Island Agriculture

We have responded to their requests for assistance in the areas of affordable housing, fisheries management, community-scale alternative energy, and education. Now, thanks to a generous grant from the 1772 Foundation, we have launched a new program in island agriculture.

In contrast to the 300 island settlements spread across Maine’s archipelago two centuries ago, residents of the 15 remaining year-round communities must import most of their basic needs, such as electricity, fuel, building materials, and food.  Recently, however, many islanders have begun to revisit the historical use of island land for agricultural purposes.  They are actively exploring ways to increase the amount of local food produced and consumed through island farms and gardens.  They are also looking more intently at sustainable economic-development opportunities that can benefit local residents while making positive impacts on the environment.

The goal of the new Four-Season Island Agriculture program is to aid on-island production of food and garden-to-plate initiatives by supporting gardens, school programming, and farming. We will focus on helping individuals, organizations, and community-wide projects through grant-making, workshops and other skills-building opportunities, an annual conference, and a new partnership with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.  We are grateful to the 1772 Foundation for giving us the means to help Maine’s island communities re-discover and reinvent their centuries-old legacy of island agriculture.