Resource Library
Browse 100+ resources on food systems law and policy.
State Farm to School Policy Handbook: 2002–2023
The Handbook summarizes and analyzes every farm to school and early care and education (ECE) bill and resolution introduced from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2023, across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories.
Topic: Energy Audience: Community Organizations, Consumers, Farmers, PolicymakersENERGIZING AGRICULTURE Policy Opportunities for Beneficial Electrification on the Farm
This report explains how beneficial electrification in agriculture fosters a robust electric grid, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and cuts energy costs for both consumers and utilities.
Topic: Resilience Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersFood Systems Resilience Planning and the Climate Crisis
This resource addresses the need for equity-centered food systems resilience as an essential component of climate crisis response in the short and long term, with a focus on healthy food access.
Topic: Other Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersAppealing for Relief
This report finds that farmers denied federal direct farm operating and ownership loans won only 17 percent of appeals and examines the basis for those denials. It identifies opportunities for reform at every step of the appeals process.
Topic: Farmworkers Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersPrecarious Protection
This report examines the shortfalls related to compliance with the Worker Protection Standard and presents recommendations to improve farmworker safety.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersFood and Nutrition Policy at the Local Level
This report identifies recent themes and trends in U.S. laws and executive orders at the local government level that relate to improving food access and other aspects of food and nutrition security, as well as emerging priority areas that may affect this area of policymaking in the future.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersThe State of Prison Food in New England
This report examines the laws and policies that shape food in New England’s publicly operated correctional facilities. It offers recommendations for advocates and policymakers to ensure nutritious and safe meals while improving how prison food is sourced and served.
Topic: Other Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersEnergy and Equity in Cannabis Cultivation
The cannabis industry already accounts for at least one percent of all electricity consumption in the United States. The resource explores how lawmakers can fairly and effectively regulate electricity use by growers.
Topic: Animal Agriculture, Resilience Audience: Community Organizations, Growers, Policymakers, ResearchersManaged Rotational Grazing Policies
This report explores how farm bill programs can be leveraged to encourage managed rotational grazing, a system of livestock management that is a more climate-friendly alternative to industrial forms of livestock production.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersLocal Policy to Promote Healthy Food Access: A Food Systems Framework
This resource shows the range of policy options for communities seeking to increase access to healthy food and gives examples of local laws and comprehensive plans that promote access to healthy food at various points along the food system.
Topic: Farm Bill, Farmworkers, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersThe 2023 Farm Bill: FBLE Recommendations Overview
The Farm Bill Law Enterprise undertook a multi-year process identify legislative opportunities to advance shared public values through the farm bill in response to challenges in addressing the climate crisis, strengthening the U.S. food system, advancing equity and racial justice, stabilizing the food sector economy, and improving access to nutritious food. This document provides an overview of FBLE’s 2023 Farm Bill recommendations.
Topic: Farmworkers Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersExposed and At Risk
This report determines that existing regulations for pesticide safety are often under-enforced due to systemic reporting issues, a complex federal and state enforcement system, and the conflicting responsibilities of some enforcing bodies. The report aims to prompt law and policy solutions formulated with the lived experience of farmworkers in mind.
Topic: Farm Bill Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersEquity in Agricultural Production & Governance
This report identifies ways the farm bill can reform USDA governance, accountability, and farm support systems; land and credit access; and investments in education to promote equity in the sector.
Topic: Animal Agriculture, Energy Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersRethinking Manure Biogas
This report analyzes the role that manure biogas plays in a climate mitigation strategy, specifically tackling its environmental justice impacts and how policymakers can ensure an effective and equitable climate future.
Topic: Farm Bill Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersFarm Viability
The next farm bill should accelerate progress by addressing the barriers impeding a more diverse and robust rural economy. This report outlines Goals and Recommendations, including specific Legislative and Administrative Opportunities for change, tailored to advancing these objectives in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Topic: Other Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersSeafood Fraud
This report examines the legal and regulatory framework for preventing, detecting, and enforcing against seafood fraud, and makes recommendations for policymakers to address the issue of seafood fraud both domestically and abroad.
Topic: Gleaning Audience: Gleaners2020 Gleaning Census
This report gathers data from gleaning organizations across the U.S. to understand their strengths, struggles, and needs.
Topic: Farmland Access, Healthy Food Access, Urban Agriculture Audience: Community Organizations, Growers, Policymakers, ResearchersGrowing Food Where You Live
This resource discusses the different legal obstacles to growing food for those who rent their home, lease the land they live on, or live in common interest communities, and provides examples of local laws that support growing food where you live.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy, Food Labels Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersDefining Local Food
From a legal standpoint, what is "local" food? This report describes the various definitions for "local" or other analogous terms used in state laws meant to incentivize or otherwise promote the purchase of agricultural products that meet those definitions. The appendix includes a 50-state scan of "local food" definitions.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy Audience: Community Organizations, PolicymakersState Farm to School Policy Handbook 2002–2020
This resource summarizes and analyzes Farm to School bills and resolutions introduced between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2020, from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
Topic: Other Audience: Policymakers, ResearchersLegal Trends for Farm and Food Operations in the New England Region
This report analyzes cases placed through the Legal Food Hub and the use of an online resource library to document and analyze recurring legal issues in order to relate these regional trends to national findings.
Topic: Farmworkers Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersEssential and In Crisis
This report, published by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, reviews available research on a variety of public health threats that farmworkers face and demonstrates how these health burdens are, in part, the result of laws, policies, and practices intentionally designed to limit this workforce's resources and recourse to fight against unsafe working conditions.
Topic: Farmworkers Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersEssentially Unprotected
This report explores gaps in U.S. laws and policies that put farmworkers at risk, specifically focusing on those that affect two of farmworkers’ most critical workplace hazards: pesticide exposure and heat-related illness. This report provides an overview of the findings as well as policy recommendations.
Topic: Other Audience: Growers, Policymakers, ResearchersDefining and Regulating Agritourism
This report provides a comparative analysis of state legislative approaches to agritourism from 2019-2020, including definitions of agritourism, and other areas of importance, such as liability, zoning, funding, taxation, and licensing.
Topic: Healthy Food Access, Resilience Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersMunicipal Policies to Support Food Access During Emergencies
This resource discusses food access challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and examines trends in local government policies addressed these challenges while prioritizing health and equity.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersMunicipal Policy Options for Healthy Food Access in Stores and Restaurants
This resource provides a menu of policy approaches to increase access of healthy food in food stores and restaurants, as well as some new innovations and emerging opportunities.
Topic: National Food Strategy Audience: Community Organizations, PolicymakersThe Urgent Call for a U.S. National Food Strategy
This resource illustrates the need for a coordinated federal approach to food and agricultural law and policymaking through an analysis and review of new domestic strategies and coordination approaches, as well as international food strategies developed between 2017 and 2020.
Topic: Energy, Other Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersConsiderations for a Shared Vision of Vermont Soil Policy
“Soil health” encompasses far more than its name discloses. There appears to be a meaningful role for the state legislature to play in developing effective healthy soils policy, building on community-led collaboration.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersState Policy Options to Increase Access to Healthy Food
This resource explores state policy trends and opportunities related to healthy food access, including state administration of SNAP, food sovereignty, food recovery, creating healthier retail food environments, and state procurement of locally grown foods.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersRegional Trends in New England Farm to Institution Procurement Policy
This report compiles and distills the findings of six state snapshots and makes recommendations on how the states can work together to increase the amount of local food purchased by institutions throughout New England.
Topic: Resilience Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersFood Systems Resilience
The report provides advocates and policymakers with a primer on food systems resilience and gives policy options for strengthening food systems resilience using a food security framework.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersState Law Companion
This resource lists and summarizes state laws passed between January 1, 2015, and June 14, 2018, that address access to healthy food access.
Topic: Farm Bill Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersProductivity and Risk Management
This report sets goals and recommendations for the 2018 Farm Bill and explores how commodities, conservation, and crop insurance policy can support broader notions of productivity and risk management that prioritize farmer livelihoods and long-term health of natural resources.
Topic: Gleaning, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, GleanersReducing Food Insecurity and Food Waste Improving the National Framework to Support Gleaning Operations
This report recommends programs and policies that would increase fresh food donations from gleaning organizations to nonprofit distributors.
Topic: National Food Strategy Audience: Community Organizations, PolicymakersBlueprint for a National Food Strategy
The Blueprint provides an overview of U.S. food system regulation, identifies inconsistencies in some of these laws and authorities, and offers recommendations for a coordinated solution based on an analysis of selected domestic and international models.
Topic: Gleaning Audience: GleanersModels for Success: A Set of Case Studies Examining Gleaning Efforts across the United States
This report highlights the innovative work of gleaning and fresh food recovery organizations in the U.S. and describes different organizational models, collaborative efforts, and examples of successful initiatives.