Valley leaders react to USDA cuts to local food programs

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The USDA and the Trump medication are cutting implicit $1 cardinal successful section nutrient programs.

In a property league Monday, Democratic Congressman Jim Costa gathered Valley leaders to dependable the alarm.

Those programs are the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program besides known arsenic LFPA, and the Local Food For Schools Program oregon LFS.

They were started successful the aftermath of the pandemic to money the acquisition of foods produced locally.

At the time, the USDA said the extremity was to code nutrient insecurity and enactment section farmers.

"Without the national backing Fresno region schools and nutrient banks volition conflict to support locally sourced repast programs forcing galore of our schoolhouse districts to standard backmost caller nutrient offerings oregon question alternate backing sources," said Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Michele Cantwell-Copher.

Fresno Unified received astir $500,000 during the 2022 to 2023 schoolhouse year, which was utilized to bargain caller produce, integrated meats, and more.

In the district, repast programs assistance astir 90 percent of students who are facing important economical challenges.

"For galore of our students, the meals they person astatine schoolhouse aren't conscionable a portion of their day, they are a lifeline," said Nikki Henry with the Fresno Unified School District.

"They substance learning, engagement, and growth."

In a statement, the USDA explained schoolhouse meals volition proceed to beryllium funded but the pandemic-era programs are nary longer needed, writing:

"As a pandemic-era program, LFPA volition present beryllium sunsetted astatine the extremity of the show period, marking a instrumentality to long-term, fiscally liable initiatives. This isn't an abrupt shift-just past week, USDA released implicit fractional a cardinal successful antecedently obligated funds for LFPA and LFS to fulfill existing commitments and enactment ongoing section nutrient purchases.

"With 16 robust nutrition programs successful place, USDA remains focused connected its halfway mission: strengthening nutrient security, supporting cultivation markets, and ensuring entree to nutritious food. Unlike the Biden Administration, which funneled billions successful CCC funds into short-term programs with nary program for longevity, USDA is prioritizing stable, proven solutions that present lasting impact. The COVID epoch is over-USDA's attack to nutrition programs volition bespeak that world moving forward."

Congressman Costa's bureau says much than 500 tiny farmers successful California, including 100 from the Valley person benefited from these programs.

"The termination volition person important impacts connected farmers successful agrarian communities, scrambling to find caller markets -- to fig retired wherever to nonstop the nutrient they've already planted -- to fig retired what to bash with the seeds they purchased oregon the instrumentality they purchased, and it volition besides mean 39 cardinal less meals for bare families," said Paul Towers, Executive manager with the Community Alliance with Family Farms.

It's important to note, that nutrient banks are besides captious successful the concern with farmers and schools and impacted by the cuts.

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