Other key milestones in food and farming were made in Auburn helping to strengthen the region’s local food system. Following 8 years of an energized and sometimes fraught public and municipal process to update the City of Auburn’s unique Agriculture and Resource Protection AGRP zone, long debated changes were finally implemented in the summer of 2023. The compromise allowed for continued protection of approximately 40% of Auburn’s land mass (20,000 acres) from encroaching development pressures amidst the ongoing housing crisis. The original intent of the AGRP was to limit public costs for providing services, contain development to downtown and along major roadways, and to encourage agricultural, timber, and natural resource protection and uses. With a percentage of farms across Maine having been identified as contaminated with PFAS—more than 60 as of Spring of 2024—ensuring viable, contaminant-free farmland remains undeveloped is not only critical to the region’s food system but to the state as well.  This AGRP outcome would not have been achieved had it not been for thoughtful advocacy and engagement undertaken to ensure farmers and other stakeholders were involved in the planning and decision-making related to Auburn’s farmland policy. These efforts helped to foster greater awareness and movement around the protection of Auburn’s vital agricultural farmlands. More opportunity remains to continue to build awareness and center the importance of the region’s agricultural potential and vital resources.

For the past 12 years, the Nutrition Center has been partnering with schools and FoodCorps to build sustainable garden and nutrition education programs with the goal of reaching every child in Lewiston schools.  Five learning gardens have been created across 4 elementary schools and 1 middle school helping to foster thousands of hours of garden and cooking education for children. Similarly, Healthy Androscoggin offers a number of supports and direct education opportunities to schools in Auburn and Lewiston and across Androscoggin County. Programs include a series-based curriculum by staff tailored to each grade level including activities such as discovery of new food, learning about a new seasonal fruit or vegetable in the early grades and participating in a cooking series in the older grades.

Schools play a vital role in food access for children and in their food experiences, growth, and long-term outcomes. School-based local food and nutrition work is new to this most recent iteration of the Local Foods Action Plan Lewiston Auburn but was a natural fit given the milestones achieved, opportunities and work on the horizon, and the important role schools play in both food security and connecting young people to local food. Leads participating in the work will be able to continue to develop and deepen connections through regular convenings and explore future collaborations to strengthen their impact.