Town of Unity wins competitive 'Local Foods, Local Places' assistance
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said this week that the Town of Unity has been selected as one of just 26 communities from around the country to participate in a federal initiative called Local Foods, Local Places. The town will receive expert technical advice to help develop and highlight the local agricultural economy.
Pingree, a member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Committee, said bringing federal resources to a small town like Unity can go a long way toward growing the local economy.
"Unity and the communities in that area understand how valuable agriculture is to their economy and how local farms can be a good source of food and income," Pingree said. "They've done a lot of work to create a development plan that takes advantage of these resources, but with expert technical assistance they canreally take these plans to the next level."
The federal designation means the community will get free technical assistance "to create a more connected, walkable community; better market the community’s agricultural character; and create a local food system for the town and surrounding region," according to the Obama Administration.
In its application, the Town of Unity wrote that "despite recent efforts the Town has made, this small community can only go so far without expert assistance. The ideas are there; the expertise to create the action plans to implement those ideas isnot."
