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National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
Food Security/Urban Links Committee Priorities
See the '97 Annual Meeting Overview for
details about how NCSA reached consensus on these and other priorities.
- Implementation of Community Food Projects Program: The 1997
Community Food Projects Program (Community Food Security Act) funds non-profit
organizations for projects that meet the food needs of low-income people;
increases the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food
needs; and promotes comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition
issues. Initiatives that the Campaign will be working on include pushing for an
increase in funding for CFPP ($2.5 million total through 2002), oversight of
implementation of CFS, and outreach and publicity, as well as linking this to
other programs.
- CFS supported in USDA programs: The Campaign will work to advance
Community Food Security issues by encouraging them to be incorporated into USDA
programs. For example, educate SARE regional program officers and
decision-makers on allowing and encouraging food system and food security
programs into their funding pool; incorporate food security/food systems
research as a specific criteria eligible for funding under the National Research
Initiative; and incorporate food security/food systems research and programs as
part of the Fund for Rural America Request for Proposals (RFP) in 1998 and 1999.
- Community Lands Initiative: This initiative is an undeveloped,
long-term goal of the Campaign to advance programs which would identify
public/unused land that might be available for local food production, and
training to help people grow their own food. Projects might include community
access to government agency lands (public lands) for CFS, farmers teaching in
urban youth programs and urban subsistence food production, model building
projects, food capacity mapping, and model ordinances.
- Enhance and Expand Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP): This
program offers vouchers or coupons for participants in the low-income Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) program to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at
local farmers' markets. Because of level funding, several states' pilot programs
have been unable to expand statewide, and the many new states seeking to start a
program are unable to do so. The Campaign will work to ensure ongoing funding
(currently tied to WIC caseload) and to expand the program to more states.
- Food Stamp Eligibility: Currently, community supported agriculture
farms are ineligible to receive food stamps because of a USDA ruling on "risk
sharing." The Campaign will work to have this ruling clarified or
reversed, advocate for the use of food stamps for 'subscription' rather than
specific food items; mitigate risk for foodstamps users (crop failure), and
advocate for the use of revolving funds to substitute for advance input of
foodstamps. In addition, conversion to the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
system may make it nearly impossible for vendors at farmers markets to accept
food stamps. The Campaign will advocate for short-term (demonstration) and
long-term solutions to this problem.
- Link Food and Nutrition Programs with local production: All USDA
food and nutrition programs such as school meals, WIC, and food stamp programs
should be encouraged to link with local food producers whenever possible. This
could provide a significant incentive for local production and marketing, and
fresher food for program participant
©1997 Committee for
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