Reviewed by Chef Michael Garahan, CEC

In review of the plan on 3.18.2025 I’m beginning to find many across the food industry who are seeking change are coming together (getting-out-of-the-silo) to adopt solutions which have been or are in the process of being implemented.

For instance, one recommendation under “Home and Community Gardens” it states “There is increasing interest in neighborhood scale food production in New Hampshire’s Urban Communities.

*Micro Home Restaurants have been so successful in California that Utah adopted the law, and several other communities and states are now clearly seeing the value Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operations-or Neighborhood Scale Food Production can bring to their communities.

Especially pertinent since the cuts of funding to school to but local foods for schools.

https://www.nhfoodalliance.org/new-hampshire-food-agriculture-strategic-plan

“New Hampshire students lack consistent access to food, nutrition, and agricultural literacy programs. While state policy mandates systematic health education in grades K-12, including nutrition, it does not emphasize local food systems or farming.”

“Consistent education about food, nutrition, and agriculture can empower young people to make informed dietary and purchasing decisions to benefit their health and the health of our communities, now and as adults. Access to curriculum about food, nutrition, and agriculture is inconsistent and inequitable.”

Chef Mikey’s e-Learning Nutrition Island currently provides a free no registration required food and nutrition education program which is part of the Bozeman, MT school Health Enhancement Curriculum and the USDA Ag. Marketing Service Educational Programs.

https://foodsystemsdb.extension.iastate.edu/

“Local school boards decide what health and nutrition education is taught in each individual school or district, making it hard to track what students are learning.”

Through Chef Mikey’s Higher Ed. Verified Creator we can track students learning with or without an identifier. https://kahoot.it/challenge/05130241

The Farm to Early Childcare Education Coalition is being established in New Hampshire. Together we can create a National and International Farm to Early Childcare Education Coalition, with the advantage of our Chef Mikey (c) Mascot and the real Chef Mikey healthier choice food demonstrator.

Developing Capacity they recommend: “Increased capacity will reduce grant writing and administrative burdens, leverage partnerships, generate increased support for operating funds, and increase impact.”

“Grant programs offset some costs but are unreliable and require substantial time for grant writing, administration, and reporting. Relying on grant funding is an unrealistic expectation for farmers and it can exacerbate staffing issues and increase financial instability.”

They suggest “sharing in collaborative aggregation and marketing-for distribution of locally produced foods by an organization or enterprise.”

“Develop capacity to coordinate and support fundraising efforts for food hubs and multi-farmer collaborative marketing initiatives. Increased capacity will reduce grant writing and administrative burdens, leverage partnerships, generate increased support for operating funds, and increase impact. Increase technical assistance capacity for food hubs and multi-farmer collaborative marketing initiatives.”

“Coaching to design and facilitate a process for farmers and food businesses interested in developing collaborative aggregation and marketing plans.”

Financing Food Businesses: “Food businesses need more affordable funding for livable wages, equipment, facilities, and working capital for operations to ramp up or scale.”

“Service providers can improve their focus on coaching and guiding entrepreneurs, offering practical solutions rather than the personal biases that food entrepreneurs have experienced.”

“Business coaching providers, like Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), SCORE, and UNH Extension, exist and are available to provide support. However, they would benefit from greater understanding of the unique needs and challenges facing food businesses.”

“Expanding current, university-led research and communications to educate Granite Staters about the community, economic, health, and social contribution of the food system will support proactive policy, such as tax exemptions and abatements or start-up funds and incentives for food businesses.”