MAPC Webinar: Small Farm Survival: Planning for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems

Mid-Atlantic Planning Collaboration Webinar: Small Farm Survival: Planning for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems | June 11, 2026 Covid-19 was a canary in a coal mine. It exposed the fragility of 21st Century food systems but did not create them. Instead of relying on federal farm and food policies, communities are waking up to the need to sustain local farms and strengthen their own food systems resilience. This webinar will shed light on the current polycrisis affecting food systems at home and abroad: geopolitical tension, economic volatility, and climate change exacerbated by federal policies that drive farm consolidation and threaten farm families and rural communities. And it will offer solutions—highlighting principles and practices that communities can use to guide planning and policy development, including successful approaches that advance diverse, sustainable, and resilient food systems at various scales. There’s no magic formula, but with collaboration and responsive governance, there’s a lot we can do. Julia Freedgood, American Farmland Trust