The Farm Bill is a major US act that is reauthorized every five years. The 2002 farm bill is set to expire in September of 2007 and so Congress is currently debating the new 2007 Farm Bill.

This huge piece of legislation determines what we eat, who grows it, how they grow it, and even how much we pay for the food we eat. The Farm Bill deals with all aspects of food and farming policies, from food assistance programs to conversation programs that support farmers that practice sustainable agriculture. More importantly, there are programs within the Farm Bill that directly impact the work of The Food Project.

That’s why action by YOU is needed urgently! The Community Food Project Competitive Grants Program (which has supported the work of The Food Project in the past) may lose its funding in the 2007 Farm Bill. Please read the action alert below for more information and call your representatives today! If you need more information about the Farm Bill, visit the Community Food Security Coalition website.

Community Food Projects could be Zeroed Out… Action Needed!
Support Blumenauer Amendment for REAL Funding for CFP

Begun in 1996, the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFP), has been incredibly successful at empowering low-income communities to identify problems related to food security and take action to permanently solve them with a small investment from the federal government. The administrators of the CFP program highlight it as one of USDA’s most effective local initiatives supporting farmers and consumers.

Community Food Projects is ZEROED OUT!
In the past, the program has received $5 million annually in mandatory or REAL funding, that doesn’t need to be fought for each year. However, WE NEED YOUR HELP, because the House Agriculture Committee has not included any REAL money for CFP in the Farm Bill which will be voted on TOMORROW. While the House Agriculture Committee increased funds for CFP to $30 million, the money is not mandatory, meaning that it’s possible this vital program gets nothing at all when it comes time to dole out the money each year. There is no money in the appropriations bill for FY ‘08, so if the Farm bill doesn’t include mandatory money, there could be no money for CFP in 2008.

Please help us save this popular and vital program.
Call your Representative RIGHT NOW!

With the House of Representatives voting on the Farm Bill TOMORROW, it’s important that all Representatives recognize the importance of CFP and the need to to fund it. Please call your Representative and ask his/her office to support the Blumenauer amendment for MANDATORY funding for CFP. This detail is important because this may be one of several amendments offered by Blumenauer. If you don’t know who your Representative is or need to find their number, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

These quick phone calls will take less than 10 minutes of your time, but could make a huge impact on whether this program continues.