Healthy communities support healthy farms

INTRODUCTION: As diet-related chronic disease rates grow, communities are implementing a variety of policies to increase access to healthy foods. While local policy is critical to ensuring that the local food system meets unique community needs, it's important for nutrition advocates to understand how their work fits into the federal policy picture. The 2012 Farm Bill will determine federal food and farm policy for the next five years. Local practitioners should prepare to connect their work to specific Farm Bill provisions and to articulate how federal policy can improve access to healthy food at the local level. METHODS: Public Health Law & Policy provides technical assistance to communities around the U.S. working on obesity prevention policy. Through this work, we see numerous examples of local and state food access initiatives that are affected by the Farm Bill. We have identified key Farm Bill provisions that have direct links to local and state food policy. RESULTS: We will explore Farm Bill provisions alongside stories from obesity prevention efforts around the country. We will analyze various Farm Bill proposals based on whether they could support local obesity prevention initiatives. DISCUSSION: Local nutrition advocates need to understand the connection between their work and the larger food policy environment in order to engage effectively in the upcoming Farm Bill debate. The presenter will connect local efforts to federal efforts. She will also provide ideas and resources for advocates wanting to use their local expertise to effect change at the federal level.