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| WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing a total of $14.4 million in grants and technical assistance through two separately funded projects to support urban agriculture and innovative production. USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) is making available $2.5 million for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) grants, building on $53.7 million invested in UAIP grant projects by OUAIP since 2020. In addition, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which oversees OUAIP, is providing $11.9 million in funding through an interagency agreement with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to promote the hiring of Urban Agriculture Conservation Extension Educators through the Cooperative Extension programs at Land-grant Universities. “This grant program continues to grow in popularity, and we look forward to partnering with more communities nationwide to strengthen local food systems and increase access to healthy foods,” said Louis Aspey, Acting Chief of NRCS. “We’re also excited for this opportunity to add experienced Urban Agriculture Conservation Extension Educators to enhance our customer service through the partnership with NIFA.” “NIFA is excited to partner with NRCS and Land-grant Universities to increase the footprint of Cooperative Extension in dedicated Urban Service Center sites across the country,” said USDA NIFA Director Dr. Manjit K. Misra. “Utilizing the expertise of Cooperative Extension to increase awareness of and access to NRCS programs for those living and working in urban spaces will help meet a growing need to feed more densely populated areas.” Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants Recipients of UAIP competitive grants, including community gardens and nonprofit farms, will increase food production and access in economically distressed communities, provide job training and education, and allow partners to develop business plans and zoning proposals. The program supports a wide range of activities through grants that include planning and implementation activities. Planning activities initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs, while implementation activities accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor and other agricultural practices that serve farmers and communities. USDA will accept applications on Grants.gov until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 10, 2025. Technical Assistance Funding to Land-Grant Universities The interagency agreement between NRCS and NIFA will fund the hiring of Urban Agriculture Conservation Extension Educators through cooperative extension programs at land-grant universities who will work with NRCS employees in 27 cities nationwide that USDA has designated as urban priority locations. The educators hired through this partnership will deliver technical assistance and link producers to NRCS conservation planning and program opportunities. The agreement will also fund the development of an Impact Collaborative for urban agriculture service delivery. The Impact Collaborative will help NRCS scale their assistance to urban producers beyond the priority cities. More information about Urban Agriculture Extension Educators and the Impact Collaborative will be forthcoming. |
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