Initiatives developed on the state, regional, and national level which address Health, Agriculture, and Policy.
The Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a collaboration between the USDA, the Treasury Dept., and the Health and Human Services Dept., promotes a range of interventions that expand access to nutritious foods, including developing and equipping grocery stores and other small businesses and retailers selling healthy food in communities that currently lack these options. Residents of these communities, which are sometimes called "food deserts" and are often found in economically distressed areas, are typically served by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer little or no fresh produce. Lack of healthy, affordable food options can lead to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Through this new multi-year Healthy Food Financing Initiative and by engaging with the private sector, the Obama Administration will work to eliminate food deserts across the country within seven years. With the first year of funding, the Administration's initiative will leverage enough investments to begin expanding healthy foods options into as many as one-fifth of the nation's food deserts and create thousands of jobs in urban and rural communities across the nation.
Effective local programs, such as those in Pennsylvania, have shown that well-targeted financial and technical assistance can create viable businesses that provide healthier options in communities that lack access to healthy foods. These investments not only improve food options, but also create jobs, help revitalize distressed communities, and, importantly, open up new markets for farmers to sell their products, which can provide an economic boost to rural America. By better connecting producers and consumers, we can build a stronger connection between cities and rural parts of the country and help create new opportunities for farmers and ranchers. This initiative is part of a broader Obama Administration commitment to promoting economic recovery, including support for small businesses and job creation. It is also part of the Administration's efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and communities by employing place-based approaches-strategies that target the prosperity, equity, sustainability and livability of places.
"It's been a tough year for America, but for our middle class and distressed communities it's been a tough decade," said Secretary Geithner. "We're here to make sure that in America, where a child grows up doesn't determine whether they have access to a better-healthier-future. By introducing powerful incentives for private investors to take a chance on projects - like a new, healthier grocery store - we can make that difference for America's children, while creating new jobs and services in their communities."
USDA Grant opportunity: NIFA Plans to Release Agriculture and Food Research Initiative RFA in March
Media Contact: Jennifer Martin, (202) 720-8188
AFRI is NIFA’s flagship competitive grant program and was established under section 7406 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, otherwise known as the 2008 Farm Bill. AFRI will support work in the following priority areas: plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; renewable energy, natural resources, and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture economics and rural communities. Programs focused on these areas will use a disciplinary-based approach to building a foundation of knowledge critical for solving current and future problems.
Within these priority areas, AFRI will support interdisciplinary, multi-functional projects in five “societal challenge” areas to achieve significant and measurable outcomes and achieving goals. The five goals include:
1. Keep American agriculture competitive while ending world hunger
2. Improve nutrition and end child obesity
3. Improve food safety for all Americans
4. Secure America’s energy future through renewable biofuels
5. Mitigate and adapt agriculture to variations in climate
NIFA will issue a series of RFAs to address these program areas. Grants in 2010 will be larger in size with funding up to $25 million and longer in duration with five year grants awarded that are eligible, in some cases, for renewal upon achieving specific goals. NIFA expects such grants will lead to greater collaboration among institutions and organizations and will integrate basic and applied research with deliberate education or extension programs.
In addition, up to $5 million in funding opportunities for pre- and postdoctoral fellowship grants will be offered. This program area will create a cadre of "NIFA Fellows" poised to become the next generation of agricultural scientists, educators and practitioners.
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation’s future.
“My job is to listen to the president, who is the ultimate vision maker…the vision is, he wants more nutritious food in schools. In a perfect world, everything that was sold, everything that was purchased and consumed, would be local so the economy would receive the benefit of that. One thing we can do is work on strategies to make that happen. It can be grant programs, loan programs, it can be technical assistance.”
Secretary of Ag Tom Vilsack, Washington post 02.11.09
"Our effort to improve access to healthy and affordable food is a critically important step toward First Lady Michelle Obama's goal to solve the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation. The Healthy Food Financing Initiative will enhance access to healthy and affordable choices in struggling urban and rural communities, create jobs and economic development, and establish market opportunities for farmers and ranchers."
Secretary of Ag Tom Vilsack, USDA press release 02.19.10
Without our support, will the economy of the coming years allow US farmers to earn enough income to grow nutrient dense and appropriate foods for our growing population? The farmer’s share of every food dollar has dropped to 19 cents from 41 cents in 1950. The average age of farmers nationally is 57 years. The U.S., with only 2.2 million farmers (.7% of our pop.), now has more prisoners than farmers.
There is a solution that can help turn around both of these trends: farm to school. School meals form a potentially lucrative market, estimated at more than $ 10 billion per year. Farmers who sell to schools can augment their income and stay on the land. Yet today’s family farmer doesn’t have very good access to this market."Insist that the first question each of us asks, isn't 'what's good for me' but 'what's good for the country my children will inherit'"
"We are spending a lot of money subsidizing the insurance companies around something called Medicare Advantage, a program that gives them subsidies to accept Medicare recipients but doesn't necessarily make people on Medicare healthier. And if we eliminate that and other programs, we can potentially save $200 billion out of the health care system that we're currently spending and take that money and use it in ways that are actually going to make people healthier and improve quality. So what our challenge is going to be is identifying what works and putting more money into that, eliminating things that don't work, and making things that we have more efficient."
"Our resources may be finite, but our will is infinite, and I am confident that if we come together and summon that great American spirit once again, we will meet the challenges of our time and write the next great chapter in our American story."
"The spirit that has sustained this nation for more than two centuries lives on in you, its people. We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us. We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment, to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more."
President Barack Obama, State of the Union address 2010
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group-Policy Update!
Greetings, Friends!
It was great seeing some of you at our 19th Annual SSAWG Conference in Chattanooga, TN! I hope that it was a good experience for you, for those of you who could not attend, we missed you. Next year we are returning to Chattanooga, TN; please follow our newsletter for dates and more news, news@ssawg.org Karen Adler does a great job of keeping us informed.
We had about thirty folks attend our Ag-Policy session at the conference on Saturday, Jan. 23rd (8:30AM-10:00AM) and we probably could have used more time. Many of you shared your concerns, issues and asked some really great questions. We want to continue the conversations with you. We are trying to organize ourselves to better keep you informed on the current policy news, but also and this is most important to us, we want to hear from you.
Below is the following schedule for our monthly conference calls. The calls are free to you, we ask only for an hour of your precious time and sharing of your concerns, successes and upcoming events.
The calls are held every second Wednesday of the month at 9:00AM (Central) 10:00AM (Eastern) Call in number is 1-800-977-8002 (participant code 577467#)
Policy Call Schedule for 2010:
Apr. 14th May 12th Jun. 9th Jul. 14th Aug. 11th Sep. 8th Oct. 13th
Please make every effort to join us, as we sometimes ask our partners from National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) www.sustainableagriculture.net to give us the latest policy news or many of our other friends working on policy issues. We, at SSAWG, are working at bringing policy to the forefront, but we need you to help us make it happen, by sharing your stories and concerns. The calls are a great resource for meeting others who are working on policy, plus are willing to share information. Please don’t hesitate to call me at the numbers below if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Lydia Villanueva,SSAWG Policy Coordinator
C/O CASA del Llano, INC
309 E. 6th St.
Hereford, TX, 79045806-364-4445/ Fax:806-364-4005/Cell:806-346-0156
casa1@go-herd.com
Hello all,
I'd like to invite you to check out and join the new Arkansas Farm to School Website. Here we will be sharing information, networking across the state and creating action items for facilitating farm to school initiatives in Arkansas, both regionally and statewide.
I'd like to invite you to check out and join the new Arkansas Farm to School Website. Here we will be sharing information, networking across the state and creating action items for facilitating farm to school initiatives in Arkansas, both regionally and statewide.
So, when you go check it out, please go the Contact List and fill in your information. This will let me know that you have indeed received this invitation and that the site is working correctly!
In order to comment on the site, you must sign in. The sign in button is in the bottom left corner of the page (very tiny script). It does require a google username and password. It is very easy to create one if you don't already have one.
Your voice, experience and curiosity would be greatly appreciated and welcomed!
Many thanks,
Emily English
In order to comment on the site, you must sign in. The sign in button is in the bottom left corner of the page (very tiny script). It does require a google username and password. It is very easy to create one if you don't already have one.
Your voice, experience and curiosity would be greatly appreciated and welcomed!
Many thanks,
Emily English
