When we sit down for dinner each day, rarely do we consider the government policies that got that food to our plates. The farmers who grew our food, however, must always remain aware of these policies as they rely on agricultural regulations to operate and grow. On September 20 through 22, growers and nonprofit organizations from across the country gathered with lawmakers in Washington D.C. to discuss just that. Hosted by United Fresh Produce Association, one of the leading trade associations in the industry, this yearly conference brings together policymakers, growers, and companies across the supply chain to discuss key issues in agriculture. This year, the conference centered on nutrition insecurity, labor shortages, food safety, and infrastructure investments.
As one of the few nonprofits represented at the conference, The Farmlink Project embraced this opportunity to advocate for central policy objectives and expand our organization’s network of influence.
Going into the conference, Policy Team Lead Sophia Adelle felt humbled. To have a seat at one of the most critical conferences in agriculture was “nerve-racking” yet also exhilarating. “It’s not common for a nonprofit organization like ours to have access to such a space,” explained Sophia. Having been founded less than two years ago, such representation is practically unheard of. While this speaks to the faith that other organizations have in The Farmlink Project, it also added pressure for our team’s representatives.
Despite the challenge, Sophia and her fellow Farmlink Project representatives Ben Collier and Luis Yepiz—the Head of Core Operations and the Chief Procurement Officer, respectively—saw the conference as both a way to hear directly from growers and a way to highlight The Farmlink Project’s mission.
At the center of Sophia’s focus was a simple question: “What are we going to say?” Namely, what could The Farmlink Project Policy Team say beyond sharing information easily discovered from web pages, promotional videos, or statistics?
We wanted to bring our organization’s mission to life—to ignite a sense of urgency by relating our first-hand experience. Highlighting the pervasiveness of food insecurity and food waste, we aimed to galvanize policymakers into remedying such issues. To make our voice as impactful as possible, Sophia, Ben, and Luis spoke with members of Congress about issues for which The Farmlink Project could demonstrate experience.
“This was an opportunity to further develop our policy advocacy,” emphasized Sophia. A hot-button issue at the conference concerned farm labor shortages, which ties into other immigration controversies. However, instead of speaking on every concern addressed at the conference, a crucial part of our role was focusing on “where our mission had the most value.” This role became apparent with the proposal of a new bill in the House of Representatives: the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act of 2021. Introduced by Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the bill seeks to create a better, more sustainable supply chain for getting fresh produce to food banks, which lies at the core of The Farmlink Project’s mission.
The Farmlink Project team members met individually with members of Congress and their staff to speak on proposals such as the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act among other policy objectives. By establishing our organization as a knowledgeable voice in the agricultural sector in these conversations, the team began developing relationships with policymakers, thus enabling future policy advocacy.
Meeting staffers, such as those for Senator Cory Booker and Senator Rand Paul, “was a big deal,” exclaimed Sophia. The Farmlink Project didn’t have a specific policy request; rather, we wanted to use this opportunity to start a conversation about how we can better our food system, which was equally as powerful as presenting a specific policy demand, according to Sophia. “Policy is a means of storytelling,” she emphasized. “Our first-hand perspective represents a portion of the food system that these policymakers cannot see.” Our role is twofold—before we can expect or effectively demand policy change toward a more equitable food system, we must ensure our legislators understand the gravity and nuances of the issues in our current food system.
After the conference, our Policy Team received offers of support from several congressional offices and has continued to meet virtually with members of Congress. Keeping an ear to the ground, the team hopes to better understand the issues facing constituents across the United States and to advocate for sustainable policies on their behalf.
These changes are great. But how’s it all going to be funded?
During the comment process, Farmlink, as well as other food rescue organizations and coalitions, raised critical questions about how the strategy would be funded and, as a result, which measures are feasible. In particular, we hoped for more clarity beyond the draft’s statement that the USDA would use American Rescue Plan Act and Inflation Reduction Act funds and the EPA would use Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. Of the 86 programs or initiatives reviewed in the final strategy, only 15 are completely new programs announced in the strategy.
.jpeg)
The other 71 are existing programs or initiatives that either already have a food loss and waste focus or that the national strategy has repackaged as food loss and waste solutions. While we had hopes of new, innovative programs being included in the strategy, the good news with these 71 programs is that most, if not all, are already funded, meaning that they are not reliant on an increasingly turbulent Congress for implementation. Of the 15 new programs, which included the EPA’s new consumer education campaign and several new cooperative agreements with land-grant universities, only 2 had specific funding mechanisms. It has become increasingly clear that food rescue organizations and other stakeholders in the food and agriculture space should not consider this strategy as a new rollout of FLW solutions, programs, and funding but rather as an evaluation of the current resources and solutions and how each can be most effectively utilized to achieve the strategy’s goals. In particular, the framing of many of USDA’s programs as FLW solutions offers opportunities to utilize existing funding, data, and infrastructure to solve one of the United States’s most pressing problems.
Whats next?
Now that we have the strategy, it’s time to truly take advantage of the opportunities it presents. In the immediate future at Farmlink, we’re excited to continue optimizing Section 32 as a critical on-farm food loss solution as we anticipate significant surplus recoveries in the fall. As we move forward, we continue to advocate for dignity with food distribution, emphasizing cultural appropriateness and quality in every pound of food we rescue. As outlined in our comments, food rescue organizations are critical stakeholders and thought partners for the agencies. Our inclusion in the strategy as such is an opportunity we are taking full advantage of to help guide federal action to support farmers, feed communities, and heal the planet.
< BackWhen we sit down for dinner each day, rarely do we consider the government policies that got that food to our plates. The farmers who grew our food, however, must always remain aware of these policies as they rely on agricultural regulations to operate and grow. On September 20 through 22, growers and nonprofit organizations from across the country gathered with lawmakers in Washington D.C. to discuss just that. Hosted by United Fresh Produce Association, one of the leading trade associations in the industry, this yearly conference brings together policymakers, growers, and companies across the supply chain to discuss key issues in agriculture. This year, the conference centered on nutrition insecurity, labor shortages, food safety, and infrastructure investments.
As one of the few nonprofits represented at the conference, The Farmlink Project embraced this opportunity to advocate for central policy objectives and expand our organization’s network of influence.
Going into the conference, Policy Team Lead Sophia Adelle felt humbled. To have a seat at one of the most critical conferences in agriculture was “nerve-racking” yet also exhilarating. “It’s not common for a nonprofit organization like ours to have access to such a space,” explained Sophia. Having been founded less than two years ago, such representation is practically unheard of. While this speaks to the faith that other organizations have in The Farmlink Project, it also added pressure for our team’s representatives.
Despite the challenge, Sophia and her fellow Farmlink Project representatives Ben Collier and Luis Yepiz—the Head of Core Operations and the Chief Procurement Officer, respectively—saw the conference as both a way to hear directly from growers and a way to highlight The Farmlink Project’s mission.
At the center of Sophia’s focus was a simple question: “What are we going to say?” Namely, what could The Farmlink Project Policy Team say beyond sharing information easily discovered from web pages, promotional videos, or statistics?
We wanted to bring our organization’s mission to life—to ignite a sense of urgency by relating our first-hand experience. Highlighting the pervasiveness of food insecurity and food waste, we aimed to galvanize policymakers into remedying such issues. To make our voice as impactful as possible, Sophia, Ben, and Luis spoke with members of Congress about issues for which The Farmlink Project could demonstrate experience.
“This was an opportunity to further develop our policy advocacy,” emphasized Sophia. A hot-button issue at the conference concerned farm labor shortages, which ties into other immigration controversies. However, instead of speaking on every concern addressed at the conference, a crucial part of our role was focusing on “where our mission had the most value.” This role became apparent with the proposal of a new bill in the House of Representatives: the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act of 2021. Introduced by Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the bill seeks to create a better, more sustainable supply chain for getting fresh produce to food banks, which lies at the core of The Farmlink Project’s mission.
The Farmlink Project team members met individually with members of Congress and their staff to speak on proposals such as the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act among other policy objectives. By establishing our organization as a knowledgeable voice in the agricultural sector in these conversations, the team began developing relationships with policymakers, thus enabling future policy advocacy.
Meeting staffers, such as those for Senator Cory Booker and Senator Rand Paul, “was a big deal,” exclaimed Sophia. The Farmlink Project didn’t have a specific policy request; rather, we wanted to use this opportunity to start a conversation about how we can better our food system, which was equally as powerful as presenting a specific policy demand, according to Sophia. “Policy is a means of storytelling,” she emphasized. “Our first-hand perspective represents a portion of the food system that these policymakers cannot see.” Our role is twofold—before we can expect or effectively demand policy change toward a more equitable food system, we must ensure our legislators understand the gravity and nuances of the issues in our current food system.
After the conference, our Policy Team received offers of support from several congressional offices and has continued to meet virtually with members of Congress. Keeping an ear to the ground, the team hopes to better understand the issues facing constituents across the United States and to advocate for sustainable policies on their behalf.
Policy Advocacy at The United Fresh Conference
When we sit down for dinner each day, rarely do we consider the government policies that got that food to our plates. The farmers who grew our food, however, must always remain aware of these policies as they rely on agricultural regulations to operate and grow. On September 20 through 22, growers and nonprofit organizations from across the country gathered with lawmakers in Washington D.C. to discuss just that. Hosted by United Fresh Produce Association, one of the leading trade associations in the industry, this yearly conference brings together policymakers, growers, and companies across the supply chain to discuss key issues in agriculture. This year, the conference centered on nutrition insecurity, labor shortages, food safety, and infrastructure investments.
As one of the few nonprofits represented at the conference, The Farmlink Project embraced this opportunity to advocate for central policy objectives and expand our organization’s network of influence.
Going into the conference, Policy Team Lead Sophia Adelle felt humbled. To have a seat at one of the most critical conferences in agriculture was “nerve-racking” yet also exhilarating. “It’s not common for a nonprofit organization like ours to have access to such a space,” explained Sophia. Having been founded less than two years ago, such representation is practically unheard of. While this speaks to the faith that other organizations have in The Farmlink Project, it also added pressure for our team’s representatives.
Despite the challenge, Sophia and her fellow Farmlink Project representatives Ben Collier and Luis Yepiz—the Head of Core Operations and the Chief Procurement Officer, respectively—saw the conference as both a way to hear directly from growers and a way to highlight The Farmlink Project’s mission.
At the center of Sophia’s focus was a simple question: “What are we going to say?” Namely, what could The Farmlink Project Policy Team say beyond sharing information easily discovered from web pages, promotional videos, or statistics?
We wanted to bring our organization’s mission to life—to ignite a sense of urgency by relating our first-hand experience. Highlighting the pervasiveness of food insecurity and food waste, we aimed to galvanize policymakers into remedying such issues. To make our voice as impactful as possible, Sophia, Ben, and Luis spoke with members of Congress about issues for which The Farmlink Project could demonstrate experience.
“This was an opportunity to further develop our policy advocacy,” emphasized Sophia. A hot-button issue at the conference concerned farm labor shortages, which ties into other immigration controversies. However, instead of speaking on every concern addressed at the conference, a crucial part of our role was focusing on “where our mission had the most value.” This role became apparent with the proposal of a new bill in the House of Representatives: the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act of 2021. Introduced by Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the bill seeks to create a better, more sustainable supply chain for getting fresh produce to food banks, which lies at the core of The Farmlink Project’s mission.
The Farmlink Project team members met individually with members of Congress and their staff to speak on proposals such as the Fresh Produce Procurement Reform Act among other policy objectives. By establishing our organization as a knowledgeable voice in the agricultural sector in these conversations, the team began developing relationships with policymakers, thus enabling future policy advocacy.
Meeting staffers, such as those for Senator Cory Booker and Senator Rand Paul, “was a big deal,” exclaimed Sophia. The Farmlink Project didn’t have a specific policy request; rather, we wanted to use this opportunity to start a conversation about how we can better our food system, which was equally as powerful as presenting a specific policy demand, according to Sophia. “Policy is a means of storytelling,” she emphasized. “Our first-hand perspective represents a portion of the food system that these policymakers cannot see.” Our role is twofold—before we can expect or effectively demand policy change toward a more equitable food system, we must ensure our legislators understand the gravity and nuances of the issues in our current food system.
After the conference, our Policy Team received offers of support from several congressional offices and has continued to meet virtually with members of Congress. Keeping an ear to the ground, the team hopes to better understand the issues facing constituents across the United States and to advocate for sustainable policies on their behalf.
%20Large.jpeg)
.png)
.JPEG)
.png)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
