As the 2012 budget battle heats up federal programs affecting every aspect of daily life are on the chopping block, including those that get food from the farm to the table. A coalition of farmers, food and environmental advocates are lobbying Congress to protect and improve the 2008 Food, Conservation, and Energy Act, or Farm Bill. The legislation funds and regulates many aspects of U.S. agriculture. Roughly 2/3 of Farm Bill funding is dedicated to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps. Roughly one-third goes to direct payments to farmers. That leaves a sliver of farm bill funding for an array of innovative programs that support sustainable agriculture and bring fresh food to urban areas. The highly politicized budget battle is expected to turn the next authorization of the Farm Bill into a tough fight. The most vulnerable to cuts are small pots of money that make a big impact on community organizations around the country, including here in LA.

Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar spoke with Renée Maas, Senior Organizer of Food and Water Watch and Tony Bautista, Sustainability Director of La Causa, on April 27, 2011.

Watch a video of the interview here:

Find out more at www.foodandwaterwatch.org. Find out more about La Causa’s work at http://palomaplight.wordpress.com/

Martina Steiner recorded this interview.