Wallace Center issues first-of-its-kind report on emerging field of Farm to Food Assistance in U.S.
This content was originally published on the Wallace Center’s website, Wallacecenter.org
Over the past several years, there has been a tremendous increase of programs across the U.S. that aim to strengthen small farm viability and food security by connecting local farms to food assistance distribution partners such as food banks, food pantries, and other grassroots efforts to end hunger.
One of the new programs aimed at food systems transformation that the agency is piloting is the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program. With a total budget of $900 million, LFPA, led by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Commodity Procurement Program, is a transformative federal initiative that empowers state agencies, tribal governments and their community partners to collaboratively source and distribute food, benefiting local and USDA-defined “socially disadvantaged” producers and underserved communities.
To support the success of the LFPA program, the Wallace Center conducted research, provided technical assistance and convened a national Farm to Food Assistance (F2FA) Community of Practice to amplify and share best practices in this emerging field.
The Wallace Center has been working to better understand and support the people and organizations implementing values-based, equity-centered F2FA programs since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a first-of-its-kind and comprehensive report on the emerging field of F2FA, the Wallace Center and research partners Rachel Dannefer and Alison Cohen share findings and insights from four years of research, peer learning and field building.
“Farm to Food Assistance: A Model for Values-Based, Equity Centered Approaches to Transforming the Food System” makes the case for how F2FA can contribute to the transformation of a food system from one that produces commodities and derives wealth for a few to one that produces food, health, and wellbeing for all.
It explores how values-based, equity-centered F2FA reveals and works to overcome the contradictions inherent in the food banking economy and delineate the core values and strategies that move the food assistance system from charity to justice. It also enumerates the most pressing challenges and offers recommendations for practitioners and supporters to advance the goals and outcomes of F2FA efforts across the country.
Click below to read the report:
Over 50 food systems leaders contributed to the report, including the 10 F2FA Learning Lab teams who served as co-investigators in the research. It includes profiles on the brilliant work of these organizations leading innovative F2FA programs in communities across the nation, from California to Puerto Rico, as well as learnings from the national F2FA Community of Practice, focus groups and a national survey.
Please click here to view profiles of the Learning Lab teams.
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