What challenges are Farm & Garden Education programs facing in the Monadnock Region?

• Prescribed curriculum
• Not enough time to share the merits of outdoor and hands-on learning with decision makers
• Lack of funding and time
• Short growing season and long summer break
• Not enough staffing to support program
• Increased transportation costs
• Lack of financial sustainability once grant funding ends
• Difficult to find the right time to bring farmers, gardeners and educators together to share and learn new skills
• Hard to pay farmers a fair price for their produce
• Finding resources to support program (many organizations doing great work, but there is not once source of information for what groups are doing)

These challenges are certainly not unique to the Monadnock Region; but can a regional network help us focus to inspire collaborative thinking and identify solutions?