National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

??? Tomorrow is Election Day, and every voice truly matters. ???From the presidential race to down-ballot elections, make sure your voice is heard. ???Need information about voter registration, your polling place, or ballot information? This nonpartisan resource can help: https://www.vote.org/ ?? Make a plan. Cast your #vote.

?? ??????????????: ?????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????? ?????????????????????? In a new commentary published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD), authors Hagan Capnerhurst of Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS), Hannah Quigley, MPH of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and Jake Hawes of the University of Wyoming (UW), emphasize the vital role of urban agriculture in fostering local food sovereignty, driving economic development, and enhancing community well-being. The brief makes the case for how urban agriculture promotes local food sovereignty, builds community wealth, and can mitigate the effects of climate change in city centers. The authors identify key programmatic recommendations to tailor existing USDA programs and key legislative changes that can be incorporated into the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization to meet the needs of urban producers. #SustainableAgriculture #UrbanAgriculture #UrbanFarming Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/eqrZwBzP Find the article here: https://lnkd.in/eMMNvFP?

Ag Insider Quick Hits - Oct 9 ? Revenue-based disaster aid ? Aid to urban agriculture ? Ban paraquat, say lawmakers Sources: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, USDA Farm Service Agency

?? New Publication! ???????????????????? ??????????????: ?????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???????? The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) recently published a new report:?Stewarding Success: CSP Under the 2018 Farm Bill. This comprehensive analysis delves into Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) enrollment from fiscal year (FY) 2019 to 2023, uncovering trends in program spending and practices that have significantly enhanced environmental outcomes at the farm, state, and national levels. Details: https://lnkd.in/e6YmFv5T Find the publication here: https://lnkd.in/eQUjNC3Z

We are deeply saddened to see the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Helene on the Southeast. Our thoughts are with all those affected during this difficult time. ?Please take a minute to read this message from NSAC member, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

Hurricane Helene left devastation across the Southeast and Appalachia after making landfall in the Big Bend Region of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane last week. Storm surge and high wind speeds left destruction along Florida’s west coast, and rainfall records were broken along the storm’s path, with western North Carolina receiving some of the highest rainfall counts—more than 30 inches in some places. More than 100 people lost their lives due to the storm. We’re hearing from farmers in our network how dire the situation is in western North Carolina. In Asheville, where some of the worst flooding occurred, people are experiencing limited access to food, water, electricity, and cell phone service. Most of the roads into and out of Buncombe county are inaccessible, and many farms in the area have sustained major crop damage and are underwater. We have resources listed below for people impacted by the storm who are looking for disaster relief, as well as ways to support people who were impacted by the storm that we encourage you to contribute to. —— Hurricane Helene Aid: https://heleneaid.com/ Ways to Donate to People Impacted in Western North Carolina: https://lnkd.in/e9xu6qJz Hurricane Helene Relief for Southern and Central Appalachia - Appalachian Voices: https://lnkd.in/e87iUSue Hurricane Helene Farmer Relief Fund - RAFI-USA: https://lnkd.in/ekDCjXKj Resources for Helene Response and Relief - Carolina Farm Stewardship Association: https://lnkd.in/e3idQume

??????????????: ???????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????? ????????’?? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????? In the midst of a challenging news cycle, we are celebrating a big win, as yesterday, USDA announced additional funding for local food purchases - specifically:? ?? $500 million for Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) ?? $500 million for Local Food in Schools? ?? $200 million for a new, local food in child care facilities initiative? ?? $500 million for Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)?? “The impact of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA) has exceeded all initial expectations among our membership. The LFPA program eliminated burdensome and time-consuming applications and instead allowed states to work closely with their existing regional networks to identify farmers ready to scale operations and recipient agencies that existing emergency food assistance programs have underserved,”?said?Hannah Quigley, MPH, NSAC Policy Specialist. ??? Read the full release here: https://lnkd.in/eipPF7bB

? El ?????? ???????????????? ???? ???? ???????????????? ?????????????? es una oportunidad para reconocer y celebrar los éxitos y enormes contribuciones de la comunidad hispana. ?Ayer USDA organizó una Celebración de la Herencia Hispana que incluyó comentarios de la subsecretaria del USDA, Xochitl Torres-Small, y del director emérito de la UFW, Arturo Rodríguez. ?? En la foto (de izquierda ? derecha) Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli, Ph.D., (NSAC), Vanessa García Polanco, MS (National Young Farmers Coalition), Billy Hackett (NSAC), y Amy Tamayo (Alianza Nacional de Campesinas ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ?????????? is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the successes and massive contributions of the Hispanic community. ? Yesterday USDA hosted a Hispanic Heritage Celebration which included remarks from USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres-Small and UFW Director Emeritus Arturo Rodriguez. ?? Pictured here from left ? right are Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli, Ph.D. (NSAC), Vanessa García Polanco, MS, (National Young Farmers Coalition) Billy Hackett (NSAC), and Amy Tamayo (Alianza Nacional de Campesinas )

?? #NewBlogPost! ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ????????: ?????????????????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? This blog post is the sixth in NSAC's multi-part series exploring some of the key sustainable agriculture and food systems challenges that the #farmbill can address. Through a series of posts comparing the House and Senate Agriculture Committees’ proposals, we provide an assessment of how each chamber’s bill would address a given challenge, and our recommended path forward. This post examines access to credit for farmers.?Farming is one of the hardest careers to pursue, in part due to high startup costs. Access to credit allows farmers to purchase the supplies they need and to get crops in the ground before the fruits of that labor are available. Improvements to Title V of the farm bill are key to securing much-needed capital for farmers, not all of whom are served equally. ?? Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/eZ8E2xSW #sustainableagriculture #foodpolicy #foodjustice #foodsystems

?????????????????? ???????????????????????? ?????????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? #ICYMI This post is part of a National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition multi-part blog series on the 2022 Census of Agriculture. The first post?in this series explored initial themes from the Census, while this post offers a deeper dive into conservation practices. This post explores what the Census shows us about local and regional food systems. Read the full post here: https://lnkd.in/eGpTPMjb