CFSC's Policy Priorities

Use these links to jump to the following sections:

Policy Updates • Farm Bill Materials • Publications

Background

The Community Food Security Coalition's policy work seeks federal resources to foster community-based alternatives to the global food system. CFSC has successfully advocated to create and reauthorize the Community Food Projects grant program. Over a hundred projects have received funding to strengthen local food systems, increase low-income food security while supporting local farmers, and develop local food planning and policy organizations through this program. CFSC has also advocated in support of core nutrition programs as well as the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs, which provides vouchers for WIC recipients and low-income seniors to use at farmers markets, and the Farmers Market Promotion Program, helping link farmers to their communities and increase access to healthy, fresh products. Recently, the Policy program has focused its efforts toward the reauthorization of the Federal Farm Bill in 2007/08.

Policy Updates & Announcements

View the archive of email Policy Updates.

Seeking Summer Policy Interns! Applications are due April 18th. Download the position description (pdf).

2008 Farm Bill Materials:
Advocacy Tools and Detailed Background Information

Our Priorities:

• CFSC Legislative Priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill (doc)
• Farm and Food Policy Project Declaration (pdf)
• House and Senate Comparisons of Healthy Food and Communities programs (pdf)
• Healthy Food Enterprise Development Program One-page Information Sheet (pdf)
  
• Food Access for Underserved Communities One-Pager Info Sheet (pdf)
• Profiles of Community Food Projects by state
• World Hunger Year searchable database of CFP profiles
• Community Food Projects and Geographic Preferencing One-page Information Sheet - updated 2/08 (pdf)
• Geographic Preferencing:
• Increasing Flexibility with Geographic Preference (pdf)
• Legal Analysis Shows Schools Can Buy Local (doc)
• USDA’s Response to Legal Analysis (pdf)
• More info about this issue for schools interested in sourcing food locally

Background, Legislative, and Advocacy Materials:

• FOOD for a Healthy America Act (S. 1432)
• Summary (doc)
• Bill language (pdf)
• Current list of co-sponsors
• Local Food and Farm Support Act (HR 2364)
• Summary (doc)
• Bill language (pdf)
• Current list of co-sponsors
• Blumenauer's press release (doc)
• Feingold-Brown Community Food Dear Colleague letter (pdf)
• Davis-Rush Dear Colleague Letter (pdf) (background here)
• US Conference of Mayors Resolution (pdf)
• Governor's Letter
• Letter from 18 Senators to Sect. Johanns regarding local procurement (pdf)
• Letter from over 300 Health Professionals for a Healthy Farm Bill (pdf)
• Testimony from Emily Jackson (doc)

Tools for Advocacy:

• Lobbying Toolkit
• Media Advocacy
• Sample Farm Bill Letter to the Editor (doc)
• Sample Farm Bill Op/Ed (doc)

CFSC Publications Related to the Farm Bill

• CFSC Legislative Priorities for the 2007 Farm Bill (doc)
• Federal Policy Advocacy Handbook, revised in 2007
• Healthy Food and Communities Initiative (the policy platform of the Farm & Food Policy Project) (pdf)
• Farm and Food Policy Project Declaration (pdf)
• Healthy Food, Healthy Communities (Community Food Projects Decade Report)
• Building Community Food Security: Lessons Learned from Community Food Projects, 1999-2003

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