I left a webinar last week that moved me to tears.?
?
Hosted by Paladin and Catchafire, the webinar was titled “Legal Essentials for Nonprofits: Navigating Uncertainty & Preparing for What’s Next.”
Since the first Executive Order attacking funding for farmers using climate-friendly farming practices, farmers of color, queer farmers and the nonprofits that support them was signed on January 20th, my heart rate has been elevated every day.?
I’m not a farmer or working for a nonprofit whose funds are tied to federal dollars, but I work with farmers and food system stakeholders every day whose livelihoods are seriously at risk. I work with farmers whose personal relationships with their USDA representatives are strained and on the edge of crumbling because USDA reps want to reassure farmers that they will have access to their money. But farmers don’t want to risk using their own credit cards for fear of not being reimbursed.?
The USDA has been a federally funded program since 1862, and farmers rely on it to grow OUR food. The nonprofits use federal dollars to provide free education to OUR new and beginning farmers as well as making sure low-income families are fed.
I have felt hopeless more than once over the last few weeks until the end of that webinar.?
When Attorney Christina Holder finished educating nonprofits on the actions they should be taking to address the various stages of funding they are in, the moderator Tyler Manley closed by reminding everyone of their resilience, how we survived 2008, how we survived the pandemic, and how we will survive now.?
He was full of optimism and encouragement. I chatted, “Great hype, thank you!” and he unleashed the chat, allowing us to see each other’s comments and the heart emojis and cheer emojis FLOODED in. 500 farmers and nonprofits strong on the call, all cheering each other on.?
I know we will make it. With or without the government, we will make it. But we must prevent as many casualties as possible along the way.?
Check in on your local farmers and the food pantry down the road, then call your congressional representative and tell them their story. Then call the Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins office and share their story again.
Conservation Law Foundation
#resistance #food #farmers #foodsystem