New toolkit from USDA launched to improve support to underserved growers
A new grower toolkit and online resource hub focused on connecting underserved farmers with new and existing markets and USDA food safety certification programs was launched Dec. 22 by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation.
The Good Agricultural Practices grower toolkit and website includes new educational resources with an emphasis on GroupGAP, a USDA farm food safety program tailored to the specialty crops industry, according to a news release.
“By allowing farmers, food hubs, and marketing organizations of all sizes to band together and pool resources to achieve USDA Good Agricultural Practices certification, GroupGAP is helping more farmers minimize food safety hazard risks and supply fresh, local, and safe produce to markets,” USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said in the release. “At the same time, GroupGAP also provides buyers and consumers alike with more purchasing options.”
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The GroupGAP resources include opportunities to supply and buy fruits, vegetables and related products certified as being produced using Good Agricultural Practices. The website and toolkit detail the specifics of GAP programs, benefits, cost estimates, frequently asked questions, basic audit process and other resources.
“We are proud to have created this one-of-a-kind toolkit that will remove barriers to USDA Good Agricultural Practices programs by providing a guide of all GAP programs to allow farmers to determine which process is right for them,” NASDA CEO Ted McKinney said in the release. “The NASDA Foundation team traveled the nation asking producers what they need to be successful in the GroupGAP process and we have used those conversations to create these resources.”
In partnership with the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and the NASDA Foundation, state departments of agriculture, cooperative extension agencies and nongovernment organizations piloted the toolkit to underserved producers. States that participated in the pilot include Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
