USDA offers $3M in funding for climate-smart production

Up to $3 million in funding is available from the USDA Risk Management Agency for cooperative agreements to educate underserved, small-scale and organic producers on risk management and climate-smart practices, the agency said in a press release.

RMA’s Risk Management Education Partnerships will provide funding for organizations, such as nonprofits and land grant universities, to develop training and resources for producers about risk management options such as crop insurance.   

“As a farmer, I know firsthand that agriculture is a risky business. We want to work with growers and livestock producers to provide them training and resources about risk management options and how to apply them to their farming businesses,”  Marcia Bunger, RMA administrator, said in a press release. 
 
The USDA said the $3 million Risk Management Education investment builds on $13 million the agency has provided in partnerships since 2021. Previous recipients, which include universities, county cooperative extension offices and nonprofit organizations, developed education tools that assist and train producers on how to effectively manage long-term risks and challenges in agriculture production, according to the release.

“This funding is integral to our outreach efforts in communities that historically have not had access to training about risk management options. Our Risk Management Education partnerships are part of USDA’s broader efforts to ensure equity and access to programs,” Bunger said.
 
Interested organizations may apply for funding by submitting documentation required as part of the Notice of Funding Opportunity. A broad range of risk management training activities are eligible for funding consideration, including training on crop insurance options, record keeping, financial management, non-insurance-based risk management tools, natural disaster preparedness and securing local food systems through risk management, according to the release.
 
Interested entities should apply through grants.gov by March 4. 

The USDA said RMA offers a service that assists entities with completing applications for USDA funding opportunities. This service is available to underserved communities, ag-related nonprofits, tribal colleges and universities, tribal higher education programs, 1890 land grant universities, historically black colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities.