USDA NIFA Invests $40M to Improve Dietary Health and Reduce Food Insecurity

KANSAS Metropolis, Mo., June 1, 2022 – The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) Nationwide Institute of Meals and Agriculture (NIFA) right now introduced The current of almost $40 million to assist the Gus Schumacher Vitamin Incentive Program (GusNIP) Produce Prescription Program. The funding is An factor of the USDA American Rescue Plan Act.

By bringing collectively stakeholders from numerous parts of the food and well beingcare methods, GusNIP tasks foster understanding To reinforce the well being and nutrition standing of collaborating households, facilitate progress in underrecurrented areas and communities, As properly as To collect and combination knowledge to decide biggest applys on a broad scale.

GusNIP Produce Prescription tasks current monetary and non-monetary incentives to income-eligible people and households To accumulate current Vegatables and fruits meant To reinforce dietary well being by way of elevated consumption of Vegatables and fruits, scale again particular person and household food insecurity, and scale again associated well being care prices.

“Produce Prescriptions tasks are already making A useful influence all by way of the nation, offering entry to current Vegatables and fruits to Individuals who might not in any other case Be In a place to afford them,” said Appearing NIFA Director Dr. Dionne Toombs. “This funding will permit NIFA to assist A lot extra Produce Prescription tasks Which will each enhance dietary well being and scale again food insecurity for these in want.”

A portion of The money ($17.5 million) Shall be used to fund GusNIP Produce Prescription purposes from fiscal yr 2021. Those purposes have been extremely ranked however Might not be funded in FY21 As a Outcome of of price range constraints. These funds Can furtherly current An alternative for lively GusNIP Produce Prescription awardees (from FY19, 20 and 21) who Aren’t already implementing GusNIP COVID Aid and Response awards To use for enterprise enhancement funding. The funds will increase enterprise attain and extend the interval of efficiency For An further three yrs.

NIFA will notify eligible organizations And current further particulars and A duplicate of The equipment package deal. The remaining $22.5 million Shall be used to fund FY2022 tasks. The Request for Applications is open till June 30, 2022.

USDA furtherly introduced right now a framework shoring up the food current chain And transforming the nation’s food system to be fairer, extra aggressive and extra resilient.

NIFA invests in and advances agricultural evaluation, education and Extension throughout the nation to make transformative discoveries that clear up societal challenges. NIFA assists initiatives that Make constructive the prolonged-time period by way ofbility of agriculture and applies an constructed-in strategy To Make constructive that groundbreaking discoveries in agriculture-associated sciences and utilized sciences attain the Individuals who can put them into apply. In FY 2021, NIFA’s complete funding was $1.96 billion.

Go to us on Twitter: @USDA_NIFA; and LinkedIn: USDA-NIFA.

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