Let’s make the farm bill a people bill

It’s that time again: every five years Congress reauthorizes the Farm Bill, a critical piece of legislation that establishes rules and incentives that shape our food system and its impacts on the environment and on the workers who plant, harvest, process and transport our food. With intersecting climate, health and economic crises looming, this year’s farm bill presents a unique opportunity to address our most pressing issues. Congress must act swiftly to pass a farm bill that will ensure we all have sufficient and healthy food, a safe environment, and protections for the workers who put food on our tables.

Workers are the frontlines of our food system to make sure our communities have access to safe and nutritious food. They endure daily threats, from dangerous working conditions to supply chain disruptions to global pandemics and extreme weather. Food workers show up every day and are frequently exposed to pesticides, antibiotics and overwhelming heat in their workplaces. Meatpackers and food processing workers face health hazards from fast line speeds, sharp knives and chemicals. And workers in grocery retail must deal with industry consolidation, angry customers and unpredictable schedules. Even as these food and farm workers have been lauded as “essential workers,” many have remained underpaid and have inadequate sick leave and medical coverage — especially those without union representation.

Climate change compounds these burdens. As average annual temperatures rise, fields, processing facilities and even restaurants, will get hotter — this means that worker exposure to extreme heat, storms and wildfire smoke will increase. In addition, as extreme weather becomes more common, pest, disease and weed pressures will shift in response. Without proactive policy solutions in place, the agriculture sector may rely more heavily on chemicals to manage these risks, which would further threaten the health of workers, neighboring communities and the environment.

We need the farm bill to drive positive change in our food system, by prioritizing the well-being of workers and our planet and tackling these issues head on. We need transformative investments in climate-friendly farming systems — including regenerative and organic agriculture — and strong protections for workers throughout supply chains. We need policies that reduce food waste and promote nutrient cycling strategies “farm-to-fork — and back to the farm again,” (to borrow from organic fruit grower Al Courchesgne). We need resources that help farmers, workers and rural communities access clean water and transition away from the fossil fuels that are driving climate change and towards a sustainable clean energy future.

Protecting the critical investments made by Congress last year — that farmers, workers and rural communities all depend on — will help us get there. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) made the biggest investment in our bedrock farm bill conservation programs since the Dust Bowl — with a forward-looking emphasis on climate. The bill also included essential funding for rural clean energy, sustainable forestry and at-risk farms. Alas, the IRA did not include investments in the food workforce. The farm bill can do better and should ensure the IRA climate investments move forward as planned, as well as include supports to help farmers, workers and eaters alike ride out challenging times.

Finally, we must continue to address food insecurity and expand access to healthy food. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps put food on the table for over 42 million low-income Americans — especially children, seniors and disabled people. Grocery store workers and state and local government employees ensure that this essential anti-hunger program delivers food to families year after year. Yet even with the SNAP dollars that are currently available, families are making difficult decisions about what to eat every day. The farm bill should continue delivering food to people who urgently need it while expanding incentive programs, like the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), that helps SNAP participants stretch their dollars further, supports local farmers, and makes healthy foods more affordable. In addition, the farm bill should include guardrails to ensure that the SNAP program supports good jobs with family sustaining wages for those who administer the program and deliver the benefits.

In the wealthiest country in the world, everyone deserves a fair wage in a safe working environment and to be able to feed their families. American consumers want to know that the workers who make the food they eat are treated with dignity and respect. The people want a farm bill that supports a sustainable future for generations to come. Congress has the opportunity to set these standards for the next five years, ensuring healthier outcomes for people nationwide.

Anthony “Marc” Perrone is International president of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and Manish Bapna is president & Chief Executive Officer of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).