ACCOMPANY LOCAL ACTION

By supporting and resourcing local advocates across the United States, we are weaving together strategies towards making the right to food real in people’s lives at local and state levels.

We work alongside local advocates towards a future where the right to food is established and protected in law, policy, and practice. Developing a rights-based legal framework at local and state levels is a critical step towards ensuring that everyone can access the food that meets their needs, both now and in the future. This goes hand in hand with practical improvements to all the ways we experience food in our lives - in our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our communities.

Approach | Action | Working Group

Our Approach

Accompanying and supporting advocates at local and state levels with right to food tools, strategies, and resources.

Where are we headed?

The right to food is strengthened in law, policy, and practice in state and local jurisdictions at the intersection of food, agriculture, health, housing, labor and the environment.

How will we get there?

Build a community of advocates working at local and state levels in the United States, and resource this community with rights-based tools and approaches.

Motivation

Human rights are tools that we can use to transform the food system into one that nourishes people and the planet.

We believe there is a gap in our legal framework that has allowed power and decision-making in our country to be consolidated by corporations. We also believe we can begin filling this gap with action at local and state levels. States, cities, and other local jurisdictions have specific powers and autonomy that can be harnessed to improve people’s lives, and making progress at a local level lays the foundation for national laws and policies to follow. Recognizing food as a human right helps to clarify shared goals, coordinate action across sectors and public agencies, and strengthen protections locally. Establishing a right to food in local ordinances, city charters, and state constitutions is a practical way local advocates and elected officials can continue to make progress while work is stalled at the federal level. Stronger legal protections at local and state levels will help all of us work together towards: Coordinated action that benefits the well-being of people, communities, and the planet;Greater awareness and understanding of our roles and responsibilities as rights-holders, rather than simply stakeholders;Government and corporate accountability for harm they cause. In the United States, we are all still learning how to use human rights tools and approaches in our work to transform the food system. As a national community of practice, we are well placed to coordinate and catalyze learning opportunities (direct and peer-to-peer) between different local contexts, within the U.S. and with other countries.

Right to Food Advocates in Action

Across the country, local people are advancing the right to food by strengthening legal protections and improving practice in communities.

Our members draw attention to the intersecting challenges at the heart of our food system.

State laws, policies, and regulations are critical levers for the progressive realization of the right to food in the United States. Working closer to home, state legislatures and governments can be more nimble and responsive to organizing in their local context. State-level advocacy also provides opportunities to build momentum across a region or in states of similar size when one state sets an example for others to follow. We work with partners and legislators at the state level to develop, campaign for, and enact legislation that respects, protects, and fulfills the right to food. This includes laws and policies that lead to: Resilient local and regional food systemsRobust farming and fishing economiesSchool meals for allIncreased minimum wagesPublic health facilities providing fresh food prescriptions to prevent and treat diet-related disease Maine was the first state in the country to embed a Right to Food constitutional amendment in 2021, and momentum is growing elsewhere.

Cities, counties, and rural townships across the U.S. have an important role to play in advancing the right to food. Local ordinances, policies, and resolutions can support practical steps towards greater protection of the right to food in our local communities. Local governments can also use rights-based approaches to encourage greater participation in local decision-making, improve transparency in how money is spent, and take steps to ensure policies and practices are promoting equity and justice. Local governments and elected officials often have the power to develop policies and practices that lead to:Greater access to land for growing food Increased minimum wagesSchool meals for allFinancing for cooperative grocery storesFunding for farm to food assistance In fact, many local policies and practices that support food as a human right have emerged from examples of communities developing local solutions to food system challenges, such as through cooperative farming and marketing, mutual aid efforts, and land back reparations.

Right to Food in Local Places Working Group

Our Right to Food in Local Places Working Group brings members together to share strategies and support local right-to-food efforts.

Explore the Working Group