Bill > S495

This bill creates a Garden Agriculture Program and a Community Agriculture Gardens Program to enable Massachusetts residents to establish small-scale food gardens and community gardens, respectively. The key provisions are: 1. The Garden Agriculture Program will provide grants to individuals to receive gardening items, seeds, raised garden beds, and other resources to grow food. The grants will prioritize applicants with lower incomes, and recipients are prohibited from using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. 2. The Community Agriculture Gardens Program will provide grants to establish community gardens managed by nonprofit community cooperatives. The cooperatives must be democratically run, with members electing a board of directors. The grants will prioritize cooperatives in lower-income areas, and the cooperatives are subject to restrictions on the use of chemical inputs and the sale of community-grown food. Both programs will also hire technical assistance experts to provide guidance and support to program participants. Overall, the bill aims to increase local food production, reduce carbon emissions, and improve access to nutritious, locally-grown food in Massachusetts.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S495