The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources teamed up earlier this month for a two-month long campaign project designed to attract commuters to agricultural sites in around the city.
The campaign hopes to increase traffic to farmers markets, agricultural farms, pick-your-own orchards and aquaculture sites, according to a statement released by the DAR.
“For those who may not have a car to get to some of those destinations, there are more than 20 farmers markets within walking distance of the MBTA’s four major metro lines,” DAR Commissioner Scott Soares said in the statement.
Soares envisions a bright future for the agricultural initiative— one that, he hopes, will become popular.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to recognize that we have a vibrant and growing agricultural industry here in the Commonwealth, and now there are a lot of great opportunities to experience that,” said Soares in a phone interview with The Daily Free Press. “Ultimately we know a lot of people want to buy local products, and this tool is one way to really show them how.”
Soares said that T riders will become acquainted state farmers markets with interactive advertisements drawing commuters to the state’s “Mass. Grown… and Fresher” website.
The site features an interactive map of local markets, orchards and farms and the subsequent T line that brings riders to them. “Mass. Grown… and Fresher” gathers information from the DOA’s database of agricultural-tourism destinations, according to the press release.
“With this exposure, the access and web-mapping resources that we have will help students locate what resources we have around the state,” Soares said.
Boston University holds a farmers market at BU Central every Thursday, but for students wanting to get off campus, limited transit makes it difficult to reach area orchards in the autumn.
“Last fall, I wanted to go apple picking, but it was difficult to get there,” said School of Engineering sophomore Micki Dupnik. “When the season comes, I would love to get a bunch of friends to get together to go picking. I live in south Jersey and there are farms everywhere with fresh produce.”
School of Education sophomore Sean Reilly said he is excited about the new initiative, given the frustration with finances he experienced organizing an SED Student Government trip to a local apple orchard last fall.
“Last year the price of one school bus for approximately four hours cost our budget nearly $300,” Reilly said. “Had we been able to get to the orchards by Mass. transit, we could save a ton of money to save up for much bigger events.”
For a complete list of farmers markets and other Mass. agricultural sites accessible via MBTA transit, visit mass.gov/agr/massgrown.
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