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Take Action on the Farm Bill
You may have heard the buzz lately about the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill—the nation’s most important food and farming policy. As an organization, we advocate for a food system that is good, clean, and fair, and we hope that you, our 14,000 voices, can get that message across to our government! Slow Food USA has signed onto “Seeking Balance in US Farm and Food Policy,” published and distributed by the Farm and Food Project, a W.K. Kellogg Foundation initiative. Seeking Balance is a statement of values and principles that encourage more balanced food and farm policies including:
- Increasing opportunities for new and beginning farmers,
- Expanding new agricultural markets and value-added enterprises,
- Encouraging local food production and access to healthy food choices,
- Promoting entrepreneurship and economic development in rural communities;
- Providing incentives for more environmentally-friendly farming systems;
- Providing increased support for socially disadvantaged farmers and farmworkers.
Slow Food USA believes that our government’s policies on the farm and food system can be improved to address critical issues.
What can you do to make your voice heard about food and farm issues in the U.S.? Here are a few ideas:
- Write your local representative! Click here for a sample letter.
- Click here to review Slow Food USA’s Plan of Action on the Farm Bill
- Learn more about the Farm Bill by checking out our Resources list
- Read Food Fight by Dan Imhoff, a new book that explains the importance of the Farm Bill. Slow Food members will receive a 20% discount Food Fight
- Click here to go to the Food Fight page on the University of California Press website. Enter discount code 07S0225 as the coupon code when purchasing. [The discounted price is $13.56 + S/H] This discount is good until June 30, 2007.
And don’t forget: policy and legislation aren’t the only places to make a difference. When you make choices as a consumer—such as buying what the USDA calls “specialty crops,” like carrots and broccoli from your local farmer-- you are also effecting change!
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