to this workgroup

NH Food Alliance