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Fetterman, Colleagues Reintroduce Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) reintroduced the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act to improve federal support for urban farmers. This bill would strengthen the quality and delivery of technical assistance for urban and innovative producers, allow partnerships with community experts, and expand farmers’ access to grant funding. The bill is also co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-PA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).

“Our farming industry is the backbone of Pennsylvania and our farmers deserve support from the federal level,” said Senator Fetterman. “They’ve made significant contributions to our commonwealth, and I’m proud to reintroduce the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act with my colleagues to continue supporting these hard workers who keep our families fed.”

“Food security is national security,” said Senator Slotkin. “We must be able to feed ourselves, by ourselves, and that starts with putting American farmers first. By design, the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act delivers much-needed relief to producers nationwide by expanding grants, increasing funding and resources for our underserved farmers, while also boosting urban farming investment in Detroit and for community gardens in places like Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.”

Pennsylvania continues to be a leader in urban agriculture, supporting over 150 urban farms across the Commonwealth with more than $3 million in state-wide investment grants since 2019. By ensuring consistent access to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Service Centers for these hundreds of urban farms, the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act will better position these farms to access the full suite of USDA services for the often smaller and unique structure of urban and suburban farms.

Urban farms in cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Allentown will gain streamlined access to USDA technical assistance and conservation planning specifically for urban areas. This bill would expand eligibility for USDA Service Centers to agricultural cooperatives, business entities, and producer networks. It would also ensure access to micro-grant programs for small producers who can’t access traditional USDA financing.

The Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act is supported by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and PASA Sustainable Agriculture. 

“Through the production of fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate food, urban farms are actively fighting against food apartheid in their communities. But growing food is just one component of their significance; urban farms serve as important job training sites for the next generation of growers, provide stormwater infiltration, cool entire neighborhoods from the urban heat island effect, sequester carbon, divert waste from landfills, create spaces where kids can breathe easier and where the supply chain is a walk around the block. The investment in urban agriculture proposed in the Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2026 acknowledges and celebrates the critical role urban farms play in our food systems,” said Hannah Kinney Smith, Executive Director of Pasa Sustainable Agriculture.

“In just a few years, the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has proven the effectiveness of pairing grants with hands-on technical assistance from trusted regional partners. We’ve seen new partnerships form, and hundreds of projects launched that support incubator farms, training, and youth development initiatives nationwide,” shared Hannah Quigley, Policy Specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).  “NSAC applauds Senators Fetterman and Slotkin for their commitment to a future of farming that may not resemble traditional row crops. They are leading the way in encouraging agricultural production in communities and in maintaining strong support for this Office,” Quigley added.

Read the full text of the bill here.