Agriculture Fairness Alliance ® is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit whose mission is to strategically employ lobbyists to accelerate policy changes that make sustainable plant-based food accessible to everyone at a price they can afford, empower communities to develop local plant based agriculture systems, and give farmers tools and strategy to transition from animal ag to plant based farming.
AFA supports the following principles:
1.Local Food Supply and Plant-Based Hubs
Policies should seek to reconnect local plant-based farmers to local consumers by increasing
subsidies, funding, and/or programs for domestic plant-based crops specifically for human
consumption. These policies should also increase access for all Americans to nutritional food
crops including fiber-rich foods, grains, and fungi by expanding funding programs available for
plant-based farmers.
2.Farmer Mobility and Choice
The 2023 Farm Bill should give ranchers and farmers better options by helping them transition to
plant-based farming in response to mitigating livestock disease, avert climate impacts, and to
create a local, healthy food supply. The government should prioritize programs for small and
medium-sized farmers providing them direct assistance that is more economically sound for their
livelihoods and will reduce their dependency on government funding.We suggest adopting a pilot
program modeled after the work of the Rancher Advocacy Program, a program founded by a
former cattle rancher in Texas who helps farmers transition to sustainable, fiber-rich crop
production. AFA has legislative language (the Farm and Ranch Mobility Sustainability
Act – FARMS Act) that offers options to American farmers wanting to tap into the fast-growing
fiber-rich foods market.
3.Nutrients of Public Health Concern
The following under-consumed nutrients are listed as a public health concern in the dietary
guidelines for Americans 2020-2025: Calcium, Vitamin D, Potassium, Fiber, and Iron. Farm Bill
policies should aim to increase nutrient-dense plant-based food access for SNAP programs, as
well as for all Americans adversely impacted by increasing inflation.
4.Plate to Planet Soil Regeneration
To truly create sustainable food production, expanded research programs that look at the cost,
speed, and resources needed to regenerate soil with certain plant types should be implemented.
5.Plant-Based Growers Safety Nets
Policies should ensure that plant growers are fairly recognized by programs that utilize the
Commodity Credit Corporation and other resources when there are relief programs such as those
created in response to extraordinary events.
6.Racial Equity to BIPOC Consumers and Farmers
The Committee should undertake a review of all federal programs that unfairly deny or leave out
BIPOC consumers and farmers to understand what the cause of limited utilization is. All federal
programs should ensure equal access to BIPOC consumers and farmers and should utilize
technology and local consultants.