The next farm bill is an opportunity for the transformation of our food and agriculture systems

A coalition of organizations argues that the next U.S. farm bill must move beyond 'business-as-usual' to address the climate crisis, food insecurity, and systemic discrimination. The statement advocates for a comprehensive suite of bills designed to achieve net-zero agricultural emissions by 2040, expand SNAP access, protect farmworkers from heat and toxic pesticides, and curb the power of corporate agriculture.

• The authors argue that the current agricultural system contributes significantly to climate change and environmental degradation, noting that "Agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to be a major contributor to climate change" and that chemical use from fertilizers and livestock operations "poison water sources across the country."
• The document highlights systemic failures in USDA support, stating that the agency "turns away two out of every three farmers seeking conservation assistance" and that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color farmers face ongoing discrimination and land loss.
• The coalition supports the Agriculture Resilience Act, which proposes a "national goal of achieving net-zero emissions in agriculture by 2040" through science-based, farmer-led initiatives, including soil health improvements and on-farm renewable energy projects.
• To combat food insecurity, the statement advocates for several SNAP-related reforms, including the Closing the Meal Gap Act to boost benefit allotments and the Restore Act to repeal the "lifetime federal ban on individuals with felony drug convictions from receiving SNAP."
• The authors call for increased protections for agricultural workers, specifically supporting the Asunción Valdivia Heat Stress Injury, Illness, and Fatality Prevention Act to establish a "permanent, federal standard to protect workers against occupational exposure to excessive heat."
• The document urges the government to protect the market from corporate consolidation by supporting the Fairness for Small-Scale Farmers and Ranchers Act to "Halt mergers of big agriculture firms and strengthen antitrust laws across the agricultural sector."

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2023). The next farm bill is an opportunity for the transformation of our food and agriculture systems. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Farm-Bill-Shared-Marker-Bill-Letter.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. The next farm bill is an opportunity for the transformation of our food and agriculture systems. 2023. https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Farm-Bill-Shared-Marker-Bill-Letter.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=The next farm bill is an opportunity for the transformation of our food and agriculture systems |date=6 December 2023 |url=https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Farm-Bill-Shared-Marker-Bill-Letter.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{unionofconcernedscientists2023next, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{The next farm bill is an opportunity for the transformation of our food and agriculture systems}}, publisher = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/food-environment/Farm-Bill-Shared-Marker-Bill-Letter.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }