This previous week I participated in Natural Week with the Natural Commerce Affiliation (OTA), the place the Confluences conferences organized by The Natural Heart merged with the OTA’s coverage displays and advocacy day. The individuals on this week-long occasion represented a various vary of people, together with long-standing licensed natural producers, farmers venturing into natural farming for numerous causes, scientific researchers investigating the consequences of plastics on our meals system and surroundings, in addition to plastic producers and meals distributors actively searching for alternate options.
Heading house from DC on the prepare, I had the possibility to mirror on the week and on how a lot progress has been made in natural agriculture coverage. Throughout my conferences with members of Congress from each main political events, it was abundantly clear that they and their employees had been effectively conscious of the advantages of natural farming and understood why the business deserves help from the Farm Invoice. In reality, simply this week, OTA introduced that the annual natural market has exceeded $67 billion, with the meals market contributing over $60 billion. Natural gross sales now make up greater than 6% of the full meals market. Nonetheless, regardless of these spectacular figures, analysis investments in natural agriculture stay inadequate. The Nationwide Institute of Meals and Agriculture allocates lower than 2% of its price range to natural agriculture, whereas the Agricultural Analysis Service dedicates lower than 1%.
These information are exactly why we’re so enthusiastic concerning the natural leaders and champions now we have in Congress. Within the Home, OFRF has been collaborating with Representatives Newhouse (WA-04), Panetta (CA-19), and Pingree (ME-01) to introduce the Strengthening Natural Agriculture Analysis Act (SOAR Act). In the meantime, within the Senate, now we have been working with supportive allies to develop a companion invoice, and we’ll share extra particulars within the upcoming weeks! We’re providing numerous avenues for involvement to help these essential items of laws, together with toolkits with templates for outreach and social media, explanations of the payments’ provisions, alternatives to share private tales associated to analysis, and extra! In the event you want to contribute to those efforts, please be at liberty to contact me at any time: gordon@ofrf.org.
