The politics of agriculture in the United States have long been captured by powerful corporate interests. Worse, decades of broken promises from the federal government have made many farmers, particularly farmers of color, feel that the government is the last place to turn to for solutions.

RAFI’s doing something about it. Aware that crucial issues — such as water rights and access — are typically not addressed at all in the Farm Bill, and that the endemic underfunding of BIPOC-led agricultural organizations has resulted in a lack of organizational capacity for engaging in policy advocacy, our Climate and Equity Policy Project aims to build policy advocacy capacity among historically marginalized farmers and ranchers, and the BIPOC-led grassroots organizations that support them.

Given the reality that historically marginalized farmers and ranchers are disproportionately endangered by climate change — situated in more vulnerable places or with fewer resources in the face of climate disasters — it’s even more vital that their voices help shape agricultural policy.

Our goal is to jump-start a sustained movement committed to food system policy change in the 2023 Farm Bill and beyond. Funded by the Waverley Street Foundation, and in partnership with Regenerative Agriculture Foundation and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, RAFI’s Climate and Equity Policy Project provides new financial backing and technical assistance for BIPOC farmer-led organizations to advocate effectively on their own behalf.

The project’s vision is broader than traditional policy work. As RAFI’s Executive Director Edna Rodriguez points out, many organizations might overlook the potential their work with farmers holds to influence federal policy. “Storytelling, for instance, is more than just expression: it’s essential advocacy. When farmers hone and share their narratives, they’re empowered personally and collectively to ensure that policies reflect their lived experiences.”

Over the past year, 27 organizations from across the country, including the U.S. Caribbean islands, have received grants through this project to build their policy advocacy capacity. They have hit the ground running.

One such organization, Farm School NYC (FSNYC), trains New York City residents in urban agriculture with a focus on justice to build self-reliant communities and inspire positive local action around climate and equity. Jazz Kerr, communications manager, says, “There’s climate disaster happening all around us. It’s not that the funds aren’t there for BIPOC growers; it’s that they’re not accessible. [We want a Farm Bill with] more input and investment in our communities — communities with solutions that would benefit everyone.”

Grant funds allowed FSNYC to revamp its advocacy course and hire its first Farmer Advocate, Jocelyn Germany, who has already hosted a Farm Bill 101 session. FSNYC will continue to address immediate issues in its community and be ready for the next farm bill. Germany says, “We want change; it has to come from the bottom up. It’s not going to be perfect, it’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to happen overnight — but I’m excited that the wheels are turning. I’m excited for the hope that is happening.”

Another grant recipient, Sprout NOLA, is based in New Orleans — a place where farmers feel impacts from both climate change and the historical legacy of slavery and systemic racism. “We had such extreme heat and drought [this summer] that we had wildfires in Louisiana for the first time, and that’s definitely a climate impact that is new for us,” says Devin Wright, Sprout NOLA’s research and policy manager. “Farmers are doing the best they can to adapt and be resilient, but they’re struggling. Environmental extraction and racism are two things that come into play very deeply within our state as far as losing agricultural lands.”

Sprout NOLA was already involved in policy work, having conducted statewide Farm Bill listening sessions. The Climate and Equity Policy Project grant allowed them to build on that existing work, preparing six agricultural producers to engage in four days of intensive advocacy with federal elected officials. “The grant provided a real launching point for us,” says Wright. “To be able to have adequate funding to dream bigger and take a project to the next step was unbelievable. We got to do the best version and the biggest version of what was possible for us. The funding allowed us to do an extremely high-level, highly supportive fly-in. In a matter of a couple of days the farmers became experts at translating their story into something that policy makers cared about and would listen to.”

Another grant recipient, Virgin Islands Good Food (VIGF), is working to develop a thriving and just food system across the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Climate chaos and an over-dependence on food imports have combined to create great fragility in the islands, one subject to the whims of multinational corporations and increasingly unpredictable and dangerous weather.

VIGF Executive Director, Sommer Sibilly-Brown, whose organization provides technical resources, creates marketplaces, promotes agro-sustainable practices, and advocates locally and federally, describes the USVI and other U.S. territories as “invisible in the national story,” with issues going unaddressed in part due to the lack of representation. The USVI’s congressional delegate does not have a vote in D.C.

VIGF joined other grantees for the Washington, D.C. fly-in during the Farmers for Climate Action Rally for Resilience last March, bringing with them farmers from St. Thomas and St. Croix to network and connect with other farmers and organizations. The time in D.C. provided an opportunity to meet with their elected representative and also to join other groups as they met with their representatives to share the common goals that need to be addressed in the Farm Bill. Sibilly-Brown noted that VIGF’s D.C. visit alongside farmers from Puerto Rico highlighted the similarity of problems that farmers from both territories face. “It took us being in D.C., sitting at a table,” Sibilly-Brown says. “It shifted our focus of where the work should be happening, to focusing on the people, the farmers, who should be the Farm Bill’s primary beneficiaries. This fly-in intentionally centered small farmers as the primary voice — honoring the wisdom of the people who grow food and feed communities. That was beautiful and we need more of that.”

As of press time, Congress continues to work on the 2023 Farm Bill, a giant piece of legislation that spans multiple years and encompasses a huge swath of government programs and hundreds of billions of dollars in funding. For the Farm Bill to be written and implemented in a way that reflects the urgency of the climate crisis and the needs of those who have been historically underserved, it will take a sustained, coordinated, and well-funded movement led by BIPOC farmers to build capacity, solidarity, and relationships.

Through the Climate and Equity Policy Project, RAFI and its grantees are building power for both the present and the future.