The US Congress has released a US$ 1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations package, H.R. 2471, for fiscal year (FY) 2022. There are significant increases in several critical priority areas to strengthen the resilience of rural communities and bolster sustainable food systems.
“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds appropriators for coming together in a bipartisan manner to provide robust funding for many priorities of the sustainable agriculture community. This brings us a step closer to making the transformative investments we need to address climate change, increase support for sustainable agriculture research, and bolster resilient regional food systems,” said Eric Deeble, NSAC Policy Director.
The overall package includes US$ 25.125 billion in discretionary funding for food and agriculture programs. This represents a US$ 1.075 billion increase above fiscal year 2021.The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) research programs are provided with a number of substantial increases. These include: US$ 5 million for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, bringing the total up to US$ 45 million; Us$ 10 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) programs, bringing that total to US$ 445 million; and another US$ 500,000 for the organic transition research program for a total of US$ 7.5 million.
There are also a number of important investments in programs that support local and regional food systems. These include: an additional US$ 1 million for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program for at total of US$ 13 million; US$ 5 million for the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) for a total of US$ 26 million; and US$ 1.5 million for the Office of Urban Agriculture, bringing that funding total up to US$ 8.5 million.
“Agricultural research is a fundamental component of helping farmers and ranchers build resilience to the increasing impacts of climate change. NSAC is pleased to see expanded support for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, the Organic Transition Research Program, as well as for the Agriculture Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture,” said Deeble.
