Martha's Vineyard Commission MVP Action Grant: Food Forest

Project Summary

This project produced an assessment, plan, and toolkit for establishing public perennial food production spaces in all Martha's Vineyard towns, and a site-specific design for one public food forest in Aquinnah, MA.

Community Overview

• Population: year-round 20,503; seasonal 94,650
• Environmental Justice Communities: low income, minority, English isolation
• Unique traits: As an Island community at risk of isolation after extreme weather events such as a major hurricane, self-sufficiency and food security is critical, as is protection of traditional food sources for the Island’s indigenous peoples.

Grant Details

• Year: FY25
• Project Type: Type 1: Planning, Assessments, Capacity Building, and Regulatory Updates
• MVP Region: Southeast
• Grant Amount: $96,764
• Match Amount: $12,906
• In-Kind source: In-Kind Services
• Municipal Lead: Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Change Coordinator 

MVP Core Principles Addressed

While this project addressed multiple MVP Core Principles, it primarily focused on:

1. Furthering a community identified priority action to address climate change impacts
2. Employing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)
3. Increasing equitable outcomes for Environmental Justice (EJ) and other priority

Climate Change Impacts Addressed

• Climate-related food supply chain disruption
• Food insecurity risks due to coastal hazards 

Project Goals

• Identify where and how public perennial food production spaces can be established in every town on Martha’s Vineyard;
• Assess viable potential locations for public food forests on municipal property that will maximize community access and benefit;
• Build a toolkit of guidelines and best practices for creating public food forest; and,
• Create a detailed site design for the first of these food forests in the town of Aquinnah.

Results and Deliverables

• Identification of 30 potential public food production sites meeting the defined criteria island-wide, with at least 4 potential sites in each of the 6 towns.
• More than 50 Aquinnah residents engaged in the planning and design process.
• Planting workshops began installation of perennial food production at 2 new sites.
• The project’s primary deliverables are maps with recommended potential sites for each town, a final food forest implementation toolkit and perennial edible plants list, and a detailed site plan and plant palette for the Aquinnah town food forest.

Partners and Other Supporters

• Aquinnah Cultural Center - partner in Aquinnah food forest design development and project engagement with Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe
• Aquinnah Parks & Recreation Committee - partner in Aquinnah food forest planning
• Island Grown Initiative – partner in project development, site assessment criteria, toolkit development
• Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society – partner in community education events

Lessons Learned 

• There is strong community interest and support for creating public food forests.
• The primary concerns/needs for executing are identifying who in each town will be responsible for oversight, funding, on-going maintenance, etc. and identifying funding sources for implementation.
• Implementation phase will require strong community outreach and publicity efforts, and each project will need a clearly defined project manager or managing organization.