USDA: More than $32 million in grant awards to strengthen local and regional food systems

The USDA has awarded more than $32 million for 98 grant projects to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products.

The funding will be distributed through the Local Agriculture Market Program’s Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Food Promotion Program and the Regional Food System Partnerships grant program, according to a news release.

“These grant programs support local and regional food producers by broadening marketing opportunities, such as farmers markets, local food hubs, and farm-to-institution programs,” USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said in the release. “Not only do these channels provide consistent and profitable revenue streams to farmers, they also increase consumer access to fresh, locally sourced foods across the nation.”

The Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program is funding 55 projects that support producer-to-consumer markets such as farmers markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs and online sales, the release said.

Through the Local Food Promotion Programs, 33 projects have been funded to support local and regional food businesses that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing, according to the release. The awarded projects focus on activities such as supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution and storage of local and regional food products; developing value-added products; and facilitating regional food chain coordination, the release said.

Through Regional Food System Partnerships, funds will support 10 partnerships across eight states and the District of Columbia. The Regional Food System Partnerships program supports the development of relationships between local and regional food businesses and institutions, such as schools, hospitals and governments, to increase locally sourced food in institutional cafeterias and meal programs, the release said.