SEEDING CHANGE.

In 2015, Robert Peck led a trip to work on urban farms as part of an Americorps volunteer group.

White building garden beds in southern cities, Peck's eyes opened to new possibilities: If healthy Local produce could be grown in the hearts of Memphis and Tallahassee, why not in his hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut?

Inspired, Peck returned home and started a 40-square-foot vegetable garden in his mother's yard. Eventually, that seed of an idea sprouted into Hemp Milk & Honey, a "community shared agriculture" (CSA) enterprise in which people subscribe to get boxes of fresh veggies from Peck's gardens, now scattered about the city. Peck, who calls himself the "Hood Farmer," hopes to address what he refers to as Bridgeport's "food apartheid," a divide that Leaves the city's neighborhoods of color with Less access to healthy foods--a direct result of structural racism.

When Peck needed an expert pair of eyes to review a tease for his continued expansion, he decided to try out a resource he'd heard about through the farming grapevine: CLF's Legal Food Hub, which matches small-scale farmers, food businesses, and farm and food organizations with volunteer attorneys who provide Legal advice for free.

A Helping Hand for Local Farmers

Peck is one of hundreds of farmers and food entrepreneurs who have sought help through the Legal Food Hub since it Launched in 2014. CLF created the Hub after realizing that only 10% of farmers use legal services, compared to 70% of small businesses in general. That leaves many farmers vulnerable when it comes to navigating the business complexities of running their farms, including incorporating, hiring help, drawing up employee contracts, leasing land, or transferring a farm to heirs. Many of these small business owners know they need legal help but can't afford it. Others try going it alone. Many never realize they need help at all--until it's too late.

"CLF believes a thriving New England means a thriving local food system," says Mary Lovell Egan, senior program coordinator for the Legal Food Hub. "But we can't achieve that if our small farmers and food business are left vulnerable legally." The idea is this: CLF can fortify a robust regional food system by providing small food entrepreneurs and farmers with legal assistance that they might not be able to afford otherwise.

"The Legal Food Hub helps these food businesses move beyond costly legal needs so they can focus on growing, thriving, and providing for the...