USDA Invests $9 Million in 10 Organizations Nationwide to Support Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $9 million in funding to local organizations to provide outreach, education and technical assistance to urban agricultural producers in ten U.S. cities. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is partnering with To Improve Mississippi Economics (T.I.M.E.) to administer an urban farm outreach program offering subawards to community groups that work with producers in cities where FSA has established Urban County Committees. 

This partnership with T.I.M..E is part of a $40 million investment made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

“Working with T.I.M.E. to fund organizations providing on-the-ground support to urban producers is an important step in fulfilling our commitment to the health and sustainability of our communities and building resilient local food systems,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux, “Through T.I.M.E.’s expanded outreach efforts, made possible through USDA funding, we can now connect producers to our Urban USDA Service Centers and broaden the impact of our Urban County Committees and the federal farm programs we offer.”

The local organizations selected for sub-awards and their cities include:

• Central Arkansas Sphinx Foundation, Little Rock, Ark.
• Sisters of Color United for Education and Consumption, Denver, Colo.
• MentorScope Community Outreach, Boston, Mass.
• The Widget Business Training Company, Jackson, Miss.
• Cultivate KC, Kansas City, Mo.
• Zion United Methodist Church, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Allegheny County Conservation District, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• South Carolina State University, Columbia, S.C.
• Black United Fund of Texas, Houston, Texas.
• Memphis Dawah Association, Memphis, Tenn.

The awarded organizations will work with T.I.M.E. and FSA to support urban producers in learning about and accessing FSA programs and services. These partnerships will help FSA county office staff further understand the program support needs of urban producers, assess existing FSA programs in urban agriculture, gather feedback from communities to identify successes and challenges, evaluate the effectiveness of FSA programs in urban agriculture and provide policy recommendations to enhance participation in FSA programs. 

Information gathered can be used to assist FSA and other USDA agencies in developing guidelines to better serve underserved communities, promote cooperative community growers' organizations, educate employees about local food systems, and uphold USDA’s commitment to equity. The outreach provided by the organizations will also support the growth of FSA’s Urban County Committees and help connect producers to USDA’s Urban Service Centers.

More Information        

The T.I.M.E. partnership is part of a broad USDA investment in urban agriculture and innovative production. Other efforts include:

• Organizing 27 FSA urban county committees to make important decisions about how FSA farm programs are administered locally. Urban farmers who participate in USDA programs in the areas selected are encouraged to participate by nominating and voting for county committee members.
• Investing $5.2 million for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) competitive grants in fiscal year 2024
• Administering the People’s Garden Initiative, which celebrates collaborative gardens across the country and worldwide that benefit their communities by growing fresh, healthy food and supporting resilient, local food systems using sustainable practices and providing greenspace.     
• Creating and managing a Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to advise the Secretary on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban agriculture.      
• Providing cooperative agreements that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans.  
• Investing in risk management education to broaden the reach of crop insurance among urban and innovative producers.    
• Partnering with the Vermont Law and Graduate School Center for Agriculture and Food Systems to develop resources that help growers understand and work through local policies. 
• Establishing 17 new Urban Service Centers staffed by FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees to better serve urban producers.

Learn more at usda.gov/urban. For additional resources available to producers, download the Urban Agriculture at a Glance brochure or visit farmers.gov/urban.    

FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities throughout America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.