Farm Bill 101: Pick a Food Fight! | Civil Eats

Farm Bill 101: Pick a Food Fight!

Part history text, part socio-political commentary and part call to action, Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill offers something for everyone from the seasoned agriculture advocate to the newcomer on the food systems scene. The newly re-issued book by Dan Imhoff comes just as the federal debate over the 2012 Farm Bill is heating up.

The book is divided into three sections: Why the Farm Bill Matters; Wedge Issues; and Turning the Tables. To set the context, Imhoff summarizes the early history of the farm bill, describing the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the overproduction of crops that led to its creation as a cornerstone of the New Deal. The history lesson continues with a short summary of the impact of the Green Revolution on farm bill policy, as well as the story of how the bill came to include hunger and nutrition programs, and the ebb and flow of conservation programs to incentivize environmental stewardship on the nation’s farms and ranches. And because no discussion on the farm bill would be complete without discussing commodity subsidies, that’s covered too.

After laying down the foundation, he devotes the rest of the book to strategic topics. He lays out a number of “wedge issues” that could change the terms of the farm bill debate—government deficits, the increasingly apparent impacts of climate change on agriculture, and other emerging ecological crises, the rise of the local food movement, food security concerns, and more.

The last few pages of the book are devoted to “Turning the Tables” and Imhoff offers a checklist of 25 ideas whose time has come—an aspirational menu for American agriculture. Finally, he provides a succinct activist tool kit with tips on organizing and a resource list of organizations across the country engaged in progressive advocacy on the farm bill and related issues.

Perhaps my favorite quote from the book—maybe because I can relate to it–is this: “I confess, I am a reluctant policy wonk. But these are the issues of our times. If Americans don’t weigh in on the Farm Bill, the agribusiness lobbyists will be more than happy to draft the next one for us as they have done for at least 30 years.”

We’ll bring the news to you.

Get the weekly Civil Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox.

The book is available online at Watershed Media where you can also see a number of other of Imhoff’s books. You can also order it on the action-oriented Food Fight site that features farm bill-related events, news and a “what you can do” section.

Today’s food system is complex.

Invest in nonprofit journalism that tells the whole story.

Renata Brillinger is the Executive Director of the California Climate and Agriculture Network, a coalition of sustainable agriculture organizations focused on climate policy. CalCAN advocates for policies that provide resources for California farmers to adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read more >

Like the story?
Join the conversation.

    More from

    Farm Bill

    Featured

    ‘It’s Impossible Not to Feel Like I’m Part of the Flock’

    In an excerpt from her new book, ‘Under the Henfluence,’ Tove Danovich discusses her ongoing fascination with chickens and the challenge of reconciling the backyard trend with today’s industrial practices.

    Popular

    Paraquat, the Deadliest Chemical in US Agriculture, Goes on Trial

    A tractor spraying paraquat on the Cox ranch. (Photo courtesy of Shirley Cox)

    The IPCC’s Latest Climate Report Is a Final Alarm for Food Systems, Too

    PAJARO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 14: In an aerial view, floodwaters fill the streets on March 14, 2023 in Pajaro, California. Northern California has been hit by another atmospheric river that has brought heavy rains and flooding throughout the region. The town has been inundated with floodwaters since Saturday after a levee was breached along the Pajaro River. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

    Supreme Court Case Could Reshape Indigenous Water Rights in the Southwest

    A close-up view of center-pivot irrigation watering corn on NAPI farmland. (Photo courtesy of NAPI)

    All Eyes on California as Fast-Food Worker Rights Land on the 2024 Ballot

    Fast-food workers and activists protest McDonald's labor practices outside a McDonald's restaurant on March 18, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)