Big City Mayors Unite and Send Important Message to Congress about 2012 Farm Bill
March 13, 2012 Roots of Change
On March 6, 2012 an important breakthrough occurred as 10 mayors of key metropolitan cities cosigned a letter in support of important programs funded by the Federal Farm Bill. In this letter mayors focused on the importance of funding nutrition programs, which are vital to the health and well being of their inhabitants. Roots of Change is excited to note that this letter specifically supports new nutrition incentive programs related to farmers markets, like the California Farmers Market Consortium. Our Consortium involves ten California organizations operating in seventeen counties and 120 farmers markets to improve the nutritional and economic well-being of disadvantaged communities and increase the incomes of small and medium sized farmers.
The other exceptionally notable element of this letter is the last paragraph, which states, "although we represent urban environments, we recognize the importance of the conservation programs that are fundamental to a healthy food system. These programs are critical to the watersheds that serve our residents, and more fundamentally promote the long-term health and food security of all Americans. We encourage you to maintain a strong commitment to conservation, and particularly those programs that support the environmental stewardship of farmers."
Click here for a copy of the letter
