CFSC Policy Program
Use these links to jump to the following sections:
Farm Bill Summary •
Farm-to-School & Child Nutrition •
Urban Agriculture
Background
The Community Food Security Coalition's policy work seeks federal resources to foster
community-based alternatives to the global food system. CFSC has successfully advocated
to create and reauthorize the Community Food Projects grant program. Over a hundred
projects have received funding to strengthen local food systems, increase low-income
food security while supporting local farmers, and develop local food planning and
policy organizations through this program. CFSC has also advocated in support of core nutrition programs as well as the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs, which provides vouchers for WIC recipients and low-income seniors to use at farmers markets, and the Farmers Market Promotion Program, helping link farmers to their communities and increase access to healthy, fresh products. Now that the 2008 Farm Bill has become law, the policy staff will be tracking the rule-making and implementation processes.
Moving forward, CFSC has begun analysis of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act as well as legislation to support urban food production. Please subscribe to our Policy Updates list to keep abreast of our current policy work:
View the archive of email Policy Updates.
2008 Farm Bill Summary
Though not perfect, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 - more commonly known as the Farm Bill - makes important incremental changes in support of local and organic food, conservation and better agriculture policies. The following is a "short list" of programs that CFSC has followed in the Farm Bill and their outcomes. For more information on how CFSC's priorities stand in the conference report, see the Policy Updates on 5/8/2008 and 5/15/2008. For a more in-depth look at the Farm Bill process, you can access our archive of materials on the Farm Bill, and view weekly progress updates in our 2007 and 2008 Policy Update archives.
- Community Food Projects: $5 million (in mandatory money) for fiscal year 2008 and each year after, making it a permanent program.
- Geographic preference: Allows K-12 schools receiving federal funds for the school lunch program the flexibility to specify a geographic preference for the procurement of unprocessed agricultural products.
- Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center: Establishes a competitive grant program for producers, small businesses, and non-profits to apply for outreach, technical assistance, and feasibility study grants to support the development of enterprises which distribute and market healthy and locally produced foods to undeserved urban, rural, and tribal communities. $3 million total (mandatory) over 3 years.
- Financing for Local Food Enterprises: Provides 5% of funds (approx. $50 million annually) in loan guarantees for businesses in rural areas involved in local food distribution and marketing to secure private-secure loans backed by a USDA loan guarantee through the Rural Business and Industries Loan and Loan Guarantee program.
- USDA "Food Desert" Study: $500,000 in discretionary funding for a one-year USDA-led study on the incidence of "food deserts," or areas with limited healthy and fresh food retail access and identify strategies which can reduce their incidence.
- Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program: $20.6 million per year (mandatory) for fresh fruits and vegetable vouchers to low-income seniors that can be used at participating farmers? markets, roadside stands and community supported agriculture subscriptions, worth $10-$100 annually per recipient.
- Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program: $500 million (mandatory) over five years for selected schools to purchase at least one daily fresh fruit or vegetable snack. The program will focus on low-income school districts, and allocates 1% of funding total funding to each state and the District of Columbia with additional funding allocated by relative state population. Schools can preference local products.
- Farmers' Market Promotion Program: $33 million (mandatory) over 5 years to provide competitive grants of up to $75,000 to promote farmers' markets and other direct marketing ventures.
- Food Stamp Nutrition Education: State agencies may implement a nutrition education program for individuals eligible for program benefits that promotes healthy food choices consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and may deliver nutrition education directly to eligible persons or through agreements with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, including through the expanded food and nutrition education program.
- Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): Provides the following funding to purchase commodities for emergency food assistance: $190 million for FY 2008, $250 million for FY 2009, and for FY 2010-2012 the program will be increased by the percentage the thrifty food plan is increased. TEFAP will have up to $100 million in discretionary funds for administrative, distribution, and storage costs.
- The Congressional Hunger Center: Our friends at the Congressional Hunger Center are authorized with discretionary funds.
Farm-to-School and Child Nutrition
Farm to School connects school cafeterias with local producers to bring students fresh, healthy foods while supporting the local economy. CFSC is partnering with the Center Food & Justice to head the National Farm to School Network, which is coordinating policy efforts around Farm to School issues.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Every four to five years, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization process creates an opportunity to strengthen programs that serve over 30 million low-income children a day - and this is one of those years. With the authorization of the National Farm to School Program in 2004 and tremendous interest in the farm to school model, the time is ripe to propose ideas for including locally and regionally grown foods in national meal programs.
Urban Agriculture
Because approximately 80% of the population lives in metropolitan areas, urban agriculture is an effective and necessary means for the food insecure to gain access to fresh, affordable, nutritious food. Urban agriculture can also provide innovative solutions to many other issues common in urban areas such as air pollution, waste removal, energy usage, and economic development and community revitalization. The CSFC's Urban Agriculture Committee is in the process of forming priorities for upcoming legislative opportunities.
Legislative Background
Local Food and Farm Support Act (HR 2364)
Section 13: Urban Agriculture Production Program
Provides grants and technical assistance to private non-profits to promote agricultural production capacity in metropolitan counties.
FOOD for a Healthy America Act (S. 1432)
Tools for Advocacy
CFSC Publications Related to Urban Agriculture
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