About the Project

Over the past year, a diverse group of family farm, rural, public health, anti-hunger, conservation, faith-based, and other groups have come together to inform the 2007 Farm Bill. The cross-sector approach of the Farm and Food Policy Project (FFPP) reflects a commitment to advocate for policies that address the full spectrum of public needs addressed by this critical piece of legislation. This broad and growing alliance believes that by working together, it can make real progress toward supporting family farms and local communities, improving health and nutrition, ending hunger, and increasing biodiversity and improving the quality of our soil, water and air.

Underlying the project's dialogue is a shared set of beliefs and values, which are that:

  • A widespread and diverse family farm system benefits rural communities and society as a whole;
  • Extensive hunger and food insecurity in the US are unacceptable;
  • Strong stewardship commitments are key to maintaining farm and food systems into the future that will promote environmental and public health for our children;
  • Stimulating new markets and restoring competition to the marketplace are vital to a fair, sustainable food system;
  • Rectifying historic patterns of discrimination and making farm and food policies more responsive to an increasingly diverse society are critically important; and
  • Rural and urban communities can work together to create a healthier food system.

Opportunities

The 2007 Farm Bill is an unprecedented opportunity for farm and food policy change due to:

  • Rising federal deficits, the threat of trade sanctions, and the continuing unmet needs of farmers and ranchers,
  • Increasing public concern about the environment, food security, and diet-related health issues, and
  • Burgeoning consumer demand for fresh, local, and sustainably produced foods.

Organization

A Coordinating Council offers guidance on the collaborative process and represents a broad set of food and farm policy stakeholders. It also provides a forum for establishing common ground on processes, policy issues, and strategies.

The discussion that lead to the Declaration resulted through discussions in four Policy Work Groups: New Agricultural Markets, Healthy Food and Communities, Farm and Ranch Stewardship, and Family Farm Revitalization. The Project also had engaged a key group of stakeholders representing the broad cultural, ethnic, and geographic diversity of agricultural producers and program beneficiaries through the Farm and Food Policy Project Diversity Initiative.

The Project Coordination Team plans, schedules, and facilitates project activities.

The Communications Team develops messages and outreach strategies.

Seeking Balance in U.S. Farm and Food Policy

Through a collaborative process started more than a year ago, the Farm and Food Policy Project developed a Declaration on the directional change needed to restore balance in the 2007 Farm Bill. This Declaration is positive and forward-looking. It identifies opportunities for advancing entrepreneurial agriculture and developing new markets - from local and regional to organic to renewable energy. It looks to strengthen critical food assistance programs and improve access to healthier foods. It seeks to foster entrepreneurship and rural community development. It calls for significant expansion and improvement of agricultural conservation programs. And it calls for farm and food policies that are more equitable and that better serve all people in our increasingly diverse society.

To learn more about the declaration, click here.

To learn more about the project, contact us.