In his new book, the Japanese American peach farmer unearths his family’s painful, hidden history and explores its impact on his identity.
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November 3, 2010
Mention the 2012 Farm Bill these days, which I do as often as I can, and you’re likely to be met with uncomfortable silence, head shaking, eye rolling, or worse. Legislators who are thinking about the next Farm Bill are already talking about it in terms of untouchable commodity programs, compromises they’re ready to make, and scraps they’re desperate to hold on to. Average Americans who are interested in these sorts of things–the ones who don’t stare blankly–are overwhelmed by the size of the bill, its complexity, and the various special interests at play. It’s not pretty.
Understanding the Farm Bill: A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Food System, a Facebook page launched last month by Mark Muller from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and myself aims to take a first, small step towards demystifying the Farm Bill. Our goal is to empower concerned citizens across the United States by communicating what’s at stake in the 2012 Farm Bill in terms that we can all understand. For example:
We’re in a “dire federal budget situation,” Mark Muller says, “many have dim hopes for significant policy change in the forthcoming Farm Bill. But we simply cannot ignore this opportunity that only comes around about once every five years. Farm Bill policies are too expensive and inequitable, and they prop up a food system that quickly needs to become more sustainable and more healthful.”
Tactical Concerns
Many groups are already actively working on tactical Farm Bill-related issues, of course. The 2008 Farm Bill included funding for nutrition, rural development, energy, organic farming, forestry, and more, and groups whose programs are dependent on these funds are eager to protect them in 2012. This is as it should be, and yet there’s a clear opportunity for those without a specific program at risk to think about the Farm Bill more holistically. What’s the big picture we’re trying to accomplish? And if each group’s goal is to represent its constituents and protect its program, can we ever get there? Our experience with the 2008 Farm Bill–in which we sacrificed true reform for incremental change–says no.
Our new Facebook page is just a start. Over the next several months, Mark and I will be inviting readers to post an article, express an opinion, tell a friend, or call a congressperson. We’ll be looking for people who are willing to think big about the 2012 Farm Bill, to share their experience, and to commit to making a difference. We are looking for tactical ways to empower people who are willing to fight through the bill’s complex bulk and participate. We hope you’ll join us.
March 23, 2023
In his new book, the Japanese American peach farmer unearths his family’s painful, hidden history and explores its impact on his identity.
March 20, 2023
Thanks for this excellent post. I recently attended a farm bill strategy meeting in Los Angeles for interested partners. It was a very diverse group of anti-hunger partners, organic farmers, pesticide groups and community organizations. I'd love to touch base with you about the meeting. Also, I worked on the last farm bill and we created a variety of public materials to help explain the "big picture" for the farm bill. Those materials mobilized folks in CA like I've never seen before...huge amounts of energy among our members. I'm happy to share those with you. I share your love of making these ideas simple and easy for people to understand. A lot is at stake...it's vital that people receive helpful and non-wonky info.
Holly, I would love to see those Farm Bill materials as well if you could send them to me. I am a grad student in Food Systems and Policy at NYU working on my final project about programs that help new farmers develop sustainable regional food systems and how changes to the farm bill can help. I can be reached at facebook.com/shantielise