Federal
A package of legislation passed roughly once every 5 years with huge impacts on farming livelihood, how and what food is grown, and who has access to it. This bill authorizes and funds tons of programs including crop insurance and SNAP (formerly known as food stamps)
What is The Farm Bill
A way for landowners to “sign up” to ensure their land can stay within a given family instead of being sold if some family members aren’t on the same page about the future of the land. In North Carolina, there have been instances of forced sales, partition, etc., particularly around Black farmers
What is Heirs Property?
Local government bodies that oversee specific areas including parks and recreations, education, and health.
What are local boards?
Formerly known as Food Stamps, this flagship program provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget
What is SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
A nutrition incentive program that provides a dollar-for-dollar match for SNAP/EBT and NC Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits. The match can be used at farmers markets, food hubs, and direct agricultural retail outlets in North Carolina.
What is Double Up Bucks?
A strategic financial plan developed by local government leaders to allocate resources and funds for the community
What is a city or county budget?
A federal bill that invested billions in working lands conservation programs, making more money available to all farmers and conservation activities. This pool of funding is highly controversial now, as many want to reinvest it in other areas.
What is conservation programs and/or the Inflation Reduction Act?
A local food procurement program where food hubs purchase from local producers and distribute to communities in need.
What is FarmsShare?
A local board responsible for the development and land use in their communities. They create zoning ordinances, while taking into consideration numerous factors like economic development, affordable housing, and environmental considerations.
What is a planning board?
A program that supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets and enterprises, and value-added agricultural products.
What is the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP)
A campaign working to ensure that every child in NC public schools has access to a free breakfast and lunch while at school.
What is School Meals for All?
These for-profit entities can play an important role in addressing hunger and promoting community food systems by implementing internal policy changes and donating money and/or surplus resources to local food banks, community kitchens, and community-led organizations and initiatives?
What are corporations?
A comprehensive bill that promotes competitive agricultural markets and invests in economic development by addressing acute livestock supply chain issues, supporting small meat and poultry processing plants, and promoting training programs that will bolster the resilience of communities and their food systems.
Strengthening Local Processing Act
A state-level bill that address a variety of farm and food related topics including penalties for animal waste spilled on state roads, mandating muscadine grape juice in all public K-12 schools, and how we define wetlands.
What is the NC Farm Act?
A local board that administers Voluntary Agricultural Districts. These are set up by local governments in cooperation with landowners to limit non-agricultural development near working farmland.
What are Farmland Preservation Boards or Agricultural Advisory Boards?