11/07/2025
🌾 Farmers Are First Responders:
The Federation Deepens Its Commitment to Food Sovereignty Amid the Government Shutdown and Ongoing Crises 🇺🇸
📍 Atlanta, Georgia — The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund recognizes the urgency of the government shutdown and its impact on programs like SNAP, which millions depend on for food access 🥕🍞. We’ve built infrastructure to address crises like this — because when systems fail, our communities must stand strong 💪🏾.
For nearly six decades 🕊️, our mission has been to be a catalyst for the development of self-supporting communities through cooperative economic development 🤝, land retention 🌱, and advocacy 📣. We remain committed to protecting Black landownership and ensuring our member farmers, landowners, and co-ops have the resources they need to survive and sustain our communities ❤️.
🚜 Family farmers, especially small to mid-sized farms — and particularly Black producers — have long been left out of decisions and investments, isolated from markets, and denied the resources they are owed. That neglect is a root cause of today’s food and pricing crisis 🍽️💸.
🌾 Farmers are first responders. Even in a government shutdown and turbulent political climate 🌪️, Black farmers, landowners, and co-ops continue to feed our people 👩🏾🌾👨🏾🌾, often without the policy support or investment their work deserves. Right now, communities — including furloughed government employees and families in need — are facing food insecurity 🏠🍲.
🤝 In response, we are in active discussions with our partners, including Feeding America and regional food banks, to connect Black farmers directly with food distribution systems and bridge the gap between producers and those they serve 🛻🥦.
📈 We are doubling down on support in our focus areas:
💼 Cooperative economic development
🌾 Land retention
🗣️ Advocacy
With an emphasis on expanding market access, capital access, and emergency assistance so farmers can keep producing and families can keep eating 🍎🥬. Through our Revolving Loan Fund 💰 and Regional Marketing System, we’re helping Black farmers and cooperatives secure financing, strengthen operations, increase visibility, and build long-term stability 🌍.
We invite our members, partners, and allies to support us today!
➡️ Join our Capital Campaign
➡️ Share our mission with your networks
➡️ Contribute financially or through partnerships 💚
Your action strengthens our fight for food sovereignty, cooperative power, and self-determination across the South 🌻✊🏾.
🔗 To learn more or contribute, visit give2federation.org
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