For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: Farmers Take Action on Climate Crisis, Urging Policymakers to Pay Attention
Washington, DC, January 19, 2023 – Coined “Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience,” a grassroots alliance of farmers, farmworkers and farmer allies will be heading to Washington D.C. during the week of March 6, 2023, with a singular ask for policymakers: make climate change policy a priority in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Led by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Farm Aid, and supported by an alliance of organizations, the event aims to bring a mass mobilization of producers to the Capitol, reminiscent of the 1979 Tractorcade. With the next Farm Bill on the docket for the 118th Congress, farmers, ranchers, and advocates want legislators to address the severe challenges facing the farming community due to the climate crisis. The next Farm Bill needs to explicitly empower farmers to tackle climate change by providing resources, assistance, and incentives that will allow them to lead the way in implementing proven climate solutions.
“For countless farmers and communities across the country, a status quo Farm Bill would miss the mark. Nothing short of bold structural changes – including significant investments in sustainable agriculture and enacting fair pricing policies – will do. This vast alliance of farmers and advocates will assemble in our nation’s Capitol to demonstrate widespread support for such changes to ensure that the next Farm Bill reflects real, inclusive, and systematic change,” said Mike Lavender, NSAC Interim Policy Director.
In addition to drawing attention to the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of our climate crisis, farmers will be calling on our nation’s politicians to enact policies that promote racial equity and address the history of discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. It is critical that the expertise and knowledge of these communities to steward the land be recognized in the Farm Bill, and as these communities are often the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, that they are engaged in the development of climate-solution policies and programs.
“Centuries of exploitation of people and land—especially by a handful of large food and agriculture corporations—have led to catastrophic consequences, including a devastating climate crisis that is here now. While the climate crisis threatens the health, safety, and livelihoods of all of us, Black, Indigenous, and farmers of color’s livelihoods are some of the most at risk,” said Maleeka Manurasada, National Organizer at HEAL Food Alliance. “We need to center climate solutions that directly support Black, Indigenous, and farmers of color in the next farm bill. We need climate justice.”
The Rally for Resilience will take place from March 6-8, 2023 in Washington D.C., with satellite events scheduled around the country.
Current lead organizational partners include: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Rural Coalition, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Land Assistance Fund, HEAL Food Alliance, Farm Aid, National Young Farmers Coalition, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Rural Advancement Foundation International USA, Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association, Land Stewardship Project, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, Kiss the Ground, Family Farm Defenders, the Union of Concerned Scientists, American Agricultural Movement, American Sustainable Business Network, Certified Naturally Grown, Organic Seed Alliance, EarthJustice, and Women, Food and Agriculture Network. Additional information, including the most up-to-date list of organizational partners, is available here.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net