Other Ag News: Release: Senate Bill Aims to Strengthen USDA Support for Urban and Innovative Farmers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

press@sustainableagriculture.net

Tel. 347.563.6408

Washington, DC, May 4, 2026 – Late last week, Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act S.4470. This bill provides programmatic improvements and resources for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to address the growing program demand and equip the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Centers with tools to support the unique needs of urban and innovative operations. Specifically, it would promote the delivery of conservation planning and business technical assistance, enable subawards in existing grants to deliver more resources to farmers, and direct a national data collection initiative to accurately quantify the prevalence of innovative production. 

“In just a few years, the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has proven the effectiveness of pairing grants with hands-on technical assistance from trusted regional partners. We’ve seen new partnerships form and hundreds of projects launched that support incubator farms, training, and youth development initiatives nationwide. The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act would provide a permanent pathway to replicate this approach while providing the necessary funding to fully implement it,” commented Hannah Quigley, NSAC Policy Specialist. 

“Investing in cooperative agreements between USDA and community technical assistance providers is not only effective for amplifying USDA resources; it is critical in a time where USDA staffing levels are at their lowest and needs among farmers are still high,” added Quigley.

The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act would enable the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to: 

• Address the unique conservation and business-planning needs of urban and small-scale farmers;
• Enter into formal partnerships with community organizations and technical assistance providers that can more readily reach farmers; 
• Enable subawards so that farmer training and education can be paired with a modest influx of capital to have a great on-farm impact; and
• Secure reliable, mandatory funding to continue its essential operations. 

The bill will also ensure sufficient research and evaluation so that farmers continue to have access to innovative and efficient production techniques that protect natural resources and are represented in the agricultural census. 

“For decades, CAFF has stood alongside family farmers wherever they grow — including in California’s cities. The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2025 gives urban and innovative producers the institutional support they deserve: help navigating regulations, access to competitive grants, and recognition within federal agriculture programs. This is the kind of investment that keeps farming alive and thriving while decreasing food miles for consumers,” stated Keely Cervantes, Policy & Organizing Manager, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), an NSAC Member. 

“Through the production of fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate food, urban farms are actively fighting against food apartheid in their communities. But growing food is just one component of their significance; urban farms serve as important job training sites for the next generation of growers, provide stormwater infiltration, cool entire neighborhoods from the urban heat island effect, sequester carbon, divert waste from landfills, create spaces where kids can breathe easier, and where the supply chain is a walk around the block. The investment in urban agriculture proposed in the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2026 acknowledges and celebrates the critical role urban farms play in our food systems,” said Hannah Kinney Smith, Executive Director of Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, an NSAC Member.

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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more: https://sustainableagriculture.net/

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