Cultivate KC is proud to join Earthjustice in a lawsuit filed yesterday to challenge the illegal federal funding freeze that is devasting many organizations and farmers in our community.
Over the last four years, urban farmers and local food systems leaders cautiously welcomed increased attention from the USDA. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the agency recognized that strengthening local and regional food systems and investing in urban agriculture was critical to build a resilient food system. Existing USDA programs were adapted to fit the needs of smaller-scale farmers and new programs were created to address infrastructure needs and help beginning farmers access land.
The actions of the federal government over the last six weeks – the mass layoffs of USDA employees, the cancellation of popular programs that brought local food to our most vulnerable populations, the termination of grants that serve diverse communities, and the withholding of legally obligated funding – are an outright attack on our local food system and farming community and the trust that was built over the last four years. To be clear, the actions of the current administration are not reflective of dedicated USDA staff with whom we have had the pleasure of working, but the current actions are a slap in the face of the progress that has been made.
photos by Brad Zweerink / Earthjustice
This is precisely why we decided to join Earthjustice in a lawsuit to seek immediate relief for organizations and farmers who have been impacted by the illegal federal funding freeze, particularly for programs receiving funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. We’ve worked hard to build trust, earn federal grants and cooperative agreements, and develop programs to transform urban agriculture and our local food system, and we can’t stand by and let these illegal actions destroy this progress.
Cultivate KC and your local farming community need your help. Please consider making a donation, volunteering your time, and shopping at your local farmer’s market.
