This week, we have two powerful opportunities to call for billions of dollars in state and federal funding to build a healthy, just, resilient food and farming system. 

Take three minutes today to make a huge difference for tomorrow.

Calling all Californians:

Tell your representatives to invest in a healthy, resilient, equitable food system for California!

Can you email your state legislators today to urge them to build back a more resilient food and farm system?

California has a record setting budget surplus and the Governor and legislators are debating how to spend it. CalCAN is a member of a diverse coalition of sustainable agriculture, farmworker, environmental and food access organizations advocating for investments that protect our essential workers, reduce wildfire risk, climate-proof our farms, fight hunger and build back local food infrastructure.

Last week, we were pleased to see that Governor Newsom’s proposed 2021-22 budget included funding for sustainable, climate-smart farming practices and to restore groundwater supplies to drought-proof our food system. However, we need to do better. We need housing and personal protective equipment for agricultural workers who grow and harvest our food. We need once-in-a-generation investments in locally-scaled, distributed infrastructure for food processing and distribution. And these investments must be prioritized and targeted in historically marginalized communities where the pandemic has hit the hardest.

Our coalition supports a food and farm resilience spending plan put forward by Assemblymember Robert Rivas and fellow Assembly and Senate members. It takes a holistic and equitable approach to the food and farming system, and would create jobs and speed up California’s economic recovery.

Please join us in calling on the legislature to build on the Governor’s proposal by including the missing pieces in Asm. R. Rivas’ plan.

You can find the summary of what is included in the funding proposal here.

Calling all organizations nationwide:

Sign on to support federal climate and agriculture investments!

Can you join advocacy groups all across the country who are calling on Congress to invest $200 billion in climate-resilient agricultural infrastructure in President Biden’s American Jobs Plan?

President Biden’s $2.25 trillion climate change and infrastructure spending package includes a mere $1 billion for agriculture and climate. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for new investments in resilient food and farming systems that deliver powerful solutions to tackle the climate crisis.

$200 billion over the next 10 years should be allocated in the American Jobs Plan to double the conservation programs in the farm bill and to fund research, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and regional food system and supply chain resilience programs. It would fund the critical activities outlined in two bills introduced in Congress: the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA; H.R. 2803/S. 1337) and the Climate Stewardship Act (CSA; H.R 2534/S. 1072). We need you to sign on before the end of the day tomorrow Friday May 21!

This is a huge opportunity — thank you for raising your voice to get some major climate and agriculture funding!