More Than 150 Organizations Across Sectors Call on President Biden to Demand A Transformative Farm Bill

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
September 13, 2022 

Press Contact: Paris Kissel
paris@spitfirestrategies.com
+1 (513) 827-0887

Advocates join together to lay out core values that must be reflected in the upcoming legislation

Washington, D.C. – Today, more than 150 organizations representing a range of sectors and sharing an interest in a stronger, more equitable farm and food system joined together to enlist President Biden as an ally and call on him to demand that the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill reflects his strong values. In a letter to the president, they ask him to weigh in on the next Farm Bill and demand that Congress build even further on the administration’s actions to date to reduce economic inequality; bridge the nation’s racial divides; end hunger; confront the climate crisis; improve nutrition and food safety; and protect and support farmers, workers, and communities.

Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill only every five years, and communities and the shared environment cannot afford to wait another half decade for meaningful and action-oriented change. That is why organizations and experts working in nutrition, farming, labor, rural development, equity, and climate, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Farm Action, Food Chain Workers Alliance, Rural Coalition, Union of Concerned Scientists, and United Food and Commercial Workers call on President Biden to demand a transformative Farm Bill that he can be proud to sign.

“President Biden has shown a deep understanding of the urgency of confronting the challenges facing our country – including the climate crisis, racial injustice and economic insecurity – and how transforming our food and farm system into one that is more resilient, equitable and sustainable is key to meeting those challenges,” said Dr. Ricardo Salvador, senior scientist and director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Food & Environment Program. “The Farm Bill offers a path to build on the historic investments in the Inflation Reduction Act, boost key administrative actions already taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and advance the President’s values.  We are proud to join with frontline communities in calling for a truly transformative Farm Bill and we look forward to working with the President, Secretary Vilsack and Congress to shape federal food and ag policy that meets the demands of our times.”

The letter, addressed directly to President Biden, outlines seven crucial values that the 2023 Farm bill needs to address and reflects the legislation’s wide-reaching impact. In recent years, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted – visibly and painfully for farmers, workers, and consumers – the U.S. food and farming system. The nation’s racial reckoning and recent inflation have also put a spotlight on inequities in the system. A transformative Farm Bill should build on the momentum and robust investments included in the Inflation Reduction Act, and made by this administration to date. Such a bill must ensure longer-term agriculture resilience and prioritize fairness for workers, farmers and consumers. 

Specifically, advocates call for the next Farm Bill to:

• Center Racial Justice – The next Farm Bill must be a racial justice bill. Equity and justice must be at the center of every facet of the next Farm Bill if we hope to repair historical and ongoing discrimination against farmers and communities of color, Tribal Nations, and food and farm workers and eliminate inequities throughout the food and farm economy.

• End Hunger – The next Farm Bill must protect and strengthen food assistance programs to ensure sufficient resources and access to a nutritious diet for all people who struggle against hunger and food insecurity as a result of wealth and income inequities often driven by systemic racism.

• Meet the Climate Crisis Head On – The next Farm Bill must be a climate bill. It must  invest in research, technical assistance and financial incentives to enable farmers and ranchers to reduce emissions and to implement farming practices and labor policies that make their farms and workers better able to withstand extreme weather. 

• Increase Access to Healthy Food – The next Farm Bill must tackle the nutrition crisis by improving nutrition security, which the Biden administration has defined as “consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being,” for all.

• Ensure Safety and Dignity for Food and Farm Workers – The next Farm Bill must invest substantially in the people who plant, harvest, process, transport, sell and serve our food, ensuring safety and a living wage, along with access to health care, clean housing, and the right to organize and join a union. 

• Protect Farmers and Consumers – The next Farm Bill must build on administration efforts to promote competition in the food and agriculture sectors.

• Ensure the Safety of Our Food Supply – The Farm Bill must do more to address pathogens that originate on factory farms and to make the U.S. food supply safe for everyone.