Page 10 - BusinessWest September 30, 2024

EDITORIAL >>
A Big Day for Local Investment
Considering the ever-evolving threats from cyberattacks and data breaches, few people these days underestimate the importance of robust cybersecurity.
That idea was driven home by a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 16 at the Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, which is now open on the first floor of Union Station in Springfield. The event drew eight area college and university presidents, a host of legislators, and an impressive roster of regional economic-devel- opment, education, technology, and municipal leaders.
What they heard — and why they’re excited — was summed up most succinctly by Carolyn Kirk, CEO of MassTech, one of the cen- ter’s collaborators along with Springfield Technical Community Col- lege (STCC), the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, and Cyber- Trust Massachusetts.
“Massachusetts is focused on building a dynamic cybersecurity ecosystem to defend cities and towns across the state,” Kirk told the attendees. “The Richard E. Neal Cybersecurity Center of Excellence will continue to advance our efforts to foster a strong talent pipeline that supports private and public entities in the region.”
In short, the new center will offer a new weapon in boosting cybersecurity efforts locally, while partnering with area colleges to train students for a sector in need of new talent.
OPINION >>
The 6,000-square-foot facility will accomplish both in its cyber range, a simulated environment for student training and exercises, and its security operations center (SOC), which provides real-time detection and response to local municipalities and businesses.
As Peter Sherlock, CEO of CyberTrust Massachusetts, explained, students from local partner colleges will gain critical job experience working in the center’s SOC under the supervision of experienced staff, while the center also delivers critical cybersecurity services to municipalities, nonprofits, and small businesses.
U.S. Rep Richard Neal led a funding effort in 2023 that resulted in $3 million in congressionally directed spending to establish the center, as well as an additional $2 million in state and local fund- ing. He is enthused by its potential, but also because its opening achieves 100% occupancy of the station’s main concourse level.
“We are grateful for the public investment,” STCC President John Cook added, “and proud to stand up a facility that will not only enhance the learning experience for students, but also contribute to continued economic development in Western Massachusetts.”
We agree. With its potential to significantly bolster the region’s cybersecurity resources, enhance the worker pipeline, and stimulate economic investment, this project is a true win-win-win. BW
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Challenges Continue for Local Farms
BY PHILIP KORMAN
As I am poised to leave my job after 16 years as executive direc- tor of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), naturally, I’ve started to reflect. My takeaways so far? Local farms are still challenged to keep farming, maybe even more so; the local community is solidly behind farms and CISA, yet that support
is more likely to appear in times of trouble; and the number of folks who care deeply about farms has grown along with the desire for a more just local food system.
When I took the helm at CISA, I didn’t come in with a deep back- ground in agriculture. What I did know was how to grow an orga- nization and create community. The timing was a bit scary because it was right when the 2008 recession began, and I spent many sleepless nights worrying that local farms would go out of business because consumers had less to spend and donors might have less resources to fund CISA’s support of farms in their time of need.
Thankfully, these concerns were unfounded. The recession result- ed in residents buying more from local farms and increasing their support of CISA, perhaps because people were looking to deepen their roots, keep farms farming, and bring in fresher and healthier food for their families.
This was not the last time we saw a surge of interest in buying local food during a challenging time. When the pandemic hit, many residents who did not feel safe shopping in big supermarkets turned to small farm stores and farmers’ markets. When the national food- supply chain was disrupted, residents (re)discovered local meat, cheese, and much more. In both the 2008 recession and the 2020 onset of the pandemic, the community supported CISA in increasing its efforts to connect residents to farms and farms to residents.
The community has also shown up to help local farms directly as climate change has brought new challenges. In October 2011, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, the support of local residents and businesses enabled CISA to launch a new Emergency Farm Fund
to provide no-interest loans to affected farms. And in 2023, when hundreds of farms were severely hurt by the worst range of weather disasters in recent history, residents, local legislators, and the gov- ernor rallied. Within a few months, more than $3 million was raised through private donations and $20 million from public funds to help these farms survive the season.
While economic and climate conditions have continued to shift, there’s one factor that continues to put pressure on local farms and our local food system: the shrinking number of global companies that control a greater percentage of the national food and agriculture markets. The top four corporations in many agricultural sectors, including meat processing, seeds, fertilizers, and retail grocery, con- trol 60% to 90% of the national market.
Over my time at CISA, we have worked to understand more deep- ly how our local food system reflects the racial, gender, and class inequities of our nation. The owners of farms across the country
and state are still overwhelmingly white and male. Many people who work on farms are from other countries, here to build a better life for their families, doing the hard work that few others want to do. And access to local food in our state is still difficult for folks without access to transportation and discretionary resources.
Against this backdrop, CISA has worked to lift our local food sys- tem as a place where we can make some movement on these issues through community engagement and serve as a model in the region and nation. Many vital partners who have emerged as leaders in their communities have been our teachers — and we, hopefully, their ally. We can be proud that we are the only state in the nation with HIP, the Healthy Incentives Program, a state government program that provides fresh, local produce for families on SNAP, and a grant infrastructure farm program that invests needed millions to help local farms expand to feed their communities.
Our work has grown as our support from local businesses and residents has grown. CISA is equipped to creatively and strategically look ahead and take risks to face our current and future challenges. And while I am sometimes still up in the middle of the night, con- cerned about how farms will weather climate change, a challenging economy, and systemic inequities, I am confident that more people in our community understand more deeply that what they buy, how they vote, where they invest, and who they share a meal with are daily practices of love, connection, and change. BW
Philip Korman is the outgoing executive director of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.
10 SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
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