Farmer Led Innovations

Farmer-Led Innovations for Reduced Tillage (FLI) cultivates co-learning and innovation among organic vegetable farmers in New England. The program creates and supports a small cohort of innovative farmers and combines peer knowledge sharing and individual grants to encourage experimentation with innovative practices for reducing tillage and improving soil health.

The goal of this project is to advance and showcase the work of a cohort of innovative organic farmers in New England who are developing crop-specific reduced tillage practices for organic vegetable production. We provide innovation awards, facilitation, and technical assistance to expand the capacity of farmer-innovators, while also making their innovation process accessible to other, later-adopter farmers. Field walks and roundtable discussions provide a space to share these ideas with the broader community. Read more about this project in our blog post.

To learn more about the first cohort of Farmer Innovators, check out this interactive map.

This project was made possible by Organic Valley’s Farmers Advocating for Organic Grant Program, the Helen and Walter Norton Fund for Maine Farms, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).