The USDA said it will invest more than $7.5 million for 26 cooperative agreements supporting innovative, scalable waste plans to reduce and divert food waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The USDA said the Composting and Food Waste Reduction cooperative agreements are a part of the agency’s support for urban agriculture and the selected projects will be implemented between now and 2027.
The USDA said it prioritized projects that anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits, incorporate plans to make composting accessible to farmers and community gardeners and integrate food waste strategies such as food recovery efforts and collaboration with multiple partners.
“Efforts to reduce food loss and waste are a vital component of USDA NIFA’s food safety and nutrition portfolio,” Manjit Misra, director of USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, said in the release. “The projects funded through this initiative will generate new opportunities at the local level for improved food security, economic growth and environmental prosperity.”
Recipients include projects in 15 states and one territory, including two states that will be first-time participants in the program. Recipients include:
- The Moab Compost Pilot Program in Moab, Utah, will divert residential and commercial food waste from landfills, catalyze a cultural shift around food waste awareness and increase agricultural producers’ access to compost.
- The City of Minneapolis, Minn., plans to engage with food businesses to reduce municipal food waste, divert commercial food waste from the trash and generate compost.
- The City of Sun Prairie, Wis., will integrate full-service composting into major citywide events, implement composting and food waste reduction programs in the school district, pilot an 18-month curbside composting service for residents, and distribute compost to community gardens and urban farms.
The CFWR program is jointly administered by USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production and the NIFA.
“These Composting and Food Waste Reduction projects help communities reduce the harmful effects of food waste on the environment,” said Terry Cosby, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, which houses OUAIP. “Local strategies and tools like these are important climate solutions and also contribute to food security at the community level.”
The USDA said these new agreements build on its $23.3 million investment in 119 agreements since 2020.
