Summer 1993 (v5n4)
	Briefly Noted Compiled by David Campbell, SAREP Clinton Budget Deletes Funding for Organic Food Programs The Fiscal Year 1994 budget submitted to Congress in April by the Clinton Administration was a major disappointment for advocates of organic agriculture. It failed to include any funding for USDA's implementation of the Organic Food Act or for continuing the work of the National Organic Standards Board. This contrasts with the budget submitted by the Bush Administration a year ago, which proposed full funding for the program. Organic food supporters must now try to convince members of Congress to add funding for organic agriculture into the 1994 budget. For more information contact Roger Blobaum, Organic Foods Production Association of North America, 907 North Tower, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. USDA Links "White Lupin" to Sustainable Agriculture USDA researchers have identified white lupin, a grain-legume developed in the 1950s, as having the potential to aid sustainable agriculture in the 1990s. The key is white lupin's nitrogen-fixing ability. In rotation with other crops, white lupin can restore nitrogen to depleted soils, avoiding the need for nitrogen fertilizer. It can also be used to increase the fiber content of many foods, including pasta and cereals. See "New Food," Nutrition Week, March 19, 1993, page 7. Promoting Food Stamp Use at Farmers' Markets After three years of demonstration projects, the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) became a permanent federal program in August 1992. The program provides participants in the Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) with $10 to $20 in farmers' market coupons in addition to their regular benefits. The aim of the program is twofold: 1) to provide clients with access to affordable, highly nutritious food, and 2) to help provide farmers with a boost from additional customers. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which oversees the program at the federal level, estimates that 450,000 people will be served by the program in 1993. Farmers' participation as vendors in the program is often easier than they believe. To receive a guide on the program, send $5 to Food Stamp and Farmers' Market Promotion Manual, Hartford Food System, 509 Wethersfield Ave., Hartford, CT 06114; or call (203)296-9325. National Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture Representatives of more than 100 different grass roots organizations met in Washington, D.C. in late February to launch a national campaign to promote sustainable agriculture in the 1995 Farm Bill. Present were groups from a range of perspectives, including advocates of rural development, animal rights, traditional farm policy, consumers and the environment. Committees formed at the meeting will produce policy recommendations which will then be debated by local members of the various organizations. This grass roots input will lead to a national conference set for spring 1994 at which a platform will be adopted to form the basis for lobbying efforts. During the policy formulation phase, researchers will be enlisted to buttress recommendations with detailed analysis. U.S. Begins Long-Term Study of Farm Family Health Three national agencies are launching a project to monitor the health of farmers, farmworkers, and their families, in what will be the largest agriculture-related health study ever undertaken in the U.S. Collaborating on the 10-year project are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The project will follow two groups of farm families, one in Iowa, and one in North Carolina. In all, more than 100,000 people will be monitored, including male and female farmers, farmers' spouses, agricultural pesticide applicators, and their children. For more information, contact the Office of Cancer Communication, National Cancer Institute, Building 31, Room 10A24, 3000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892; or call (301) 496-4000. Magnet High School for Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Beginning in the fall of 1992, Pioneer High School in San Jose, California became a magnet school specializing in agriculture and environmental sciences. It is the only school of its kind west of the Rockies, reflecting both the growing agricultural literacy movement and the new reform movement in high school education. The curriculum approaches the study of agriculture within a broader concern for the way humans interact with the environment. It also takes into account the changing nature of the food system, given that much of the growth in agricultural employment is now in technical or marketing areas, rather than in production. For more information, see Sibella Kraus's article "Pioneer Spirit" in California Farmer, April 1993, p.34. [ Back | Search | Feedback ]