For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: Farmers and Food Pantries Seek Secretary Vilsack’s Help Avoiding a Funding Cliff
Groups Urge USDA to Sustain Local Food Purchase Assistance Program Funding
Washington, DC, September 19, 2024 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) delivered a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack signed by nearly 600 food banks, hubs, pantries, farmers, and organizations requesting that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) continue to fund the highly effective Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. The USDA Commodity Program was implemented in 2022 and was designed to provide access to markets for farmers impacted by ongoing supply chain disruptions while funneling healthy foods into emergency food channels. The program’s success has been demonstrated in communities nationwide, reaching more than 6,000 unique farmers across 54 states and territories and 80 tribes. However this funding is set to expire in April 2025, which has left farmers and organizations extremely concerned about the negative impacts of a funding cliff.
“The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program is catalyzing the growth of local food networks across the nation in ways previously unseen in other USDA programs. The cooperative agreement model brings decision-making to the local level, allowing for trusted partnerships to provide scale-appropriate technical assistance to producers who may be unfamiliar with wholesale markets. The result is a federal food purchasing program that is having real impacts on small and mid size farm viability. It is essential for Secretary Vilsack and USDA to sustain the funding for this program to provide ample time for new market relationships to solidify and expand beyond federal funding sources,” said Hannah Quigley, NSAC policy specialist.
NSAC, in partnership with the Wallace Center at Winrock International, has been tracking the progress of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program since its inception. For further program information, check out these recent publications from the Wallace Center.
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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
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