Virginia Urban, Local and Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Council This Bill Establishes a Council Under the Virginia Department

Virginia Urban, Local and Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Council

This bill establishes a Council under the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to provide a clearinghouse for information and build consensus around state policy related to urban, local and sustainable agriculture. The Council will report findings and recommendations annually to the General Assembly, the Governor, the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and Chief Diversity Officer.

History:

This legislation is based on North Carolina’s SB 1067 (2009 ) which created a Sustainable Local Food Advisory Council to help build a local food economy. The council is empowered to consider the promotion of urban gardens and backyard gardens and analyze the potential effects of the production of sustainable local food on economic development in the state, barriers to a sustainable local food economy and issues around strengthening local infrastructure and entrepreneurial efforts related to a sustainable local food economy among other goals. The council reports findings and recommendations annually.

The Virginia version builds on their successes: This bill creates the “Virginia Urban, Local and Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Council,” a statewide council focused on recommendations to build urban agriculture and local food economy. The council will consider ways to promote urban agriculture at all scales, the production of sustainable and local food on economic development in the state, barriers to a sustainable local food economy and issues regarding strengthening local infrastructure and entrepreneurial efforts related to a sustainable local food economy, among other goals. The council must report findings and recommendations annually.

The ultimate goal of this council is to:

1. Build climate resiliency into the Commonwealth’s food systems 2. Engage decision makers in food systems planning and coordinate food-systems policy 3. Create new farmers of all backgrounds in all areas 4. Encourage rapid scale up of urban agriculture 5. Expand local market opportunities 6. Cultivate community gardens statewide 7. Address public health and food access disparities 8. Increase consumer education and promote farm to school and farm to table access

Talking Points:

● The Commonwealth has fallen behind both regionally and nationally in this area ● Addressing food insecurity, now and future, is key to environmental and economic justice ● This council will consider what other states have done and what fits here ● The membership will represent all steps in food production, including both consumers and producers.

Suggested Membership

1. Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry 2. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Commissioner 3. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Policy and Planning 4. Department of Education, School Nutrition Farm to School Program 5. Department of Health, Office of Environmental Health 6. Economic Development Program, Research 7. Department of Housing and Community Development, Community Development 8. Virginia Association of Biological Farmers 9. An urban farm from NoVA, Tidewater, Central, Shenandoah, and Blue Ridge 10. Virginia Farm Bureau 11. Virginia Cattlemans Association 12. VSU Urban Agriculture Program 13. Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program 14. Virginia Food Bank 15. Two local conventional food producers, one of which is an animal producer and one of which is a crop producer, to be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. 16. Two local organic food producers, one of which is an organic animal producer and one of which is an organic crop producer 17. Two local sustainable food producers, one of which is an animal producer and one of which is a crop producer, to be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture. 18. Lewis Ginter Urban Agriculture Program 19. A farm focusing on seed saving and production 20. An agriculture non-profit focused on education

Useful Links: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/urban-agriculture-toolkit.pdf http://www.urbanaglaw.org/about/ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/landuse/urbanagriculture/ https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/national-study-commercial-farming-urban- areassummary-september-2019 https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub-summaries/?pub=558 https://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2009/Bills/Senate/PDF/S1067v5.pdf

Corrina Beall Legislative & Political Director, Virginia Chapter 100 West Franklin Street, Mezzanine Richmond, Virginia 23220 [email protected] 804.687.8108 (m)

Pat Calvert Campaign & Policy Manager – Land & Water 103 E Main St, Suite 1 Richmond, Virginia 23219 [email protected] 434.484.0804 (m)