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The Farm Bill: Slow Food USA’s Plan of Action
In pursuit of an improved Farm Bill,
1) Slow Food USA’s Board has adopted a platform extracted from the document entitled “Seeking Balance in US Farm and Food Policy”, published and distributed by the Farm and Food Project, a W.K. Kellogg Foundation initiative. This document is a statement of values and principles that should be used to shape the evolution of the Farm Bill over the next couple of legislative cycles 2007-8 and 2011-12. (Significant content for this memo emerges from that document.)
2) SFUSA has signed on with the Farm and Food Project to publicly support this document.
3) SFUSA will provide all members with an electronic link to this document along with a cover letter signed by the Board asking members to read Seeking Balance.
4) SFUSA will invite each member to write their congressional representatives in the house and senate, their governor and mayor asking them to support the Seeking Balance statement. SFUSA will supply sample letters for use.
5) SFUSA will invite each Convivium to develop an educational effort in its locale to educate its community about the importance of the Bill and Slow Food’s position in order to invite even more citizens to engage elected leaders to support improvement of the Bill.
6) SFUSA will make it possible for members and leaders to easily purchase Food Fight, a book by Slow Food supporter, Dan Imhoff, at a discounted price. This brief but comprehensive explication of the Farm Bill and its importance will provide ample education to Slow Food members seeking more information on the issue.
7) In the Take Action section of its website, SFUSA will provide a menu of actions for both convivia and members to consider in support of an improved Farm Bill. This menu includes:
- Hosting a Food and Farm Bill meal in which foods that embody the principles of Good, Clear and Fair are served and educational discussion and materials related to an improved Farm Bill are provided to attendees.
- Convivia organizing letter-writing campaigns to boost the numbers of SFUSA members actually using the sample letters provided by the organization.
- Convivia organizing educational events with author Dan Imhoff.
- Convivia setting up tables at Farmers Markets (or manning such tables organized by others) to provide information and sample letters to those shopping in the markets.
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