Jun 18, 2020Farm Aid launches Farmer Resilience Initiative with $400,000 allocation
Farm Aid announced June 16 the disbursal of $400,000 to launch a national COVID-19 Farmer Resilience Initiative, working with more than 120 local, state and regional organizations across the country to pair immediate farmer relief efforts with longer term resilience strategies.
Already endangered by years of low prices, trade disruptions, frequent natural disasters and climate change, farmers now also face myriad impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. These include loss of direct markets from the closure of restaurants, schools and other institutions; increased infrastructure and labor costs associated with creating new markets; supply chain and labor disruptions; and even greater declines in prices for their products.
Through the Farmer Resilience Initiative, Farm Aid is distributing relief funds in all 50 U.S. states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, administered by local and regional partners. Grants, distributed in $500 increments, will help farmers meet household expenses and are paired with resources developed by Farm Aid’s national partners, which include Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG), Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA), Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, Intertribal Agriculture Council, and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Together, these partners work to help farmers and ranchers navigate recovery.
“Farmers and ranchers face a deep and multifaceted farm crisis. Federal responses to both the ongoing economic crisis and COVID-19 have unfortunately flowed to farms with the most resources, as well as powerful corporate interests, leaving the vast majority of farmers high and dry,” said Alicia Harvie, Farm Aid’s Advocacy & Farmer Services Director, through a press release. “Without aggressive action, we will lose thousands of farms and ranches to this crisis, with ripple effects across our food system that are sure to further drain rural economies, impoverish food and farm workers, and consolidate land and markets into even fewer hands.”
To help farm families recover from the impacts of COVID-19, the Farmer Resilience Initiative is:
- Investing in farmer-led solutions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Deploying emergency grants to family farmers and ranchers in need, particularly those producers that are less likely to receive federal and state disaster aid;
- Coordinating a national network of experts to create comprehensive resources for farmers;
- Offering support to farmers under stress through the 1-800-FARM-AID hotline and connecting farmers to the legal, financial and mental health support resources they need to recover;
- Supporting local, state and national farm organizations working on the ground to help farmers navigate this crisis; and
- Advocating for needed COVID recovery funds and resources from the federal government for short-term relief and long-term resilience.
Farm Aid’s collaborative approach to the Farmer Resilience Initiative is informed by more than 30 years of experience in disaster response, which relies on the participation and strength of grassroots organizations on the ground in affected communities. By handing major decision-making authority over to the local and regional organizations that work most directly with farmers, Farm Aid shares power with its grantees and supports local leadership to best address the needs of America’s diverse farm communities.
Farm Aid’s grant-making is one aspect of its work to keep family farmers on the land, growing good food for all. In addition, other Farm Aid programs inspire an increased demand for family farm food; bring farmers, advocates and activists together for trainings and other opportunities; advocate for policies that serve farmers and eaters alike; and invite everyone to be part of building a thriving family farm system of agriculture.
For more information about the Farmer Resilience Initiative, visit www.farmaid.org/farmer-resilience-initiative/
Farm Aid welcomes donations at www.farmaid.org/donate
