Ariane Lotti Joins OFRF as Senior Policy Analyst

Anne Munaretto
OFRF senior policy analyst Ariane Lotti (and "friend") during her previous career on an Iowa farm.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation gained a strong new advocate recently as Ariane Lotti joined the Santa Cruz-based organization full-time. Lotti started the position of senior policy analyst with OFRF in late July.

“This is an incredible time to be working on organic policy in Washington, DC. There are new opportunities emerging in this political climate, and there is plenty of consumer interest in organic. For all of the opportunities, there are just as many threats. It seems that now more than ever, it is critical for OFRF to have a DC presence,” says Lotti.

Lotti brings substantial experience to her new position. Over the past year and a half, she served as OFRF’s policy associate in Washington, sharing her time between OFRF and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Before that, she served as a DC intern with NSAC during the congressional conference committee process that produced the 2008 Farm Bill.   

Lotti’s background includes a masters in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and on-farm experience in Iowa, Maine, and Italy. She credits her farm work with helping give context to her current policy activity.

“In Iowa, I learned a lot about conventional agriculture and the infrastructure that supports it. I also learned about successful alternatives to large-scale commodity farming that are growing there. My Maine farm experience provided a broad understanding of working with nature through the seasons. I came to understand that farming in a diverse production system is a complex activity that takes tremendous skill and knowledge, and it takes a lot of work,” says Lotti.

At present, Lotti is focused on developing organic policy positions for Farm Bill 2012.

“Our overall purpose is to integrate organic agriculture into federal policy, and the farm bill is the main vehicle for that. The debate around the next bill is underway, so we are already involved in developing a platform and devising strategies aimed at gaining new ground for organic,” says Lotti.

The policy analyst says the effort to integrate organic farming into federal policy and programs stops with neither the farm bill nor the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

“We are looking beyond the traditional policy vehicles toward other departments and constituencies that may be helpful in building recognition of the many benefits organic agriculture provides. The health, environmental, social and economic benefits of organic agriculture are emerging as significant contributions to our well-being. We see potential for building the organic constituency in this area,” Lotti explains.

In addition to fostering new areas of support, Lotti says she intends to continue building OFRF’s Organic Farmers Action Network. The network is 2,500 participants strong today and has played a key role in bringing organic farmers’ voices into the farm policy debate.

“A member of Congress is only going to listen to what I have to say to a point. If that same member talks with a constituent who happens to be an organic farmer, the member shows a whole new level of interest. Bringing organic farmers to Washington is an effective way to cultivate the champions we need on Capitol Hill,” says Lotti.