East Boston State Rep. Adrian Madaro testified last week in front of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture on the bill he is lead sponsor that hopes to connect food insecurities and job growth.
The bill, H.967, An Act Relative to Food Justice with Jobs.legislation is being considered on Beacon Hill and aims to improve the quality of life for thousands of Eastie residents.
“As we know, the pandemic has exposed fault lines and exacerbated long standing inequities,” said Madaro at the hearing. “Across the state, we witnessed food insecurity double, yet a return to normal is not enough. As we look towards recovery, we need to explore and implement food systems models that foster resilience and make our communities stronger.”
Madaro said H.967 achieves these goals by supporting projects that grow food locally in low- and middle-income communities through the creation of a Community Agriculture Program and a Liberation Garden Program.
“The Community Agriculture Program would encourage community stewardship of land for the purpose of growing food through ecologically sustainable methods,” said Madaro. “It would also incentivize fair hiring practices to deliver good jobs to Massachusetts residents.”
Madaro said the model behind this program is Eastie Farm or Sumner Street.
“Eastie Farm, a local nonprofit in my district of East Boston, is doing incredibly impactful work to address food insecurity in my community,” said Madaro. “The Liberation Garden Program in this legislation would provide subsidies to low- and middle-income individuals to help them grow food in their backyard. These programs seek to make our food delivery system more environmentally sustainable, and they prioritize and empower marginalized communities that have suffered the most from food insecurity.”