Greening Food Deserts Act

Bill: 111-hr-4971
Sponsor: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]
Introduced: 2010-03-25 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural education
Agricultural practices and innovations
Alternative and renewable resources
Census and government statistics
Department of Agriculture
Elementary and secondary education
Executive agency funding and structure
Food assistance and relief
Forests, forestry, trees
Fruit and vegetables
Government lending and loan guarantees
Nutrition and diet
Pest management
Poverty and welfare assistance
Urban and suburban affairs and development

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-25
text: 
Greening Food Deserts Act - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Office of Urban Agriculture which shall coordinate Department of Agriculture (USDA) activities related to urban agriculture and nutrition.
 
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary to provide technical assistance in support of backyard conservation and community gardening programs involving small-scale subsistence and personal-use agriculture. 
 
Amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 regarding urban and community forestry assistance to give a priority to the production and procurement in urban areas of plant materials that are resistant to invasive species.
 
 Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations for the seniors farmers' market nutrition program. 
 
Directs the Secretary to make loans, provide loan guarantees, and make grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for farmers' market construction and renovation.
 
Amends the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 to include an evaluation of state farmers' markets in each agriculture census.
 
Renames the Rural Energy for America Program as the Renewable Energy for America Program.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to make a microloan or grant available to support outreach activities for: (1) developing food production in communities not traditionally associated with agricultural production; and (2) supporting local food production and distribution. 
 
Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase reimbursement rates for school lunch, breakfast, and summer food service meals consisting in whole or part of foods produced through agricultural education programs that use enrolled students to produce food and provide the food to in-house feeding programs.
 
 Amends The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary to make eight grants each fiscal year to regional food banks or consortiums of community feeding programs for a demonstration project to produce fresh fruits and vegetables at these facilities while teaching eligible households how to engage in small-scale food production residentially or at community gardens.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-06-18
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research.
action_date: 2010-06-18
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.
action_date: 2010-04-30
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
action_date: 2010-03-25
text: Referred to House Education and Labor
action_date: 2010-03-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2010-03-25
text: Referred to House Agriculture
action_date: 2010-03-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2010-03-25
text: Introduced in House