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WHEREAS, Mayors recognize the many important benefits to cities
from the farm and food policy and program support in the Farm Bill, including
federal nutrition assistance programs, access to healthy foods for
under-resourced communities, promoting environmental stewardship and
conservation, and protecting our food supply; and WHEREAS, there are major concerns about food and farming issues
that affect the health of residents in
urban America because of hunger and food insecurity in low income populations,
lack of access to healthy food in low income areas, chronic diseases related to
poor diet such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; and WHEREAS, legislation is pending in Congress which proposes
significant cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over
the next 10 years – cuts which would eliminate or reduce benefits to every SNAP
household and jeopardize the national economic recovery by removing billions of
dollars from the economy; and WHEREAS, the areas of our cities which have the highest rates of
enrollment in federal nutrition assistance programs also have the least access
to healthy food and the highest rates of obesity and diet- related diseases,
which ultimately lead to significant health related costs at the federal and
local levels; and WHEREAS, approximately 90% of our nation's farms are owned by
smaller scale farmers, and support of smaller scale farmers in a local food
system provides economic benefits to each region; and WHEREAS, Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative Chellie Pingree
have introduced the “Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act” to support local food
system, which reflects sound public policy consistent with the intent of the
original farm bill purpose; and WHEREAS,
there is a need for strategic focus
through a lead point of contact with the US Department of Agriculture for the
growing number of creative city-based initiatives which promote a healthy food
system, ranging from urban agriculture and aquaculture, greenhouses, business
incubators and programs to efforts to expand SNAP purchases at farmer's
markets; and WHEREAS, there are environmental and health concerns arising from
production practices and distribution of agricultural products through an
elaborate food supply transportation network which contributes to greenhouse
gas emissions, and agricultural dependence on pesticides and chemically
intensive production that contributes to soil degradation, air and water
pollution, and dramatic losses of prime agricultural land in certain states due
to urban sprawl, which threatens the preservation and protection of urban
watersheds; and WHEREAS, a strong agriculture conservation program in which city
water utilities are full partners is critical to reducing the environmental
impact of farming and to protecting watersheds and urban drinking water
supplies, and; WHEREAS, public/private partnerships can significantly improve
access to healthy food as in a model program in Pennsylvania run by a
Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) and food access organization
that used $30 million in state funds to leverage more than $160 million in
additional resources to develop 88 healthy food retail projects, more
than 5,000 jobs, and access to healthy food for more than 400,000 people, and; WHEREAS, federal
agencies- Treasury, HHS, and USDA are supporting successful efforts to improve
access to healthy food through the federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative
(HFFI) and related programs. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United
States Conference of Mayors supports the promotion of access to healthy and
affordable foods for all residents, including strengthening incentives and
infrastructure to encourage more local
fruit/vegetable production and distribution, environmentally sustainable
farming practices, better access to fresh foods and investment in programs
promoting healthy food, expansion of programs that help communities invest in
retail markets, food-based businesses and increasing access to farmers markets,
farm-to-cafeteria programs that bring the freshest, locally grown food into
school lunch programs and other institutions; and BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference
of Mayors supports the promotion of food security in the Farm Bill by restoring
and maintaining funding levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and other
nutrition assistance programs including the restoration of the $14 billion that
was cut from SNAP in 2010 to pay for other legislative priorities; and BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors opposes balancing the Federal budget by cutting needed
funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and by restricting
“Heat and Eat” policies that ensure that families do not need to make the
impossible choice to pay for food or pay
for energy, thereby asking only those less fortunate to make the necessary
sacrifices; and BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors supports preserving and expanding existing USDA programs
such as the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, the Fresh Fruit and
Vegetable Snack Program in schools, and programs that advocate for the
increased use of Electronic Benefits BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that the United States Conference of Mayors supports the continued funding of
HFFI and its inclusion in the reauthorization of the Farm Bill. BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we support the
establishment of an "Office of Urban Innovations in Agriculture" to
help lend strategic focus to system innovations in cities across America and
provide mayors and city officials with an information resource and ready access
to assistance with the new and existing programs available at USDA, in the
areas of urban agriculture and aquaculture, green roof and greenhouse
production, and food system business incubation; and BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors urges the inclusion of provisions of the “Local Farms,
Food, and Jobs Act” that support and strengthen local food systems and increase
access to healthy and affordable food especially in low-income and under-resourced
communities; and BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors urges Congress to strengthen and expand agriculture
conservation programs as a strategic investment in our country's agricultural
infrastructure, including improving air and water quality and the protection of
urban water sheds, to continue to require conservation practices as a condition
of crop insurance or direct payments, and to sufficiently fund agriculture
conservation programs and make water utility watershed management programs
eligible for funding under the Partnerships and Cooperation Program; and BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors supports investments in infrastructure, entrepreneurship
programs and facilities that process, distribute and develop value-added
products using locally-grown commodities purchased from small and mid-sized
local farmers including beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers , to meet
the demand for local, healthy food, and that funding be preserved or increased
for Specialty Crops. BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the US Conference
of Mayors supports passage of a Farm Bill, which incorporates the above stated
goals and principles, before its current expiration of October 1, 2012. |
RESOLUTION ADOPTED JUNE 2012