Agriculture and Food Systems Working Group

Food systems are complex, and each aspect is impacted by federal, state and local policies along with programs that can help or hurt producers, consumers, communities and the land. Smart policy choices create strong, sustainable, local supply chains and healthy food systems that support Kentucky farmers and keep communities fed. Throughout the pandemic, as global supply chains weakened, local retailers, farmers and markets not only survived, but were able to step in and provide more food to more families because of Kentucky programs like Double Dollars and Farm to Food Banks. Kentucky can build on these successes during the next legislative session.
To support Kentucky's farmers and producers, the Ag. and Food Systems Working Group works to:
  • Create a Healthy Farm and Food Innovation Fund to put state dollars into supporting programs such as Kentucky Double Dollars (KDD), Farms to Food Banks and Fresh RX for MOMs.
  • Support farmers through merchant solar projects or establishing a Healthy Soils Program.
  • Ensure state agencies have the resources to pay, recruit and maintain an efficient, well-administered and adequately financed KDA and CHFS to support farmers, farming communities and families across the commonwealth.

Child and Adult Feeding Working Group

All Kentuckians should have enough food, but Kentucky ranked 8th in the country for food insecurity in 2019. Nutrition assistance programs help families keep food on the table, with over 550,000 Kentuckians currently participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 113,300 families participating in the Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) program, 650,000 kids receiving help with groceries through the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program and over 682,000 kids qualifying for free or reduced lunch in school. But not everyone is getting the help they need, and the General Assembly has opportunities to improve access. All Kentuckians, wherever they live, whether Black, white or brown, younger or older, should be able to get help with groceries through state and federal nutrition assistance programs with respect and dignity and without judgment, stigma or guilt.
To ensure more Kentucky families are fed, the Child and Adult Feeding Working Group works to:
  • Take down barriers and making food assistance as accessible as possible for Kentuckians.
  • Support campus-led efforts to reduce hunger among many postsecondary students.
  • Feed all hungry children and support schools with school meals for all.
  • Improve student health by incentivizing schools to participate in Farm to School.
  • Provide KDE and DCBS with need resources for data management, outreach and communications as well as adequate wages to maintain critical staff who administer programs.

SNAP & WIC Technical Assistance Group

Government administered public assistance programs are critical to stabilizing Kentuckians facing hunger. Unfortunately, sometimes these programs fail to reach those that need them the most or are hard to navigate. The SNAP & WIC TAG is meant for professionals or community members who help Kentuckians enroll in or keep public assistance. The TAG does not participate in direct policy advocacy like the other Working Groups of KFAN and is specifically meant to provide peer support and technical assistance for individuals doing direct service with those facing hunger.

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