TAKE ACTION: Secure Major Investments to Address Climate Change
SUPPORT ORGANIC AGRICULTURE, CLIMATE SOLUTIONS, & EQUITY IN THE RECONCILIATION PACKAGE
Congress is moving forward with a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package this fall to address infrastructure and climate change needs. Join the National Organic Coalition in advocating for investments to grow organic agriculture, help farmers shift to climate-friendly practices, and create more equity in the food & farm system.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to win major investments to address climate change and equity in agriculture!
We need your help to make sure key provisions are included in the bill. We need big and bold investments to shift to a more resilient system, that will nourish our communities and provide for farmers’ livelihoods as farmers seek to reduce emissions, sequester carbon, and withstand extreme weather events.
Take Action Now! Send an email message to the ag staffer for your members of Congress.
It is especially important to contact House and Senate Agriculture Committee Members with this request. Let us know if you need the name and email of the ag staffer for your Congressional member.
Email your member of Congress TODAY with this request.
Please customize your letter to introduce yourself and your support for organic.
Dear xxx,
I am writing as a constituent and to ask Senator/Representative xxx to support the adoption of a reconciliation package that advances climate resiliency and supports farmers’ transition to climate-friendly practices, especially for farmers who have been, and continue to be, underserved by U.S. farm policy.
I urge you to dramatically increase public investments in sustainable farming, organic agriculture, and farming communities.
To ensure that the Build Back Better agenda supports diversified, climate-friendly food and farm system that delivers meaningful emissions reductions and climate resilience and does not exacerbate long-standing inequities in our food system, the reconciliation agriculture package should direct significant funding to climate-friendly agriculture and resources for underserved producers.
Organic agriculture is a whole-systems approach to addressing the climate change crisis and other ecological crises. Organic production and handling practices have a proven, commercially viable, track record. These practices simultaneously sequester carbon in the soil, while eliminating petroleum-based pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that are sources of greenhouse gas emissions and harm biodiversity and public health. And, importantly, the data shows that this sector of agriculture is now operating without sacrificing productivity or profitability, and can in fact outperform conventional systems in times of drought. Policies that help to expand regenerative organic production are simultaneously helping to build a more resilient food system.
At a minimum, the reconciliation investments should include:
· $30 billion for conservation programs with a focus on climate-friendly agricultural practices and organic production
· $5 billion for sustainable and organic agriculture research programs with a focus on climate resilience related research, education, and extension programs with strong dedicated support for 1890s and 1994 Land Grant Institutions. At minimum, $100 million, annually, should be devoted to the Organic Agriculture Research and Education (OREI) program. $100 million, annually, should be provided to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for competitive grants to focus on the development of cultivars and animal that are regionally adapted to changing climates.
· An expansion of the National Organic Certification Cost Share program, including higher reimbursement rates for small and mid-size operations and reimbursements for technical assistance fees paid by farmers transitioning to organic.
· $50 million for mentorship and technical assistance grants with organic and sustainable agriculture organizations in all regions of the country to administer mentorship programs for beginning organic farmers.
· $3 billion to support resilient rural development through investments in community-based infrastructure focused on value-added agriculture, rural renewable energy and infrastructure for local processing of crops and livestock to improve food system resilience and better support small and medium farmers. At least $100 million should be provided to USDA to provide financial assistance to build new organic meat and poultry processing plants, as well as flash freezer facilities for organic fruits and vegetables.
· $10 billion for debt relief to stabilize the operations of producers who have not received a fair share of aid from recent federal support programs.
· $100 million for increased procurement of culturally appropriate, organic products in federal nutrition assistance programs including the National School Lunch program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR).
The package should ensure that socially disadvantaged producers have the opportunity to apply for, participate in, and be key beneficiaries of, any program funded through the package, regardless of past participation and without cumbersome application requirements. These resources should support the next generation of farmers, including beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, as well as farmworkers desiring to enter farming as producers, and support them as they build on their knowledge of traditional ecological stewardship.
Thank you for your leadership in advancing these goals. I look forward to staying in touch as the reconciliation package moves forward.
Sincerely,
Your name, title, and organization/farm
Your town and state (to demonstrate that you are a constituent)