An adventure in ameliorating agriculture!

A few years ago, I came across a call to serve on a federal advisory committee, the first ever created specifically to look at ways to improve the effectiveness of urban agriculture and innovative production. "The 2018 Farm Bill directed USDA to create this committee to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices as well as identify any barriers to urban agriculture." (https://www.usda.gov/partnerships/federal-advisory-committee-urban-ag) 

Over six hundred people from across the country responded to that call, assembling their resumés, letters of support from their networks, personal statements about why they wanted to volunteer a year or more to serve on a start up committee. I decided to send in my own literary assemblage of work experience illustrations because it was the end of the second year of the pandemic and food access was still at the top of mind for me, my family and my community. I never thought there would ever be a chance that I would be chosen as one of the twelve inaugural members of the federal advisory committee on urban agriculture and innovative production. But to my great surprise, and no doubt due to the lovely letters of support that were so kindly prepared by colleagues and former colleagues at Rural Coalition and Indigenous Peoples Task Force, Secretary Vilsak chose me! https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/dem/press/release/usda-announces-inaugural-federal-advisory-committee-on-urban-agriculture 

These past twenty four months have provided space and time to hold an incredibly enriching journey in capacity building, policy analysis, and creative collaboration. Through addressing and meeting our statutory mandate to attend 3-4 public meetings per year, my colleagues and I reviewed over 1000 written public comments, heard over 100 oral comments, and synthesized these into over 20 draft and 20 passed recommendations for the improvement of urban agriculture and innovative production in the United States. 

Our committee's first ever report to the US Secretary of Agriculture was sent in on September 30th. A second will be forthcoming this autumn. 

I am extremely proud to have been able to play a key role in the start up and initial implementation of the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Federal Advisory Committee, and look forward to seeing the work we began continue to impact the field of agriculture in years to come. 

Sincerely,

Tara A. Chadwick,

Elected Co-Chair 2023,

Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

Federal Advisory Committee 2022-2024

PS here is a sample of our meeting minutes - which are now also available in Spanish - if you need them in a different language or format - just email and ask! Comité Asesor de Agricultura Urbana y Producción Innovadora del ... - USDA https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/uaipac-public-meeting-minutes-08012023-en-espanol.pdf