USDA is awarding $64 million in 185 grants through its Local Agriculture Market Program’s Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs and Regional Food System Partnerships to expand the availability of locally grown agricultural products and expand regional food systems.
Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA’s undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the funding “will improve community access to fresh, locally sourced food and strengthen market opportunities for local and regional food producers.”
FMLFPP is implemented through two grant programs, the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). The goal of the program is to develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food systems.
FMPP funds projects that support producer-to-consumer markets such as farmers' markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs (CSA), and online sales. This year, the FMPP program is awarding $13 million to 55 projects that will work toward capacity building or community development training and technical assistance.
LFPP grants support local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing. LFPP is awarding $31.8 million in fiscal year 2022 funding to 94 projects.
Through RFSP, $19 million is being awarded to 36 partnerships across 24 states. The program provides funding to partnerships that connect public and private resources in planning and developing local or regional food systems. RFSP also supports partnerships in developing relationships between local and regional producers, processors, and intermediaries, and institutions, such as schools, hospitals, governments to increase local and regional foods in institutional cafeterias and meal programs.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
