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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 citizens 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