Every four years, the federal government reauthorizes the Farm Bill, a multi-part piece of legislation that sets national policy on issues from SNAP, to conservation programs, to beginning farmer training, to crop insurance for farmers. How does it affect you and how can you plug in?

This panel discussion will feature regional speakers, including Nicole Sugerman, Policy Associate for the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, and Dori Buttz, Urban Ag Coordinator with Penn State Extension Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network. We will highlight and demystify issues in the bill that affect small-scale and urban farmers, gardeners and their allies, as well as the issues in the bill that can be leveraged toward food system equity. Together, we'll explore ways to engage in the legislative process to make sure the Farm Bill works for you and your community.

This free program is presented by the Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger as part of our Good Food for All program series designed to build skills, strategies, and community among people facing and fighting food insecurity. Preregister via Eventbrite here.


More about the participating organizations:

Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) is a network of over 500 participating farm and food systems organizations and thousands of individuals throughout the 12-state Northeast region plus DC. NESAWG uses network collaboration to build meaningful change toward a sustainable and just food system.

Penn State Extension is the educational arm of Penn State University's College of Ag Sciences that provides science-based information to communities across Pennsylvania. Extension in Philadelphia aims to foster collaboration with Philadelphia-based communities to generate social and environmental justice solutions surrounding equity, inclusion, and quality of life.

The Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network (PA-WAgN) supports women in agriculture by providing positive learning environments, networking, and empowerment opportunities. Currently, the network is building a collaborative of diverse urban and rural women growers and food advocates to improve mutual sustainability, justice and access to healthy food across Pennsylvania communities.

Image courtesy the United States Department of Agriculture.