During NY’s extended budget process, NOFA-NY joined allies across the state calling for increased investment in soil health programming, climate action, farmland protection, farm to school, and healthy school meals for all. We are pleased with the positive results.
NOFA-NY is grateful for the $175,000 to support our very own NOFA-NY Clover Portal and to launch a new certification equity and accessibility project! We are especially thankful to Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, Senator Michelle Hinchey, and the Assembly and Senate Agriculture committees for championing our request!
“The launch of our Clover Portal tool for farmers has been met with enthusiasm and positive experiences as it simplifies and streamlines the certification process for the organic community. The Portal enhances our ability to process files for New Yorkers quickly and with less hassle. We wholeheartedly look forward to completing our launch process this year and making this significant tool widely available. These funds give a major boost to support that effort as well as to our ongoing commitment to enhance our equity and accessibility activities.” – Bert J Olechnowicz, Certification Director, NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC
Here’s a roundup of the results of our other collaborative advocacy work:
- $134.6M to Expand Access to Free School Meals, a good first step toward Health School Meals for All coalition goals
- Some key elements of the Climate and Community Protection Fund received funding and legislative oversight including investments in infrastructure and public transit, support for New Yorkers struggling with utility bills, strengthened labor standards, clean energy job training, and support for impacted workers
- The Build Public Renewables Act enables the New York Power Authority to build new large-scale renewables more quickly, effectively, and democratically than private developers
- Increased funding for Soil and Water Conservation Districts through the $400 million Environmental Protection Fund.
- Funding was also maintained for farmland protection, the Farmland for a New Generation program, the Farm to School Grants program, and the 30% New York State Initiative with an increase in the Small Purchase Threshold enabling schools to purchase more NY products
As the legislative session continues, we are working in coalition to support:
- Birds and Bees Protection Act, a bill that limits the most harmful uses of neonic insecticide in NY
- Climate Jobs and Justice Package which a package of bills that serve as a legislative roadmap to rapidly decarbonize New York
- Good Food NY bill (awaiting reintroduction), which revises NY law to enable public institutions to adopt values-based buying practices
Sign up for action alerts for opportunities to support these efforts!
Photo by UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons