Farming and fishing in collaboration

The work of recent Friedman School graduates Amanda Beal and Ellen Tyler is covered in an online Tufts Now article by Julie Flaherty.

What do farmers and fishermen dream about? A bumper crop of zucchini and calm seas? Perhaps. But both lose sleep over some of the same things: finding markets for their products,  transporting their goods cheaply, tapping into the local foods movement and protecting the  natural resources on which they both depend.

Although the two groups face similar challenges in keeping their businesses afloat, they rarely  compare notes. Two recent graduates in the Friedman School’s Agriculture, Food and  Environment Program, Amanda Beal, N11, and Ellen Tyler, N11, are trying to change that. With  a grant from the Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine, they organized a series of forums around  the state where farmers and fishermen could get together to talk and swap strategies.

“We’re looking for really creative solutions to help both groups,” Tyler says of the project, called By Land and By Sea. “So the more diverse perspectives we can pull in, the more innovative  strategies will emerge.”

Amanda Beal, N11, and Ellen Tyler, N11, organized a series of forums where farmers and fishermen could talk and swap strategies. Photo: Alonso Nichols