NYC Food Policy Center: September 2024 Food Flash

by Anna Speck
What’s Hot: Climate Week NYC 2024

Climate Week NYC 2024, which ran from September 22nd to the 29th, included many events and panels where various aspects of necessary climate actions were discussed. The Climate Group sponsored many events emphasizing the fact that whatever the action being taken to mitigate climate change, it is not happening fast enough, and it’s time to course-correct to ensure that the right people and policies are the ones driving solutions.

Food Tank also hosted several events (see livestream recordings here), focusing on the role our food system plays in climate change and what can be done to increase resilience for all. Key takeaways from Food Tank’s panels include:

  • Working to ensure that changes are being made collaboratively and across communities is instrumental in turning the tide toward climate-friendly policies and systems
  • Farmers must be at the center of solutions because their practices are what can create change in emissions, land use, soil erosion, and biodiversity.
  • Resilient food systems are built from the bottom up and created through communication. Farmers, scientists and researchers, community members, and government officials at all levels must collaborate to create systems that can stay productive, functional, and accessible despite the increased occurrence and intensity of natural disasters brought on by climate change.
Food Policy Watchdog: 2018 Farm Bill Expired on September 30th

The expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill has brought some immediate changes to the lives of vulnerable farmers. Congress has until January 1st, 2025 to pass a new Farm Bill to prevent many subsidy programs from reverting to “permanent law,” which would result in support policy returning to what it was in the 1938 and 1949 Farm Bills. The effects of this would be devastating for many farmers and would have a dramatic effect on food prices in the U.S. at a time when food is already unaffordable for many Americans. 

Major programs such as SNAP and crop insurance will continue until the end of the year, but there are now 21 programs that will not receive funding until a new bill is passed. One of these is the Beginning, Socially Disadvantaged, and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program, which helps those who qualify with loan support, cost-sharing, loss compensation, and farmer development. 

Specialty Crops Block Grants will also cease to be awarded until a new Farm Bill is passed. This program functions to make specialty crops (i.e. fruits, vegetables, nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops) more competitive by incentivizing farmers to produce them. Most federal subsidies for farmers are for commodity crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton, so losing the Specialty Crops Block Grants program even temporarily, can have a negative impact on fruit and vegetable production and access if growers turn to producing crops for which they will receive monetary support. Other programs, such as those assisting with animal health and climate-conscious policy, have also been halted, at least for the present.

Quote of the Month:

“We really do have to keep up the pressure, and I think that’s what we’ve all learned during Climate Week. Food and agriculture systems need to continue to be at the center of these climate conversations, and we need to break down silos to make sure that we have people talking to one another: farmers talking to nutritionists, scientists and researchers talking to government officials, and getting these messages out there.” – Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

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