Local food systems and direct-to-consumer marketing through farmers markets, farm stands, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) programs have flourished across the country over the past several decades. Once viewed as a fad or niche part of the food sector, local food systems and direct marketing agriculture are now an integral part of American agriculture and […]
Local & Regional Food Systems
Bare Minimum, Last Minute
Last Wednesday night with only a few hours to spare, Congress did what many observers and advocates for months had been citing as inevitable. They sent an appropriations Continuing Resolution (CR) to the President’s desk that puts off final decisions about Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 spending until after the November general election. The CR ensures […]
New Urban Agriculture County Committee Accepting Nominations
One of the historic elements of the 2018 Farm Bill was the inclusion of dedicated resources and programs for urban agriculture, for the first time. Urban agriculture gives city residents a chance to purchase healthy foods from farmers not just in their state, but sometimes right in their very own neighborhoods. Urban farms can also […]
Thousands of Farmers Sign Congressional Call to Action on the Climate Crisis
Every farmer stands on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Last year, farmers and ranchers within the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) network mobilized to make certain that policymakers understood their concerns and desires to meet the climate crisis head-on. NSAC members worked with farmers and ranchers to draft a letter that lifts up farmer […]
RELEASE: The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act Would Deliver Critical Pandemic Aid for Farmers, Ranchers, and Local Food Businesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Eric DeebleNational Sustainable Agriculture Coalition The Local and Regional Farmer and Market Support Act Would Deliver Critical Pandemic Aid for Farmers, Ranchers, and Local Food Businesses Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12) Introduces Comprehensive Bill to Provide Direct Aid to Farmers and Local Markets Feeding Families Amidst the Pandemic Washington, DC, August 26, 2020 […]
Guest Post: Farmers Markets Are Essential—And So Are the Policy Relationships They Hold
Editor’s Note: We want to thank Ben Feldman, Stephanie Fenty, and Hannah Fuller of the Farmers Market Coalition for this guest post on the challenges that farmers markets face in light of the persistent pandemic and in celebration of National Farmers’ Market Week, observed August 2nd through August 8th. No matter how you look at […]
Latest Round of Farm to School Grants Tops $12 million as Pandemic Uncertainty Persists
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $12.1 million in Farm to School Grants to 159 grantees in 48 states, Guam and Washington D.C. This is the largest round of awards since the grant program was first authorized and is a most welcome against the backdrop of uncertainty caused by lost markets and the possibility […]
USDA Programs Support Small Meat Processing Plants
There are a few existing federal programs that could be expanded to further support small, local, and regional meat and poultry processing plants and increase farmers’ access to slaughter and processing options…. Read More →
USDA Food Box Program Falls Short of Supporting Small Farms
In late April, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the highly anticipated Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), a two pronged plan the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would implement to distribute $23.5 billion in Congressionally provided aid to farmers impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. CFAP consists of two distinct programs: $16 billion in direct […]
New Hub of Activity for Good Food Policy
In May, as the country grappled with an emerging global pandemic and unprecedented demand for food assistance, a national collaboration of organizations working on food systems and healthy food access officially launched the Nutrition Incentive Hub. Funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institute for Food and […]
Inaugural Urban Agriculture and Community Compost Funding Opportunities Announced
Americans’ interest in knowing more about where, how, and by whom their food is produced has been growing for many years and the coronavirus pandemic has shown new light on the serious shortcomings in our highly concentrated food production system. Along with the rise of the local food movement there has also been a building […]
Healthy Food Financing Initiative Now Accepting Applications
The Reinvestment Fund (RF) recently announced the opening of 2020 applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Targeted Small Grants program. Funding for the HFFI is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the Farm Bill to offer $3 million in grant funds for food […]
What Farmers Need to Know About the USDA COVID-19 Aid Program Opening Next Week
USDA recently announced details of the new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which will open for enrollment on May 26, 2020. CFAP will provide $16 billion in aid to farmers who suffered economic losses due to the pandemic. NSAC is glad to see relief begin to flow to farmers, but there are several shortcomings in the program that will make it more difficult for some farmers to seek relief. In this blog, we break down what farmers need to know about this new program…. Read More →
Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Complications & COVID-19
There is more meat available than it seems, and that is thanks to farmers and ranchers, plant workers, small plant operators, and others working throughout the food supply chain…. Read More →
Farmers Feeding Families Act Would Prioritize Local Relief Efforts
With the official unemployment rate approaching 15 percent, the number of food insecure families is growing. This can be seen in a dramatic increase in applications for SNAP benefits and in the long lines at food banks and emergency feeding sites across the country. This difficult situation is made even worse because as the demand […]
Will the HEROES Act Rescue Farmers?
As farmers and communities across the country continue to struggle to adapt to the new normal that is life amidst a global pandemic, Congress set the stage this week for the fourth round of federal aid to combat this crisis. And while previous aid packages have addressed some of the most urgent relief, our nation’s […]
National Guide to Finding Local Food
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our country’s food system from farm to fork. Social distancing and other response strategies have upended agricultural markets throughout the country, including local and regional markets; and transformed the way individuals and families shop for, purchase and consume food. That transformation has brought with it a big uptick of interest […]
USDA COVID Aid Program Raises More Questions than Answers
USDA recently announced plans to distribute $19 billion in aid to farmers impacted by COVID, raising serious concerns about which farmers will benefit. … Read More →
$3 Billion in Coronavirus Response Funds Available to Food Hubs and Distributors to Provide Fresh Food Boxes to Those in Need
Editor’s Note: The RFP has now been published and can be accessed below. We will continue to update this post as more information and resources become available. Last updated 4/27 at 5:02pm Late on a Friday night (4/17), Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the highly anticipated plan for how the U.S. Department of Agriculture […]
Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Funding Opportunity Announced
Local and regional food economy entrepreneurs and organizations received some long-awaited news earlier in March – the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) finally released the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) Program. RFSP is a new program that supports foodshed-level approaches to developing regional food economies. […]
A Closer Look at Farmer Relief in Senate Pandemic Aid Package
As farmers and communities all across the country continue to deal with the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Congress has been working around the clock to pass another round of emergency aid – this time targeted at small businesses and those who have lost income as a result of the crisis (including farmers), as […]
$27 million in Grant Funding Available for Farmers Markets and Local Food Projects
On March 9, 2020 USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $27 million in funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP). FMLFPP has two subprograms – the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) – with a separate Request for Applications (RFA) for each […]
COVID-19 Economic Impact on Local Food Markets
The following economic impact assessment was compiled on March 18, 2020 for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition by Dawn Thilmany, Becca Jablonski, Debra Tropp, Blake Angelo, and Sarah Low. More information about the authors can be found at the end of the document. Last updated March 21, 2020. Bottom Line Across key local and regional […]
USDA Small Plant Roundtables Continue in 2020
Blog co-authored with Simone Benz, Sustainable Food Center Last month, the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network, along with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and the Sustainable Food Center (SFC), hosted the first small and very small meat and poultry processing roundtable of 2020 in Austin, TX. We were excited to welcome the United States […]