There is much that can be done locally to advance farm-friendly policy and planning solutions, often by town boards or committees, but also by individuals who care about agriculture and recognize opportunities for change or action in their communities. 

We support Maine towns in the important role they play in sustaining and growing local agriculture by producing and sharing informational resources, engaging in community and municipal outreach and education efforts, and providing direct technical assistance to towns that are looking to advance farm-friendly policies and planning initiatives.

If your town is considering a solar siting ordinance or you want to help your community become more farm-friendly across the board, you can share the resource guides below with your town officials to offer ideas and strategies to support your local farms.

Is your town interested in taking action to support local agriculture? 

We want to hear from you! Maine Farmland Trust offers free municipal technical assistance and outreach on a variety of local policy tools and planning strategies that can help towns support farms and farmland protection efforts in their communities. 

Some examples of technical assistance include helping town committees to craft and enact solar ordinances to protect important agricultural resources, or collaborating with town comprehensive review committees to survey local farmers and share key learnings and strategy ideas to consider in their multi-year planning process. Learn more about MFT’s Municipal Outreach and TA Services.

If you’re a town official, contact us below to let us know what topics your town is considering and where you could use support!