Technical Assistance & Peer Networking: The New England Agroforester - Fall Equinox 2026

New Resource for Forest Farm Propagation

Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition have produced Propagation of Understory Botanicals: A guide to growing Black cohosh, Ramps, Ginseng, Bloodroot, Goldenseal, and Solomon’s seal. The NFFC Propagation Manual was created through a SARE-funded project to reduce barriers to planting stock access and to strengthen propagation capacity for forest farmers in the Northeast. Drawing on grower expertise, extension resources, traditional knowledge, and the latest research, the manual offers a practical, user-friendly reference for forest farming practitioners. Look for free copies at events this fall.

Food Policy Resources

Courtesy of the Food System Leadership Network’s Community Food Projects Community of Practice, this list of food policy resources highlights national networks, communities of practice, and advocacy organizations that can help agroforestry practitioners and advocates expand their knowledge, strengthen partnerships, and engage more effectively in food systems planning, policy, and systems-change efforts.

1. Food Policy Networks (Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future) maintains a national directory of food policy councils across the United States, making it a useful resource for identifying peer organizations, governance models, and regional initiatives. It also provides research, tools, and publications that document the development, effectiveness, and impact of food policy councils.
2. Statewide and Regional Food System Plans National Community of Practice offers training opportunities, peer learning, and knowledge-sharing resources for organizations engaged in statewide and regional food system planning. The network connects practitioners across the country and supports collaboration on food systems assessment, planning, and implementation. See the Events section in this issue for details on Co-Creating the Future of Food: How Food Policy Councils Can Drive Inclusive Planning, which will be held on November 19. 
3. Food & Farm Democracy Initiative is a collaborative effort among NSAC, RAFI, Red Clover Collective, and the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation. The initiative provides financial support, training, and capacity-building resources for organizations engaged in food and agricultural policy advocacy and civic engagement.
4. Right to Food Community of Practice offers working groups, fellowships, convenings, and advocacy opportunities for individuals and organizations advancing a rights-based approach to food access. It supports network building, collective learning, and policy engagement focused on establishing and protecting the right to food.

The Community Food Projects (CFP) Community of Practice (CoP) is national peer-learning network that connects food systems practitioners through topic-specific communities focused on knowledge exchange, relationship building, and collaborative problem solving. The CoP is part of a larger network that supports discussion groups, resource sharing, and opportunities to learn from practitioners and researchers working in diverse regions and contexts.

Although not exclusively focused on agroforestry, the CoP is valuable for organizations integrating trees, food production, community development, and food system resilience. Participants can connect with leaders managing USDA-funded food system projects, learn from innovative community-based models, and identify opportunities for collaboration across agriculture, food access, education, and economic development initiatives. This includes learning about successful funding, program design, and evaluation approaches used in community food projects; sharing agroforestry models within broader conversations about food security, climate resilience, land stewardship, and equitable food systems; and staying informed about emerging trends and practices in community food systems work nationwide.

For more information, visit FSLN’s Communities of Practice page, subscribe to the Catalyst newsletter, or contact the Network Backbone Team.