For what you can do as an individual or business, please see our “What Can You Do?” page. The following are external resources, gathered here for convenience only, to provide additional background information on the topic of food in Hartford:
Hartford-Specific Resources:
- Hartford Advisory Commission on Food Policy Annual Report and Policy Recommendations (2016): Annual report which outlines the progress of the Commission over the past year and highlights recommendations for the future.
- Grow Hartford 2015 Annual Report: Annual report by Grow Hartford, a program of Hartford Food System, which details the group’s current activities and future outlook.
- Hartford’s New Zoning Code: The code embraces community gardens, honey bee keeping, farmers’ markets, and urban farming (including henhouses and composting). See §§ 3.3.3, 3.7.2, & 4.20.5.
- Hartford Public Schools Food & Nutrition Program (2017): Short report, with images, showing robust local effort to increase students’ access to healthy food.
- Hartford Regional Market Master Plan (2014): Report and video laying out a plan to redesign the Hartford Regional Market.
- How Hartford Is Eating (2013): Report by the Connecticut Forum which provides a comprehensive overview of the state of nutrition in Hartford.
- Healthy Food In Hartford (2010): Report suggesting potential interventions tailored to the local urban food environment in Hartford.
- Billings Forge Community Works: Hartford organization using the benefits of fresh food to spur investment, support, good health and future employment for the entire community.
- Hartford Farmers’ Market Study (2015): Evaluates customer participation at local farmers’ markets.
- Scholarship:
- The Hartford Food System: A Review of Assets, Challenges, and Opportunities (2016): Master’s Report assessing how Hartford’s food sector is currently functioning so that the City may move in an innovative direction that improves social, health, and economic conditions for residents.
- Spatial Supermarket Redlining and Neighborhood Vulnerability – A Case Study of Hartford, Connecticut (2015): Study attempts to map and understand the effects of potential spatial supermarket redlining on food access in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut.
- What Role Do Local Grocery Stores Play in Urban Food Environments? A Case Study of Hartford-Connecticut (2014): Examination of the food environment in greater Hartford, comparing stores in Hartford to those in the surrounding suburbs.
- Urban Food Production Limits and the Viability of Community Gardens: The Case of Hartford, CT (2012), in Local Food Systems in Old Industrial Regions: Analysis of the development of community gardens in Hartford.
Regional/State Resources:
- DEEP Food Waste Reduction and Recovery: A compilation of sources provided by DEEP which are aimed at reducing food waste in Connecticut.
- 2012 Community Food Security in Connecticut: Town-level assessment of community food security in Connecticut.
- End Hunger Connecticut: Statewide anti-hunger and food security organization focused on advocacy, outreach, education, and research.
- 2015 Statewide Waste Characterization Study: Study measuring the composition of municipal solid waste disposed within Connecticut – food waste makes up nearly a quarter of total waste.
- Food Solutions New England: A regional, collaborative network organized to support the emergence and continued viability of a New England food system that is a resilient driver of healthy food for all, racial equality, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities.
- Connecticut Food System Alliance: State-wide network of dedicated stakeholders committed to creating broad system change and advancing a sustainable and just food system in Connecticut.
- Buy CT Grown: Organization supporting locally grown goods by highlighting Connecticut farms and the businesses that support them.
- UConn Extension – Agriculture & Food Systems: provides relevant and timely resources to address the complex issues of the agriculture industry in Connecticut for food producers, stakeholders, and others who need information.
- Hartford County CSA’s: List of Community Supported Agriculture destinations in Hartford County provided by UConn Extension.
- CT Grown Program: Longstanding state program that promotes locally grown products.
- Estimates of Consumption of Locally-Grown Agricultural Products in Connecticut (2012): Report provides benchmark of percentage of CT resident’s expenditures on locally-grown products.
- CT Agricultural Experiment Station: Mission is to develop, advance, and disseminate scientific knowledge, improve agricultural productivity and environmental quality, protect plants, and enhance human health and well-being through research for the benefit of Connecticut residents and the nation.
