The Agricultural Commission shall be an advisory board with
the following duties and responsibilities:
A. Advocacy: to act as an advocate for local agriculture.
B. Information: to serve as a conduit between nonprofit agencies, civic
organizations, municipal boards and commissions, elected officials
and local farmers.
C. Education: to recommend changes in local law, regulations, rules
and practices of Town departments, boards and commissions regarding
compatibility with all forms of agriculture, farms and farming as
defined in Connecticut General Statutes; to educate Town government
about agricultural laws, such as right to farm, and legal issues regarding
farm machinery, buildings and operations; to provide information and
guidance on agriculture-related issues, such as zoning, inland wetlands,
public works and others, to Town departments and other boards and
commissions as necessary; to act as a sounding board/provide review
to Town departments, boards and commissions concerning the impact
of proposed Town policies on farms; to support vocational/agricultural
education of young farmers and new farmers; to support local and regional
agriculture education programs.
D. Conflict resolution: to serve as a resource for information and nonbinding
advice for residents, established Town committees and departments
concerning resolution of agriculture-related conflicts.
E. Economic opportunities: to identify innovative opportunities for
farming in East Haddam; to promote opportunities for residents and
local businesses to support and value farming; to serve as a conduit
between nonprofit agencies, funders, and local farmers; to work to
create a climate that supports the economic viability of farming as
a career in East Haddam; to create a sustainable agriculture community;
to work with local land use boards and commissions and East Haddam's
Open Space Committee to secure the land base necessary for future
agricultural uses.