Opinion: Make land access more equitable through the farm bill
It’s a farm bill year. If you aren’t a farmer, it’s OK if you don’t immediately think that’s an important thing to know. But this huge bill funds all the food assistance programs for the United States. It also funds all the agriculture assistance programs, programs that farmers rely on for crop insurance and continuing education and conservation. These funds, these decisions, they matter for the health of our nation, and the health of your family.
I farm Daystar Harvest. I have both urban and rural plots, all rented.
The US has lost more than 20 million acres of farmland in the past decade; 2 million acres per year. I've seen it here in Des Moines. Land that was leased to urban farmers for two or three years was suddenly not renewed and sold for development. It happened to my friend Monika, the urban farmer at Sweet Tooth Farm, and it happened to a farm that was so new it didn't even have a name yet. Monica managed to pivot in time to get her garlic planted on a brand-new and not-ideal site that fall. The other farm had hundreds of dollars of seed garlic rot. He couldn’t plant it, he couldn't find replacement land fast enough.
Have you ever watched a farmer go through the stages of grief over a plot of land they have to stop farming? They will tell you about that plot of land like they would tell you about a grand baby, every inch, every bump.
There are already ways the federal government encourages cities to be more pedestrian-friendly or invest more in green energy. As we start the process for the 2023 farm bill, let us support solutions that encourage cities to be more farm-friendly, and more food-production-friendly.
Let’s invest in the next generation of farmers, and be intentional about making that investment in just ways. With a $2.5 billion investment across USDA programs in equitable land access, Congress could make 1 million acres of farmland available for the next generation of farmers.
As a part of Young Farmers’ One Million Acres for the Future campaign, I am asking my members of Congress, Rep. Zach Nunn and Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley to pass a 2023 farm bill that makes this historic investment in equitable land access. Secure, equitable access to farmland is an issue that impacts us all, and the future of our food and agriculture systems. All of our voices are important. You can learn more at p2a.co/land.
This is a pivotal moment to make investments in the individuals who will steward agricultural land and grow food for our communities into the future. If you like sun-ripened tomatoes and zucchini at your farmers markets and plentiful squash in the fall, you should value the farmland and farmers that produce them and tell your representatives that they should too. Our nation must act now.
Jennie Erwin is a vegetable farmer at Daystar Harvest in Des Moines.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: Make land access more equitable through farm bill
