Healthy Farms, Healthy Planet

Gov. Martin O'Malley must expand Maryland's Farm to School program

We should grow our food in ways that help protect and preserve our environment, not damage it.

Unfortunately, agriculture today is dominated by factory farms that endanger waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and contribute to air pollution by transporting food long distances.

Gov. O'Malley and state lawmakers can help change this by expanding Maryland's Farm to School program, which would help local farmers who want to grow food in more sustainable ways — and put fresh, nutritious foods in schools across the state.

We need access to more local food, not less

Fresh, local food shouldn't be hard to find. There are now 137 farmers markets across the state, but we can still do much more to expand opportunities for local, sustainable farmers. Most of the food sold in supermarkets and restaurants comes from factory farms that pollute rivers, lakes and air across the country. Here in Maryland, 20 million pounds of agricultural pollution contribute to the dead zone in the Chesapeake Bay every year.

By helping to expand markets for local, sustainable farmers, we can improve the health of our air and water.

With your activism and our advocacy, we can expand sustainable farms

Our citizen outreach staff has been knocking on doors across the state since May to educate Marylanders about what's at stake for our air, water and land.

Thousands of you have joined the fight too. Across the state, you're calling or emailing Gov. Martin O'Malley, signing petitions, and calling on Congress, too, to aid small, sustainble farmers — not giant agribusinesses.

Join our campaign today by sending an urgent message to Gov. O'Malley, urging him to expand Maryland's Farm-to-School program.