USDA Invests $14.2 Million in 52 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Efforts

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2022 – The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $14.2 million in 52 grants that assist metropolis agriculture and revolutionary manufacturing. This funding, Which incorporates American Rescue Plan Act funds, will permit grant recipients to increase entry to nutritious meals, foster group engagement, enhance consciousness of local climate change and mitigate The outcomes inside metropolis areas, current jobs, educate communities about farming, and increase inexperienced areas.

These grants construct on $26.3 million in tasks funded since 2020 and are An factor of USDA’s broad assist for metropolis agriculture by way of its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP).

“This aggressive grant program has already had super influences for communities throughout the nation, and We look forward to partnering with native organizations to assist agriculture Within the metropolis panorama whereas additionally empowering native communities To current current, healthful meals,” said Robert Bonnie, USDA’s Beneath Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “This grant program is An factor of our broad assist for metropolis agriculture, native and areaal meals methods and underserved communities.”

Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants

The Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) aggressive grants program assists A Quantity of actions by way of two Kinds of grants: planning tasks and implementation tasks. Right now’s introduced recipients embrace 18 planning tasks and 34 implementation tasks.

The planning tasks will provoke or increase efforts of metropolis and submetropolis farmers, backyarders, residents, authorities officers, schools and completely different stakeholders. These grantees will goal areas of meals entry, education, enterprise And start-up prices For mannequin spanking new farmers, metropolis forestry, and insurance coverage policies associated to zoning and completely different wants of metropolis manufacturing. Having extra performance To collect, course of, transfer and retailer meals In a number of geographic areas of the nation will current extra decisions for producers to create worth-added merchandise and promote areaally, Which might assist new financial alternatives and job creation in underserved communities. Further areaal performance additionally will give consumers extra decisions To buy areaally produced merchandise serving to guarantee meals Is out there to consumers and scale again the local climate influence of our meals current chain.

Examples of planning tasks embrace The metropolis of Lorain’s Food Ahead Lorain Initiative in Ohio, which seeks to create, enhance, and increase entry to healthful meals for financialally distressed neighborhoods and households by enhancing the metropolis agriculture panorama to assist additional metropolis farming operations. Ancompletely different planning enterprise, carried out by Tampa Household Well being Facilities in Florida, will inform and educate residents by offering vitamin education, meals preparation packages, and backyarding classes.

The implementation tasks will velocity up metropolis, indoor and completely different agricultural practices that serve a number of farmers and enhance native meals entry. Some tasks assist infrastructure wants, rising utilized sciences, education And concrete farming coverage implementation.

Examples of implementation tasks embrace Strengthening Trenton’s Agricultural Community and Climate Resilience in New Jersey, Which might strengthen the performance for metropolis agriculture Within the area, whereas offering residents with important marketable expertise and alternatives for careers and supplemental income by way of farming. Ancompletely different implementation enterprise in Anadarko, Okla., the Delaware Nation Lenape Gardens Enlargement, will set up and make the most of an constructed-in inexperiencedhouse, backyard, orchard, and apiary facility To current current fruits, greens and honey for tribal members.

In complete, the 52 tasks have been funded in 27 states. For A complete itemizing of grant recipients and enterprise summaries, go to Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants.

More Information

OUAIP was established by way of the 2018 Farm Invoice. It is led by NRCS and works in partnership with pretty A pair of USDA enterprisees that assist metropolis agriculture and revolutionary manufacturing. These grants are An factor of a broader USDA funding in metropolis agriculture. Other efforts embrace:

• Creating and managing a Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to advise the Secretary on The event of insurance coverage policies and outrevery Referring to metropolis agriculture.
• Renewing the People’s Garden Initiative, which celebrates collaborative backyards throughout the nation and worldwide that revenue their communities by rising current, healthful meals and assisting resilient, native meals methods using sustainable practices, and offering inexperiencedspace.
• Providing cooperative agreements that develop and look at strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and meals waste discount plans.
• Investing in hazard administration education to broaden revery of crop insurance coverage amongst metropolis producers.
• Organizing 17 FSA metropolis county committees to make important selections about how FSA farm packages are administered areaally. Urban farmers who Take part in USDA packages Within the areas chosen are inspired to take part by nominating and voting.

Right now’s announcement assists the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader work to strengthen essential current chains as directed by Government Order 14017 America’s Supply Chains.

Study extra at usda.gov/metropolis. For additional assets out there To suppliers, acquire our Urban Agriculture at A look brochure or go to farmers.gov/metropolis.

USDA touches the lives of all People every day in so many constructive methods. Beneath the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s meals system with a greater Think about extra resilient native and areaal meals manufacturing, fairer markets for all producers, making sure entry to protected, healthful and nutritious meals in all communities, constructing new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using local climate smart meals and forestry practices, making historic fundings in infrastructure and clear power capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity throughout the Division by eradicating systemic obstacles and constructing a workforce extra recurrentative of America. To learn extra, go to usda.gov.

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