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Steve Rosenberg is Executive Director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust and Sr. Vice President of Scenic Hudson, Inc. Scenic Hudson has conserved 35,000 acres, including more than 95 family farms, and has created more than 40 parks and preserves along the Hudson River.  Steve is leading Scenic Hudson’s campaign to secure New York City’s and the Hudson Valley’s supply of fresh, local food by conserving the region’s most important farmland.  Steve serves on the national board of the Land Trust Alliance. He graduated from the George Washington University law school and received his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Securing the Supply of Fresh, Local Food by Conserving the Regional Foodshed.  Fresh, local food improves our health, sustains our economy, feeds our culture and increases our resiliency.  New York City’s annual unmet demand for regionally-produced food is almost $1 billion.  To narrow this gap, it’s essential to protect the city’s regional “foodshed.” A recent University of California study determined that farmland within 100 miles of New York City has the potential to provide 30% of its food supply.  Yet nearly 89% of the valley’s farmland—a dependable supplier of local food to NYC and the region’s farmers markets, restaurants, CSA’s and food pantries—is at risk of development.

Steve’s presentation will focus on Scenic Hudson’s “Foodshed Conservation Plan,” which provides a blueprint for the city, state, federal and philanthropic stakeholders to collaborate to protect the farmland supplying the city and region with local food, while infusing critical investment capital into the agricultural economy. This keeps farmland available for agriculture, enables farmers to expand their operations and increase productivity, and makes farmland more affordable for the next generation of farmers.