142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Online Program

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

308124
Public Health Interests and the 2014 Farm Bill: Analyzing the Effectiveness of Multi-Sector Collaborations in Driving Policy Reform

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM

Holly Calhoun , Healthy Farms Healthy People, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Food and agriculture policy opportunities to improve nutrition and health outcomes are of increasing interest to the public health community. Public heath professionals and advocates were more involved in the 2014 farm bill reauthorization process that finally came to an end with the passage of the Agriculture Act of 2014 on 7 February 2014 than in previous farm bill cycles. Representing relatively new interests in the farm bill debate, public health worked in trans-disciplinary partnerships and coalitions to move forward its agenda.

This session will assess the outcomes of the 2014 farm bill for the public’s health, and identify strategies for multi-sector collaboration to influence farm bill implementation, agricultural appropriations, the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization and the next Farm Bill Reauthorization, in addition to policy opportunities at the state, local, and regional level which are becoming catalysts for innovative food and health policy reforms.

Analysis of the provisions of the legislation will be complemented by a detailed assessment of the reauthorization process, which will include an evaluation of the organizing, advocacy, and policy efforts across sectors. A stakeholder analysis will deconstruct the full spectrum of farm bill interests to identify what sectors worked together and against each other, and how those dynamics furthered or hindered public health interests in the final legislation. 

After nearly three years of negotiation, it is critical that we analyze the outcomes of our efforts and identify a cohesive strategy for multi-sector collaboration to improve the public’s health through future agriculture, food, and nutrition policy opportunities.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related public policy
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Identify opportunities for multi-sector collaboration for food, nutrition, and agriculture policy reform to improve public health. Describe the spectrum of farm bill interest and which stakeholder groups worked for or against public health interests in the 2014 farm bill reauthorization process.

Keyword(s): Public Policy, Network Analysis

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I serve as the Project Coordinator for the Healthy Farms Healthy People Coalition, which works to build multi-sector collaboration for policy reform in the interest of the public's health at the local, state, and national levels. I have been actively engaged in coalition building through the past two years of the farm bill reauthorization process, and regularly facilitate education and dialogue between public health professionals and other sectors.
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.

Back to: 3238.0: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Collaborations