The Farm Bill: Federal Policy that Affects the Bay Area

The Farm Bill
Federal Policy that Affects the Bay Area
While our buying decisions can send an important mes-
sage, we can’t simply shop our way out of this problem.
\e huve to íx our broken íood poíícíes ut the íederuí
íeveí by tukíng controí uvuy írom íurge ugríbusínesses
and rebuilding a more secure and sustainable system that
serves the interests of farmers and consumers.
Lvery íve yeurs, Congress pusses u lurm ßííí thut deter-
mines how hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some of these funds
are distributed to local governments, researchers, com-
munity organizations and small businesses in the form of
grunts und íouns. Here ure exumpíes oí some oí the lurm
ßííí-íunded pro¡ects ín our communíty:
Increasing food access in low-income
communities
- Mundeíu Murketlíuce ín Cukíund ís dedícuted to
building a local food system that promotes a sense of
self-reliance within the community. They have received
grunts írom the lurm ßííí to estubíísh u dístríbutíon net-
vork thut íínks íímíted-resource und mínoríty íurmers
to un underserved urbun murket.
- 1he Murín Agrícuíturuí lnstítute oí Sun Ruíueí und the
Lcoíogy Center oí ßerkeíey ure usíng lurm ßííí íundíng
to estubíísh un eíectroníc beneít trunsíer (Lß1) servíce
to help low-income residents gain access to fresh,
heuíthy íocuí íoods ut íurmers murkets throughout the
ßuy Areu.
- leopíe's Crocery oí \est Cukíund ís vorkíng to ím-
prove the health and economy of the community. They
received a grant to establish a retail food outlet that
will help impoverished residents acquire fresh, healthy
foods produced by local growers.
- 1he Lust ßuy Asíun Youth Center ínspíres the youth oí
Cukíund to uctíveíy promote ¡ustíce und compussíon ín
their community. The center was awarded a grant from
the lurm ßííí to creute íocuííy sourced produce murkets
ut 25 schooís ín the Cukíund Lnííed Schooí Dístríct,
empíoyíng purents to munuge the murkets.
- Aíumedu loínt Coííuborutíve provídes uííordubíe
housing, community programs and other services to
íormeríy homeíess íumíííes. lurm ßííí íundíng ís heíp-
íng to expund the neíghborhood's communíty gurden
und estubíísh u resídent-operuted CSA-styíe íood
distribution system.
l
t's no secret thut our íood system ís broken. Muny consumers íuck uccess to suíe,
heuíthy íood und muny íumííy íurmers cun't muke u íívíng írom íurmíng. 1hut's
because a handful of giant corporations stand between thousands of farmers and
mííííons oí consumers. 1hese corporutíons muke decísíons bused on vhut's most
proítubíe íor them, not vhut's best íor us. 1hey demund quuntíty over quuííty, they use
theír buyíng pover to dríve dovn the príces íurmers ure puíd, und they determíne vho
has access to food by controlling the infrastructure to process, distribute and sell it.
Fact Sheet + April 2011
FOOD
Supporting sustainable agriculture
- Communíty Aíííunce víth lumííy lurmers (CAll) ud-
vocutes íor íumííy-scuíe ugrícuíture ín Cuíííorníu bused
on sustuínubíe pructíces und socíuí ¡ustíce. lurm ßííí
íunds huve heíped CAll ussíst smuíí íurmers ín guíníng
uccess to íocuí ínstítutíonuí íood servíce murkets ucross
the state.
- Cbtuíníng orguníc certíícutíon cun be un expensíve
proposítíon íor smuíí íurmers. Cver the pust 3 yeurs,
lurm ßííí grunts huve heíped oííset these costs íor over
4,000 orguníc íurmers ín Cuíííorníu.
- 1he Conservutíon Reserve lrogrum creutes un íncentíve
for farmers to include some non-crop vegetation on
their land to minimize water run-off and soil loss and
províde hubítut íor nutíve víídíííe. Neuríy 400 Cuíííor-
nia landowners are enrolled in the program, account-
ing for nearly 126,000 acres of farmland.
Developing new farmers and new
food businesses
- Lu Cocínu encouruges Sun lruncísco busínesses to be
more sustainable by sourcing local and organic foods
íor theír products. Crunt íundíng ís enubííng Lu Cocínu
to extend theír servíces to íímíted-resource entrepre-
neurs, increasing the supply of sustainable, affordable
local foods to underserved communities.
- ßused ín Sebustopoí, Cuíííorníu lurmLínk heíps begín-
ning and socially disadvantaged farmers throughout
Cuíííorníu estubíísh successíuí prívute busínesses by
provídíng ínuncíuí truíníng und íucííítutíng uccess to
íund und cupítuí. lurm ßííí íundíng hus uííoved lurm-
Línk to províde educutíonuí truíníng to muny uspíríng
minority farmers.
- lurchusíng íund und equípment cun be u source oí
constraint for many beginning and socially disad-
vuntuged íurmers. 1he lurm ßííí ís heípíng over 300
Cuíííorníu íurmers overcome thís burden by oííeríng
guaranteed loans to those who are unable to obtain
ínuncíng írom commercíuí credít sources.
- Suntu Rosu }uníor Coííege muíntuíns u 365-ucre
vorkíng íurm vhere students íeurn the príncípíes oí
sustainable farming. The college received funding
írom the lurm ßííí to creute uííordubíe íurmers murkets
for students and other underserved members of the
community.
Take action!
We need good food policy so that everyone has access to
heuíthy íood und íumííy íurmers cun muke u íívíng. 1o-
gether, ve cun muke thís u reuííty. \e need to orguníze ín
our communítíes, hoíd our eíected oíícíuís uccountubíe,
und muke sure they get the messuge íoud und cíeur thut ve
need u íuír lurm ßííí ín 20l2.
}oín the cumpuígn íor u íuír lurm ßííí. Sígn up ut:
www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fairfarmbill
For more information:
veb: vvv.íoodundvutervutch.org
emuíí: íníoºívvutch.org
phone: (202) 683-2500 (DC) - (4l5) 293-9900 (CA)
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