Food System Education + Training

The mission of New Entry Sustainable Farming Project is to improve the local and regional food system by training the next generation of farmers to produce food that is sustainable, nutritious, and culturally-preferred and making this food accessible to individuals regardless of age, mobility, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. For two decades, New Entry has fostered collaborative partnerships with farm organizations, community groups, and academic institutions and serves local, statewide, and national audiences through comprehensive farmer training and technical assistance programs. New Entry provides land access on its 20-acre certified organic Incubator Farm in Beverly, and provides national technical assistance and resource sharing with other land-based and experiential beginning farmer training organizations. New Entry supports farmland connections for new producers; coordinates the statewide Beginning Farmer Network of Massachusetts; and maintains an active agricultural service provider referral network.

Farmer training is the core of New Entry's work and provides farmers with the knowledge and experience they need to grow a commercial agricultural business. Here are courses they provide on a regular basis:

• Explore Farming Workshop

• Crop Production Course

• Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture

• Farm Business Planning Course

• Incubator Farm Training Program

• Hydroponics Course

• Wholesale and Institutional Marketing

• Value Added Enterprise Self-Paced Course

Workshop Recordings and Playlists on the New Entry YouTube channel also offer a great opportunity to learn about topics of interest to farmers. 

The Food Project’s mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. Their community produces healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs, provides youth leadership opportunities, and inspires and supports others to create change in their own communities. The Food Project’s nationally recognized approach to leadership development combines agriculture, enterprise, and service to create a rigorous, practical, and integrated experience. As young people move through Seed Crew (summer), Dirt Crew (academic season), and Root Crew (year-round), they gain skills and knowledge to be leaders in their communities. Each year, 140 teenagers from Greater Boston and the North Shore of Eastern Massachusetts cultivate The Food Project’s urban and suburban land. These young people participate in workshops, serve at local hunger relief organizations, lead volunteers on the farms, build raised bed gardens, and work with the community to find innovative ways to expand food access.

The Food Project also hosts volunteer days, and operates a range of other activities and initiatives.

Root’s mission is to help young adults create a pathway to independence through foodservice training and employment. By developing essential life and work readiness skills, youth leave Root prepared for success in the workplace. In their 14-week culinary training program, trainees between the ages of 16 and 26 work with a professional chef every day, work on communication skills, learn about the restaurant industry, receive one-on-one job coaching, complete an externship in a local restaurant/food business, work at Root events to gain real-world experience, and learn about personal finance skills.

The mission of Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical High School is to create a culture of academic and technical excellence, encourage continuous intellectual growth, and promote professionalism, determination, and citizenship for all students, as they develop into architects, artisans, and authors of the 21st-century community. Essex Tech offers  sustainable horticulture, arboriculture, landscape and turf management, natural and environmental sciences programs, as well as culinary arts programs to 250-300 students per year.

The Garden School is place of learning and growing. Work in the garden is central to the education, where students learn by doing. By performing daily tasks in the garden students learn useful skills and build a foundation for reflective thinking and personal growth. The Garden School is intended to augment existing educational programs, helping students, young and old, along the way in the in-between times of life. It is the goal of the School that students may leave having gained some practical skills, a clearer sense of purpose, and an idea of what steps they may want to take next in their life journey. Learn more about student internships and volunteer opportunities.

North Shore Community College's Agricultural and Food Services Pathway offers training focused on the skills and processes needed to bring food and flowers from farm to table and how food impacts health and diet.