The USDA calls upon you to lend your voice at the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production’s next meeting. Scheduled for November 29, 2023, this meeting offers a vital platform for sharing your experiences and suggestions to enhance urban farming initiatives.
Whether you till a rooftop garden, operate a high-tech vertical farm, or develop groundbreaking food production methods, your input is invaluable. The USDA is dedicated to supporting urban and inventive agricultural methods through its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). As stakeholders in this burgeoning field, your firsthand accounts will help guide USDA programs towards greater efficiency and impact.
During the meeting, committee members, including your peers in agriculture and allies from academia, nonprofits, and economic sectors, will weigh in on essential topics. These include refining federal crop insurance for innovative practices, boosting research, and securing better educational opportunities and technical assistance for urban soil health and safety. Your comments will help shape policy and practical support for urban agriculture’s unique challenges and potentials.
With an eye on advancing city-based farming, the committee will address proposals that touch on the entire spectrum of urban agriculture - from insurance and soil health to scholarship support and education. USDA’s commitment is not just in talk but in tangible actions, such as significant investments in urban agricultural grants and food waste reduction projects for the coming year.
The USDA is renewing the People’s Garden initiative and organizing urban county committees to ensure that local needs don't go unheard. Nearly $44 million in funding aimed at enhancing local food systems, and you have a robust scaffold for urban agriculture to thrive on.
So, mark your calendar for 1-3 p.m. ET, November 29. Register for the virtual meeting, submit your valuable thoughts, and be part of a conversation that could steer the direction of urban farming for years to come. For details on registration, comment submission, and meeting agendas, be sure to check the Committee’s webpage.
Don’t miss this chance to cultivate change and community within urban agriculture. Your participation can influence how food is grown and shared in our cities, making a greener future not just a vision but a reality.
Source : wisconsinagconnection