SPONSOR
In support of the goal of the Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial Commission to advance a vision and practical agenda for the Hudson Valley, this project is sponsored by the Hudson River Watershed Alliance, a regional coalition of stakeholders working to protect, restore, and conserve the water resources of the Hudson and its tributaries, through information sharing and collaborative networking.
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TASK FORCE CHAIR:
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PARTICIPANTS:
Janet Crawshaw (Valley Table), Ralph Erenzo (Tuthilltown Spirits), Jennifer Grossman (Open Space Institute), David Haight (American Farmland Trust), Lael Locke (NY Planning Federation), Benedict McCaffree (Office of Congressman Scott Murphy), Seth McKee (Scenic Hudson), John Mylod (Fisherman), Sarah Olson (Superintendent, Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites), Eric Ooms (President, Columbia County Farm Bureau), Peter Paden (Executive Director, Columbia Land Conservancy), Laura Pensiero (Gigi’s Marketplace and Restaurant), Martin Ping (Executive Director, Hawthorne Valley), Cheryl Rogowski (W. Rogowski Farm), Matthew Scott (Pampered Cow), Sam Simon (Hudson Valley Fresh), Paul Wigsten (Produce Buyer, Culinary Institute of America).
FULL REPORT:
The following Vision statement and Propositions are based upon a full report (available by clicking HERE), that provides valuable information on the process that was followed, an overview of the Hudson River Valley and its existing transportation systems and its major transportation projects, and a section devoted to tools for change that will make these recommendation possible to implement.
VISION:
The Hudson Valley is universally recognized as a world class landscape producing world class food. The Hudson Valley and the Napa Valley are coastal brackets for a country that has rediscovered its respect for food and for the people, water and land that produce it.
Agriculture is a robust element of the region’s economy. Farmers are respected as businessmen and professionals. Farms are profitable and closely connected with a strong network of related food and tourism businesses. The importance of agriculture to the region’s quality of life – its economic and environmental well-being and the health of its residents – is understood and supported by public officials at every level, as well as residents in the entire metropolitan region.
The vitality of the agricultural landscape and the Hudson River itself and the value of the products being produced from both provide opportunities for young people and families to make their living and spend their lives in the Valley.
The Valley stands as a national model for how the many and complex components of a major metropolitan region can work together to support a food and agricultural system that benefits all its residents.
PROPOSITIONS: (Click on each proposition below to read more and comment.)
1. RECOGNIZE AND SUPPORT FOOD AND FARMING AS CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE REGION’S ECONOMY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.
2. PRESERVE AND GROW THE AGRICULTURE LAND BASE AND ENCOURAGE ITS PRODUCTIVE USE.
3. INCREASE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INVESTMENT TO SUPPORT THE REGION’S FOOD AND FARMING ECONOMY.
4. CULTIVATE A STRONG REGIONAL IDENTITY.
5. EXAMINE AND REVISE POLICIES ON EVERY LEVEL TO ENCOURAGE REGIONAL AGRICULTURE.