Climate Farmer Stories Exhibit at JAM

For the month of October JAM will display “Climate Farmer Stories,” a new multimedia exhibit that shares the stories and portraits of 13 Upper Valley farmers who are using agricultural methods that mitigate and adapt to climate change and help build a food supply that can withstand the impact of climate disruption.  The exhibit is one part of Vital Communities’ Climate Farmer Stories project, a three-year effort to increase farmer income while changing the perception about farming and climate change. Funded by the US Department of Agriculture, the project brings together Upper Valley farmers, artists, and nonprofit staff to change the story of farming and climate change, while increasing the marketing skills and resources for participating farmers. “Addressing climate change through food requires us to get back to the roots of farming,” said Nancy LaRowe, Vital Communities’ Director of Food & Farm and Economy. “Climate farmers can help mitigate climate change by returning to farming practices that strive to support natural systems, as opposed to scaling up with more ‘efficient’ technologies that are denigrating natural ecosystems. This is the hopeful story that needs to be shared as we see and experience the impacts of the climate crisis. People can choose how to spend their food dollars, and buying local food from climate conscious farmers is an investment in community resilience and climate action.”