AGree: Transforming Food and Agriculture Policy

Feeding a growing global population healthy and nutritious food—while conserving natural resources and sustaining producers’ livelihoods—is a tall order. More than 1 in 6 people in the U.S. are food insecure, while poor diets put 86 million American adults at risk for type 2 diabetes. Soil health and water quality have been degraded. At the same time, farmers and rural communities face a host of threats to their longevity and way of life.

AGree: Transforming Food & Ag Policy is a strategic bipartisan response to these interconnected challenges. With support from leading U.S. foundations, Meridian brought together leaders from food and agriculture, conservation, public health, nutrition, rural development, and international development to grapple with the big questions facing our food system. AGree bridged a number of divides—rural and urban, conventional and organic, hunger and nutrition—to develop consensus recommendations that elevate food and agriculture as a national priority.

AGree co-chairs and advisors developed roadmaps for policy and programmatic innovation. With Meridian’s support, they consulted over 2,300 people to identify key opportunities for reform. Together, we developed consensus recommendations and policy ideas related to:

• Food & Nutrition: Cultivating Healthy Communities
• Immigration Reform: Achieving a Stable, Legal Workforce
• International Development: Promoting Development through Food and Agriculture
• Local Food: Revitalizing Community-based Food Systems
• Research & Innovation: Strengthening Agricultural Research
• Working Landscapes: Achieving Productivity, Profitability, and Environmental Outcomes

AGree launched the AGree Economic and Environmental Risk Coalition that was active during 2018 Farm Bill negotiations, successfully lobbying for provisions related to agricultural data and cover crops. Meridian currently supports the Coalition’s work on crop insurance, agriculture data access, cover crops, and banking and finance that is advancing the agricultural sector’s movement towards a more resilient, profitable, and sustainable American agricultural system.

Meridian also produces the AGree Newsfeed. This free, daily news service highlights important stories on domestic and international food and agriculture. We summarize academic articles, government and non-governmental studies, and news sources to provide readers with balanced information on pertinent topics.