National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

Nutrition & Food Access

Budget Time on Capitol Hill – Farm Bill to be Re-Opened?

Two recent events on Capitol Hill are colliding in a potentially significant way. First, on March 9, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) – the scorekeeper for federal legislators on budgetary matters – issued its budget “baseline” that will be used in decision-making on legislative proposals for the balance of this year, including the annual congressional budget resolution process that is about to begin…. Read More →

Sustainability and Diet – A Linkage Whose Time Has Come

This guest post is by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) policy intern for the spring term, Katie Merritt. Katie is currently a graduate student in Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University and holds a BA from the University of Colorado in Psychology and Neuroscience, Integrative Physiology, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. We […]

New Year, New USDA Farm to School Webinars

Farm to school activities connect school children with healthy foods from local farmers. These efforts include bringing locally produced food into school cafeterias, integrating lessons in agriculture, food, and nutrition into the school day, and establishing school gardens. Farm to school also provides new economic opportunities for local farmers, ranchers, and fishers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supports […]

Institute of Medicine Releases Food Systems Framework

On Tuesday, January 13, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council published A Framework for Assessing Effects of the Food System to aid in food and agriculture decision making. Sponsored by the JPB Foundation, this report outlines guiding principles and practical steps for stakeholders to weigh the varying tradeoffs associated with the vastly […]

Pilot Projects to Boost Local Fruits and Vegetables in School Meal Programs

On December 8, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that eight states have been selected to participate in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables, a 2014 Farm Bill provision allowing pilot states to purchase more produce from local farmers for their school meal programs. California, Connecticut, Michigan, New York, Oregon, […]

Release: NSAC Comment on Farm to School Award Announcement and Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization

December 2, 2014, Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $5 million in grants for 82 projects in 42 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands through the USDA Farm to School Grant program, which promotes healthy kids through nutritious school meals and snacks incorporating food products from local […]

New Awards Will Strengthen Farm to School Programs

Local farmers, food businesses, and schools from 82 farm to school projects across the country received a boost today with the announcement of over $5 million in funding from the Farm to School Grant Program by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack. These grant awards will serve more than 13,000 schools and 2.8 million […]

Farm to School In Action in the Nation’s Capital

Savory, steaming collard greens dished on a lunch plate.  Hefty sweet potatoes being plucked from the ground.  The pungent aromas of bright green herbs as they’re crushed in a mortar.  These were just some of the Farm to School experiences children attending Walker Jones Education Campus and CentroNia Learning Community experienced near the nation’s capital […]

New Grant Funding Available to Encourage SNAP Participants to Buy from Local Produce Farmers

On Monday, September 29, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released  its very first request for applications (RFA) for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentives (FINI) Grant program, a new competitive grants program created in the 2014 Farm Bill to improve the health of low-income communities while boosting economic opportunities for […]

Three Vermont Projects Receive USDA Grants to Promote Sustainable Agriculture and Local Foods

On September 12, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development agency announced almost $3 million in awards through the Rural Business Enterprise Grants (RBEG) and Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) programs to promote sustainable economic development in rural regions. Eleven projects in New York, North Dakota, and Vermont received RBEG funding, totaling $1,258,825.  RBOG funding went […]

Congress Extends 2014 Funding Levels through December 11

On Thursday, September 18, the Senate passed a short-term funding extension, known as a “continuing resolution” (CR), to fund the federal government through December 11.  The CR extends fiscal year (FY) 2014 funding levels as well as policy provisions known as appropriations “riders.”  The House passed this temporary funding measure earlier this week, and the […]

Senate Hearing on School Meals Highlights Challenges and Opportunities

On Wednesday, July 23, 2014, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing entitled, “Meeting the Challenges of Feeding America’s School Children,” which examined the challenges and successes in serving healthier school meals across the country, as mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, also known as the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act […]

New School Lunch Pilot for Locally-Grown Produce Accepting Applications from States

Yesterday, July 21, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) released a Request for Applications from states interested in participating in the Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.  Kevin Concannon, the USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, announced […]

Whither the 2015 Agriculture Funding Process?

On Thursday, June 19, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) postponed consideration of the Senate’s three-part spending package for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development for fiscal year 2015.  The Senate began consideration of the FY 2015 appropriations package on Tuesday, and was scheduled to begin to voting on amendments on Thursday.  However, Majority […]

Low Income Families and Produce Farmers Get a Boost Through Increased WIC Voucher Value

Yesterday, June 2, 2014, WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) cash value vouchers (CVVs) for fruits and vegetables for children increased from $6 per month to $8 per month.  This increase, one of several changes announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on March 4, 2014 in its final rule […]

Funding Available for Healthy Food Access Projects

On Friday, May 23, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for fiscal year (FY) 2014 for Community Development Corporations (CDCs) under the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). HFFI is a tri-agency program administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury, HHS, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase […]

Iowan Food Business Takes Root With USDA Loan Guarantee

This post is the second in a two-part series highlighting participants in the USDA Business and Industry Loan Guarantee (B&I) Program’s Local and Regional Food Enterprise Initiative, a provision of the 2008 Farm Bill championed by NSAC and reaffirmed by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill.  The first post looked at financing for a North […]