WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania U.S. Senator John Fetterman, along with Senators Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Bob Casey, D-Pa., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Friday introduced the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2023, legislation to support the growth of urban and suburban farmers through increased programmatic and research funding.
For the first time, USDA Service Centers are opening in urban cities across the nation to position themselves near the growing number of urban and suburban farmers and provide farm production and conservation services. The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act makes programmatic reforms to the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) to improve the content and delivery of technical assistance to urban and innovative producers, enables cooperative agreements with community experts, increases access to grant funds directly to farmers, and scales up composting and food waste initiatives.
“I came to Washington to fight for forgotten communities and urban areas are notably underserved when it comes to food security and nutrition,” said Senator Fetterman. “As Chair of the Nutrition Subcommittee, I am proud to introduce this bill that will combat food deserts and malnutrition in urban areas and support small, beginning and underserved farmers. My legislation will increase existing investments in Pa. agriculture through vertical farms, community gardens and much more.”
The bill also ensures the program can sustain its accelerated growth by providing mandatory funding at $50 million annually. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees zeroed out the OUAIP account, entirely cutting crucial funding to bolster local food supply chains in urban communities and invest in innovative production. Now more than ever, it’s crucial to provide annually sustained funding for this valuable USDA program.
In Philadelphia last week, the Biden-Harris administration announced millions in investments in urban agriculture through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Pennsylvania recipients include Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, based in East Kensington, which will receive $1.5 million, and Norris Square Community Alliance and the Caring People Alliance, also based in Philadelphia, which will receive $50,000 in Farm to School grants.
“As urban agriculture grows across Pennsylvania and the Nation, it’s critical we support urban farmers with the resources they need to thrive,” said Senator Casey. “The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act will connect farmers with federal grants and bolster innovation and research, helping our agricultural producers adapt our food production to meet the evolving demands of the future.”
The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2023 is endorsed by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, CEA Alliance, Fair Food Network, Food Trust, Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, ReImagine Appalachia, RAFI-USA, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Produce Perks Midwest, Farm to Table NM, Local Matters, Ohio Association of Foodbanks, and Michigan Food & Farming Systems.
