Wins for Sustainable Agriculture in 2020

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The end of the year is just around the corner – and what a year it has been! In these times of pain, uncertainty, reflection, and action, two things are certain: (1) our country and our world as we know it will never quite be the same, and (2) the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) will not stop advocating for our nation’s small-scale, diversified, beginning, underserved, conservation-minded and local/regional farmers– even through a global pandemic. 

As we get ready to ring in a new year, a new Administration, and a new Congress, it is time to reflect on what policy wins and fights the sustainable agriculture movement has borne witness to throughout this trying year. Let’s look at the top 20 wins for sustainable agriculture in 2020…

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Release: Last-Minute Coronavirus Relief Package Will Strengthen Our Food and Farm System 

This week, Congress passed the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020, a bipartisan, bicameral compromise bill which will provide approximately $900 billion in pandemic aid measures, including assistance for farmers, ranchers, fishers, and foresters, and boosts to programs that help stabilize their markets and processing options during a period of great disruption. The bill provides the Secretary of Agriculture with $11.1875 billion to prevent, prepare for and respond to the pandemic by “providing direct support and purchasing of food and agricultural products.”

The bill also provides funding for a number of USDA programs that have been longstanding priorities for NSAC outlined below: 

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Over $61 Million Invested in Value-Added Agriculture Entrepreneurs

This summer, USDA awarded 249 farm businesses in 44 states and Puerto Rico with $61.4 million in Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG). Now a subprogram of the newly created Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), VAPG provides competitive grants to to producers to diversify their operations, create value-added products, and reduce their dependence on traditional commodity markets by tapping into new, potentially lucrative customer bases. 

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