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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) introduced the choice of recipients for greater than $6.6 million in grants and cooperative agreements via the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. These grants and cooperative agreements construct on $4.1 million in tasks funded in 2020.
“As the People’s Department, USDA is committed to assisting all facets of agriculture, including operations in our cities,” mentioned Ron Alvarado, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist in Oregon.
“These projects nourish communities with fresh, healthy food, teach generations the joy and fulfillment of farming and partnerships, and produce environmental benefits by reducing food waste and creating compost that can be used in a variety of farming operations,” mentioned Josh Hanning, USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Acting State Executive Director in Oregon.
Urban agriculture
The Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program helps a variety of actions via two grant sorts, that are Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. Activities embrace working group gardens and nonprofit farms, rising meals manufacturing and entry in economically distressed communities, offering job coaching and training, and growing enterprise plans and zoning.
USDA is awarding $4.75 million for 10 Planning Projects and 11 Implementation Projects. In Oregon, Growing Gardens is the Planning Project grant recipient. Growing Gardens is a non-profit group that began in Portland, Oregon in 1996. Growing Garden’s imaginative and prescient is for everybody to have equal entry to wholesome meals and to be stewardesses of our personal communities via sharing assets, educating one another, and studying new expertise.
Community compost and meals waste discount venture
Through Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Projects, USDA is investing roughly $1.92 million in 24 pilot tasks to develop and implement methods for municipal compost plans and meals waste discount plans. USDA prioritized tasks that anticipate or display financial advantages, incorporate plans to make compost simply accessible to farmers – together with group gardeners – combine different meals waste methods, together with meals restoration efforts, and collaborate with a number of companions.
For an entire checklist of grant and cooperative settlement recipients and venture summaries, go to farmers.gov/urban.
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