FARMING IN MAINE: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU MAY THINK: John Piotti, Instructor
Four Thursdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m., starting January 19th; Belfast Senior College
Farming in Maine defies any single label. It is at once robust, thriving, threatened, modern, ancient, venerable, dirty, tedious, and hip. It is as diverse as Maine’s 8,200 farms—a number that has been quietly but steadily growing for the past fifteen years. After generations of decline, Maine is actually seeing an agricultural revival. This course will explain what’s happening and why, and explore what this could mean for the future. Could farming be the key to Maine’s economic prosperity? What does the surprising history of Maine farming suggest for the future? Will the current interest in “local food” and “organic” produce last? What are the economic and political realities that shape our food system and our landscape? The head of Maine Farmland Trust and several guest speakers will take us back to the land and tell us what’s going on there.
You can sign up at 338-8033 or belfastseniorcollege.org
