{"id":14542,"date":"2021-03-19T12:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-03-19T19:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calcanstaging.kinsta.cloud\/?p=14542"},"modified":"2021-03-19T12:01:43","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T19:01:43","slug":"congress-clears-another-round-of-pandemic-aid-with-historic-support-for-bipoc-farmers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/es\/congress-clears-another-round-of-pandemic-aid-with-historic-support-for-bipoc-farmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Congress Clears Another Round of Pandemic Aid with Historic Support for BIPOC Farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The historic American Rescue Plan was passed last week. Learn more about what is included for food and agriculture in this blog from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)<\/a>, of which CalCAN is a member. NSAC advocates for federal policy reform for the sustainability of food systems, natural resources, and rural communities. See the original post\u00a0aqu\u00ed<\/a>. You can find other COVID-19 related resources aqu\u00ed<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Nearly a year since the coronavirus pandemic first swept across the country \u2014 shuttering businesses, restaurants, and schools alike \u2014 the finish line for another round of COVID relief is finally within sight. This week, Congress took steps to move forward additional COVID relief by passing the\u00a0American Rescue Plan<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(ARP).\u00a0<\/em>Bouncing back and forth in the Capitol building over the past month, the ARP was first drafted and passed in the House, modified and passed in the Senate, and finally passed in the modified form by the House and now heads to the President\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

The ARP is one of the largest recovery and stimulus bills in history, passing Congress by the narrowest of margins. The $1.9 trillion dollar legislative package contains numerous provisions to help Americans recover from the coronavirus pandemic including resources for vaccination efforts and public health, extensions of unemployment insurance, $1,400 stimulus checks to eligible individuals, a child care tax credit, aid to state and local governments to maintain services, housing assistance, support for school reopenings, and support for flagging pension funds to pay retirees. Many of these provisions were put forward in the Biden-Harris administration\u2019s pandemic response proposal while other elements were added during drafting and debate in Congress.<\/p>\n

Comprehensive reviews of ARP provisions \u2013 and the ways in which they may be implemented \u2013 are covered by experts elsewhere so in this blog we will focus on the agricultural and food system related provisions.<\/p>\n

Food and Agriculture Provisions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mientras que el\u00a0agriculture components<\/a>\u00a0are relatively small compared to the rest of the bill, amounting to $16 billion, or less than one percent of total spending authorized in the Senate bill, they are significant and will provide the newly appointed Secretary of Agriculture with additional resources to help farmers mitigate the prolonged impacts of this pandemic, especially marginalized communities most impacted.<\/p>\n

ARP includes funding to provide relief for BIPOC farmers, provide direct payments to farmers, purchase farm commodities for distribution to families in need, and strengthen food supply chains and processing capacity disrupted by the pandemic. While many of the specifics regarding exactly how funding will be distributed is up to the Administration, the bill includes many provisions that reflect NSAC\u2019s top priorities and those championed by sustainable agriculture allies. These include:<\/p>\n