The passage of the $307 billion federal Farm Bill drew hoots of derision from nearly all shades on the political spectrum. Deficit hawks said it was laden with pork. President Bush said it was a boon to rich farmers. International poverty leaders said it would exacerbate the world food shortage.

Finding fault with this farm bill isn’t hard; efforts to push for a major overhaul definitely came up short. But in addition to significant increases in funds for food stamps, particularly important in a time of escalating food prices and higher unemployment, embedded in the huge bill are some provisions that could be the building blocks for much bigger changes in the future and could strengthen equity efforts already underway in states and cities to increase access to healthy foods.

As part of the powerful reframing of the farm bill as the “food bill“-a very important success in and of itself-the bill recognizes the problem of lack of access to healthy foods in communities across the country suffering, in some cases for decades, without access to a grocery store with fresh fruits and vegetables. In between patching together trips to a supermarket-by car, bus, carpool or taxi-residents typically rely on corner stores or convenience stores stocked with high-fat junk food. These high-in-calories, low-in-nutrition foods are a major driver of the nation’s obesity and diabetes epidemics.

The bill establishes a Healthy Urban Food Enterprise Development Center to increase access to healthy, affordable food-including locally produced agricultural products-to underserved communities. Grants and technical assistance are to be provided for feasibility studies to support the processing, distribution, and marketing of healthy foods. The overall focus is on meeting the needs of historically underserved communities.

In addition, the bill calls for a one-year USDA-led study (with the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Small Business Administration, the Institute of Medicine, and others) to look at the incidence of “food deserts” -areas without access to healthy and fresh food retail outlets-while identifying strategies to reduce their incidence. Backed by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), this provision could lead to better and wider understanding of the problem and support for innovative change efforts.

Beyond just studying the need for access to healthy food options, though, the farm bill also provides support for real steps that are underway to address the problem.

After a lot of effort, advocates were able to capture support for farmers’ markets-a great way to increase access to healthy food in low-income communities and sustain small farmers within the region. To reach residents who need these markets the most, the bill helps with market start-up fees and ensures that those with food stamps can make purchases. The bill’s provisions will provide grants to promote farmers’ markets and help secure the technology to take Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) payments.

Advocates also earned several hard-fought victories for farmers of color. Backed by leading groups like the Rural Coalition and the Land Loss Prevention Project, advocates were able to get the bill to include more than 30 provisions from the “Diversity Initiative” - substantially increasing access to credit, grants, services and education for socially disadvantaged farmers and farm-workers.

One of the greatest advances may actually lie in the area where many advocates were the most disappointed - specialty crops. These crops-known as fruits and vegetables to you and me-will get nearly $3 billion in grants and subsidies from the bill, the first time the bill set aside a significant sum for these crops. More than $1 billion will go directly to farmers of healthy crops like grapes, pears, and avocados. Another $1 billion will expand a pilot fruit-and-vegetable snacks-in-school program to all 50 states.

Though subsidies for corn (and the resulting cheap, unhealthy, sugar substitute corn-syrup) still significantly dwarf those for specialty crops, this is a major shift in policy that hopefully can be expanded in the future. A new alliance between advocates and growers of specialty crops was an important element in these provisions successfully making it through the arduous legislative process.

Each of these changes required a champion, from Reps. Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI) to Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and the agreement of leaders including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson (D-ND), and his Senate counterpart Tom Harkin (D-IA). While the overall bill only offers a glimpse of what a true equity-driven farm bill might look like, we must not lose sight of that vision and of what it could bring us in the next food bill debate.

Market Photo by Flickr user Wiedmaier, used under a Creative Commons license. Please visit Wiedmaier’s photostream for many more beautiful photos.

Yesterday’s New York Times Opinion, “The Great Immigration Panic,” poignantly depicts the “war” that has been waged on immigrants in the U.S. It describes the current state of affairs:

“A nation of immigrants is holding another nation of immigrants in bondage, exploiting its labor while ignoring its suffering, condemning its lawlessness while sealing off a path to living lawfully,” while exhorting the Presidential candidates (Obama & McCain) to “confront the issue with courage and a plan.”

The journey for equity in the U.S. must afford undocumented immigrant families a proper path towards citizenship, in a manner that is dignified, and recognizes our collective identity.

For full and just inclusion, it is our country’s only option.

The United States is moving inexorably toward a future of greater diversity.  Latest Census figures show that minorities make up 34 percent of the total U.S. population, numbering 102.5 million people.

Latinos especially gained ground in 2007 remaining the largest minority group at 45.5 million people. African Americans are close behind at 40.7 million.  Minority groups are pushing statewide demographic trends.  Four states and the District of Columbia have a larger share of minorities than non-minorities:  Hawaii (75 percent), District of Columbia (68 percent), New Mexico (58 percent), California (57 percent) and Texas (52 percent).  Close behind are Nevada, Maryland, and Georgia at 42 percent each.

Is America prepared to reap the benefits of diversity and embrace a bright future?

One issue that remains a stumbling block is the rate of incarceration for drug-related offenses.  A May 10 editorial in The New York Times highlights two new reports by The Sentencing Project and Human Rights Watch  which show “large disparities in the rate at which blacks and whites are arrested and imprisoned for drug offenses, despite roughly equal rates of illegal drug use.”

The editorial concludes that “all is not gloomy,” pointing to an emerging shift in policy toward drug treatment as an alternative to prison and to a change in federal sentencing guidelines.

Last month, there was also positive news with the signing of the Second Chance Act, a bipartisan solution that authorizes $165 million in spending per year to help released prisoners reintegrate into society.

At a time when one in nine black men aged 20 to 34 are serving time, along with 1 in 36 adult Hispanic men, we need to take stock of what can be done to tap the abilities and potential of all Americans. We’re starting to move in the right direction but it will take all of our efforts to ensure continued progress toward that bright future.