1989-2009 Grassroots Organizing To Support Organic

Much of this collection deals with the campaign’s organic committee, which was the organic policy arm of the campaign and the main organic advocacy group influencing federal organic policy and appropriations. The collection includes action alerts relating to helping shape and implement farm bills, monitoring and influencing the National Organic Standards Board and the National Organic Program, and influencing organic issues overall.

How We All Work Together

Fourth Draft 5/21/03 See clarifying notes in green at bottom of document What Unites Us: Over the past decade, the five regional Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups (SAWGs), the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture have been working together for a food and agricultural system that is: Economically profitable Environmentally sound Based on family farms Socially just Each of these groups has its unique history, organizational path and scope of work. Yet, they all come together to forward their common goals. A brief history:

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We Support the Campaign For Sustainable Agriculture

The undersigned organizations support The Campaign For Sustainable Agriculture, a national network working to support family farms, protect the environment, and foster a sustainable food and agricultural system. The Campaign includes grassroots and national organizations representing family farmers, environmentalists, consumers, farmworkers, rural advocates, people of faith, animal protection advocates, agricultural scientists and educators, and other concerned citizens. Campaign priorities include reforming commodity programs, enhancing conservation programs, improving agricultural research and extension, empowering minority farmers and farmworkers, and promoting new marketing alternatives.

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Paper Describing the Structure, Purpose, and Activities of the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

The Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, a national farm policy initiative supported by WSAA and more than 400 other national and grassroots organizations, has become a significant force in the ongoing process of influencing the agriculture appropriations process and shaping a new five-year farm bill in 1995. The campaign is mobilizing support for existing funding levels for organic and sustainable agriculture programs and for adoption of new farm policy options that reward, rather than penalize, good stewardship of land and water resources. These options were developed in a national participatory process initiated by representatives of environmental, consumer, animal protection, organic farming, sustainable agriculture, and other organizations in 1992.  The small group that started the process included WSAA board member Fred Kirschenmann and WSAA Associate Director Roger Blobaum. In addition to presenting packets of information on reform options to all 535 members of Congress and describing these options to the press in mid-March, campaign participants will discuss them in small meetings with lawmakers in their states and districts during the three-week Congressional spring break that began April 7. The stewardship options include 1) converting existing annual set-aside programs to a multi-year conservation-based program that would reward farmers who cut production in ways…

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