141st APHA Annual Meeting

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Where we stand with the farm bill reauthorization and how partnerships achieved success for community food access and local food systems

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Helen Dombalis, MPH, MSW , NFSN, National Farm to School Network, Washington, DC
The presenter will provide an overview of the current status of Farm Bill legislation. Regardless of whether or not Congress completes a full five-year Farm Bill reauthorization before the APHA meeting in November, this presentation will address lessons learned from the 2012 and 2013 debates in Capitol Hill and from grassroots engagement during this process. The presenter will exemplify how broad organizational partnerships were successful in furthering food and farm policies that impact community health, including advancements in the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, in Farm to School programs, and in general for healthy food access. Finally, the presenter will identify opportunities for communities to play a role in shaping the future of food and farm policy and its impacts on the health of communities.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe the advocacy work of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Explain what the Farm Bill is and its overall content and process for reauthorization. Discuss how the most recent Farm Bill debate successfully achieved community food and food access goals.

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Helen Dombalis is a federal advocate for food and agriculture policy through the Farm Bill and Child Nutrition Reauthorization. She has researched the role of local and regional food systems in community economic development and now staffs NSAC’s Marketing, Food Systems, & Rural Development Committee, which includes work on farm to school and child nutrition. Helen also serves as a Policy Co-Chair for the American Public Health Association’s Food and Environment Working Group.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.