This month we’re very happy to announce a new report we’ve created called Rebuilding America’s Economy with Family Farm-Centered Food Systems. This isn’t another doom-and-gloom look at the sorry state of the economy; it’s a look at the innovative farmers who prove what Farm Aid president Willie Nelson has been saying for years: Family farmers are the first rung on the economic ladder. All across the country, family farmers are building local and regional food systems that are contributing to our national economic recovery.
“In 1985, we started out to save the family farmer. Now it looks like the family farmer is going to save us. As our nation continues to endure an historic economic downturn, America’s family farmers offer us much hope.” — Willie Nelson, Farm Aid President
Seeds of hope lie in America’s family farmers and ranchers despite the grim economic conditions facing the nation. Our new report seeks to underscore what we at Farm Aid know as a simple truth: supporting family farmers and family farm centered food systems is a powerful strategy for jumpstarting our fragile economy and revitalizing communities across America.