Past Food and Farm Resilience Campaigns

2022, AB 2499 — Creates an Organic Transition Program that would support low-resource and socially-disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in transitioning to certified organic production with grants and technical support. The program would be funded by the $15 million for organic transition that our coalition is asking for in the budget.  

2022, AB 2538 — Creates a notification system that would send text and voice messages, in multiple languages, to residents and farmworkers to alert them of wildfire smoke health hazards in their area.

2022-23 Budget

California has another huge budget surplus, and we continue to raise our collective voices about the need for more investments in healthy, just and resilient farms, climate-friendly healthy food access, and farmworker health and safety. In February, more than 50 organizations signed on to a letter calling for more than $660 million in this year’s budget. You can read the full letter here, and see the impressive list of supporters.

We also worked with Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister, Chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee) to encourage 12 legislators to sign on to a “Dear Colleague” letter calling for $423.5 million for many similar priorities (see the letter here).

Here is a sample of what was on the list:

Farmland Conservation: $100 million for farmland conservation + $500,000 to develop a process for consultation with Tribes on farmland conservation and right of first refusal + $25 million for land access for BIPOC farmers and beginning farmers

Farmworker Housing and Emergency Notification: $25 million for home weatherization + $100 million for new housing + $12 million for heat and smoke notifications for farmworkers

Workforce Development: $30 million to hire and train the next generation of agricultural professionals proficient in climate resilience + $15 million for new farmer training

Climate Smart Agriculture: $170 million for healthy soils, water conservation and pollinator habitat grant programs

Climate-Friendly Healthy Food Access Infrastructure: $100 million for low-income communities of color, rural, and Tribal communities to obtain or produce healthy, nutrient-dense foods that are grown, raised, produced, or gathered with certified organic, climate-friendly, or culturally relevant practices

Farm-to-School: $33 million for grants for healthy food school infrastructure and personnel

2021-22 Budget

With leadership from Assemblymember R. Rivas, a bipartisan group of Assemblymembers, and over 160 organizations, we were able to secure $1.3 billion to help transition California’s food and farming system toward one that is more climate-resilient, just, and equitable. You can read more about this victory on the website of one of our coalition members here.