Budget Advocacy Campaigns

March 2024
Saving Food Hubs and Small Farm Disaster Relief

Right now, $12 million for small farm disaster relief as well as $14 million meant to support local food hubs are at risk of getting completely eliminated from the state budget. By signing on to CAFF's letter today, you can help tell state leaders that these investments are simply too important to cut.

January 2024
2024-2025 State Budget Proposal
CAFF Against Proposed Budget Cuts to Small Farm Programs

California Governor Gavin Newsom has released his 2024-25 state budget proposal, which makes significant cuts to climate and sustainable agriculture funding to address an almost $38 billion budget deficit. Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) thanks the Governor for maintaining funding for newer equity-centered programs supporting urban farmers and beginning farmer training. However, despite this, the Governor’s budget proposal also proposes significant cuts to long-term infrastructure investments and essential recovery relief funds from extreme drought. While acknowledging the limitations of this year’s budget deficit, the over $100 million in budget cuts in family farmer-centered programs is disappointing to California’s family farmers as they work to build equitable food systems and climate change resilience. 

July 2023
2023-2024 State Budget Bill
$52 Million in Funding for Small Farms
$52 Million in Funding for Small Farms

The 23-24 budget includes several financial relief opportunities for farmers who experienced devastation by the recent winter storms. Even in a budget-stressed year these commitments are still essential. We hope to see equally or stronger commitments to California’s underserved family farmers in future years.

July 2022
2022-2023 State Budget Bill
Significant Investments & Drought Relief for Family Farmers

“We are pleased to see the state legislature and Governor Newsom’s administration prioritize this financial relief for California’s small scale and underserved farmers that have been severely impacted by the drought. We hope to see swift action in allocating these funds to farmers who need immediate relief,” said Paul Towers, Executive Director at CAFF. “We also look forward to additional investments that enable farmers and our food system to be more resilient in the face of future disasters, including the Climate-Energy package that the Legislature will take up later this summer.”

September 2021
Climate Budget Package Signed
Historic Climate Budget and Small Farm Infrastructure Funding Passed
Historic Climate Budget and Small Farm Infrastructure Funding Passed

This year’s budget was a success for California’s family farmers. Amidst a devastating pandemic where many small and mid-sized farms lost significant revenue, made only worse by a historic drought, CAFF set out to ensure these family farmers could stay afloat by advocating for critical investments and a campaign to #rescuesmallfarms in crisis. During this year’s legislative cycle, we advocated for small business emergency relief funding, culturally appropriate technical assistance, new farmer training, as well as tool sharing and supply chain infrastructure.