Congress updates the Farm Bill every five years and is in the process of renewing it this year. A number of national organizations have become involved in action on the Farm Bill because of its significance for climate and economic justice. A good overview of some of the major issues, including those that affect all of us directly, is here.
As an action on the farm bill, we can address our members of Congress and corporations with letters. If you have a mobile phone, you can download an app here. This app from Climate Action Now (CAN) generates letters to your reps in Congress and to corporations with your email. You can also access this app with a QR code, below.
Farm Action, an intersectional coalition of environmentalists, farmers and economists, addressed the food crisis, which is also a climate crisis. At a recent summit, leaders said that “We know that 78% of voters want our agricultural policies to prioritize healthy and sustainable food for humans over feed for animals — so the Summit’s in-person attendees are taking this critical message to nearly 100 members of Congress, the USDA, DOJ and the White House…” Full details of the summit are found here.
In addition, Food and Water Watch has analyzed the farm bill, one of the largest federal programs: “It is time to craft a Farm Bill for all. This includes reinstating tried-and-true supply management techniques that provide guaranteed living wages to farmers. We also need to redirect public funding to support farmers facing the challenge of climate chaos while supporting organic regenerative practices.” Full details are here. The Seattle Times recently ran an op-ed that explains how the farm bill can promote more climate actions. It includes discussion of regenerative practices such as no-till agriculture, cover crops and energy conservation.
We hope you’ll join us in urging support for the Farm System Reform Act to the House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairs and Ranking Members. You can view and sign the letter here: https://fwwat.ch/FSRA2023. There were over 300 signatories last year and we hope to surpass that this time around, so please do share widely with any other organizations you think might be interested in supporting. For a webinar on climate aspects of the farm bill, click here.
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