Recommendations for reform from organizations across the good food movement.
WhyHunger works with partners and allies in many fields – including organizations which focus on hunger, the environment, family farmers, consumers, workers, and international issues, among others. Many of our allies have developed their own platforms or recommendations for the Food and Farm Bill, all of which paint a picture of how this huge legislation could be transformed to support nutritious food, small farms, consumer choice, a healthy environment, good jobs, and global justice – in short, how the Food and Farm Bill could support a healthy food system.
National:
American Farmland Trust: remove market distortions through subsidies, promote farmland conservation, support farmers growing vegetables.
Community Food Security Coalition: platform in development through a series of listening sessions with members.
Environmental Working Group: support family farmers, stewardship, and healthy diets.
Food and Water Watch: a fair, healthy, and just food system for farmers, consumers, and the environment.
National Family Farm Coalition: enact Food From Family Farms Act; restore competition to the farm and food sector; negotiate fair trade agreements; promote food security and food safety; hold US government agencies accountable; minimize the risks of genetic engineering.
Roots of Change: “One way to think about this is to ask whether the new USDA symbol for healthy eating, My Plate, can result from the spending programs within the Bill. … Looked at this way, the Farm Bill is not aligned or appropriate.”
Rural Coalition: “We seek a 2012 Farm Bill that increases economic opportunity for family fishermen, farmers and ranchers — including socially disadvantaged, beginning and limited resource farmers and ranchers– farmworkers, Indian Tribes, and rural communities, while protecting the environment and ensuring proper nutrition for all families and communities.”
Youth Food Bill of Rights: developed by youth at the Rooted in Community Leadership Summit, Philadelphia, July 30, 2011. “In order to form a more perfect food system, we the youth believe…”
Local/Regional:
Brooklyn Food Coalition (Brooklyn, NY): promote access to healthy, affordable food, create fair, competitive markets, and encourage sustainability and environmental stewardship.
NYC Food & Farm Bill Working Group: supports a health-focused food system, ending hunger, support for small farmers, environmental stewardship, vibrant local and regional economies.
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union: disaster relief, rural investment, a strong competition title to address “too big to fail” corporate producers.
Seattle Farm Bill Principles: “the nation needs a comprehensive, health-focused food system that addresses the goals of hunger and disease reduction, local and family farm viability, food affordability and accessibility, environmental protection, land use planning, regional resilience, and social justice.”
