While the end of summer is approaching, and farmers markets and community garden programs may be wrapping up, ‘ag-vocacy’ season is still in full swing for NRPA. The House and Senate are currently working to reconcile the differences in each of their versions of the 2018 Farm Bill to pass a final, unified bill before the September 30 deadline. In comparing the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill, the Senate version shines with its support for local food systems with the inclusion of the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). 

LAMP is a new program that combines the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) and the Value-Added Producers Grant Program (VAPG), which are all existing grant programs park and recreation agencies are tapping into. This consolidation is a streamlined approach to creating a one-stop-shop at USDA for farmers, community organizations and other stakeholders to receive support for local and regional food projects. Each of these grant programs has played a critical role in expanding the farm-to-fork pipeline by providing funding for local farmers markets, farmer training sites and community gardening programs. FMPP, LFPP and VAPG have helped make healthy foods more readily available to consumers, particularly in low-income communities with limited access to fresh, high-quality produce. 

Park and recreation agencies are already playing a critical role in the local food movement by hosting nearly 9,000 local farmers’ markets, providing space, resources and technical assistance for community gardens, and hosting farmer training programs on park land. LAMP will continue to support programs including farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs and local food business enterprises.

The Senate Farm Bill includes a $60 million annual investment in LAMP. This level of funding ensures LAMP will have a permanent “baseline” funding, meaning that the critical food and farm provisions of LAMP will have guaranteed mandatory funding in perpetuity. By combining already existing grant programs, LAMP leverages all the best pieces of each program while also increasing their combined funding to a high enough level to ensure this permanent baseline funding. The House version of the Farm Bill does not include LAMP, nor does it include direct mandatory funding for any of the existing grant programs individually.

Since the House and Senate are hoping to reconcile their two versions of a Farm Bill before the bill expires on September 30, now is a critical time to reach out to your representatives to ensure LAMP is included in the final Farm Bill. 

Interested in learning more about how you can ag-vocate for local food programs at your parks and recreation agencies? Contact NRPA’s Senior Government Affairs Manager, Kate Clabaugh.

Megan Phillippi is NRPA’s Government Affairs Intern.