Urban Agriculture in the Farm Bill

With the Last Farm Bill,  USDA Got Serious about Urban Agriculture

The 2018 Farm Bill took a major step forward by creating... 

The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production 

An advisory committee that gives the public a voice in shaping federal urban ag policy

A  pilot program for USDA committees of farmers in select cities

The law also authorized up to $25 million a year through 2023. Congress funded the program each year, but always below the $25 million cap. Allocated funds ran out with many qualified applicants left empty-handed.

Then the Farm Bill expired

The 2018 Farm Bill expired in 2023. Since then Congress has continued to fund urban ag by appropriating to an expired authorization. That's a fairly common workaround, but it leaves the program without a recent policy mandate, making it vulnerable to shifting political priorities. 

H.R. 5804 would reauthorize the urban agriculture programs through 2030 and raise the funding cap to $50 million. It has the potential to become a much stronger bill, but right now it's just a marker bill — an early version meant to signal support and attract co-sponsors. Most marker bills stall unless the public rallies behind them, so the first order of business is to ensure this one doesn't die in committee.

Take Action:

Letters of appreciation to the sponsor and current co-sponsors.

Outreach to potential co-sponsors, especially members on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.

Educational briefings or one-pagers explaining why urban agriculture needs to strengthen urban agriculture in the Farm Bill.

Build a network of endorsers—local governments, nonprofits, and farm organizations willing to sign a support letter later.

Begin drafting recommendations for what a “strengthened” version would include, but hold them until the bill gains traction or heads to markup.

Resources:

THE BILL

H.R. 5804 - The bill itself.

TOPICS INCLUDED IN THE BILL

• Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production 

• Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee 

• Urban County Committees

ELECTED OFFICIALS

Find your member of Congress, House or Senate. Start here.

Members of the House Committee on Agriculture

Members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

TAKE ACTION

Let's build a campaign together. We can support urban agriculture by advocating for this bill and others that support urban agriculture programs in the USDA. We can educate our legislators and the public that elects them. Buying tomatoes from a local grower should be as much a part of city life as feeding the pigeons in the park.