Ensuring USDA COVID-19 Aid Goes to Most Impacted

April 9, 2020

PCC signed onto the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging the agency to direct relief funds to farmers most impacted by loss of market channels due to COVID-19.

The necessary actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have directly impacted farmers, food workers and farmworkers. Farmers have incurred additional costs in worker safety improvements, operational changes and sanitation. Many have also lost valuable market channels with the closure of restaurants, farmers markets, schools, cafeterias and other venues.

Those market channels are disproportionately utilized by new farmers, farmers of color and limited-resource farmers. To ensure regional food system resilience and equity, the letter asks USDA to direct funding to those most impacted by additional costs and loss of income from those direct market channels.

Read the full letter to Secretary Perdue here.