USDA Invests $9 Million in 10 Organizations Nationwide to Support Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $9 million in funding to local organizations to provide outreach, education and technical assistance to urban agricultural producers in ten U.S. cities. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is partnering with To Improve Mississippi Economics (T.I.M.E.) to administer an urban farm outreach program offering subawards to community groups that work with producers in cities where FSA has established Urban County Committees. 

This partnership with T.I.M..E is part of a $40 million investment made possible by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

“Working with T.I.M.E. to fund organizations providing on-the-ground support to urban producers is an important step in fulfilling our commitment to the health and sustainability of our communities and building resilient local food systems,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux, “Through T.I.M.E.’s expanded outreach efforts, made possible through USDA funding, we can now connect producers to our Urban USDA Service Centers and broaden the impact of our Urban County Committees and the federal farm programs we offer.”

The local organizations selected for sub-awards and their cities include:

• Central Arkansas Sphinx Foundation, Little Rock, Ark.
• Sisters of Color United for Education and Consumption, Denver, Colo.
• MentorScope Community Outreach, Boston, Mass.
• The Widget Business Training Company, Jackson, Miss.
• Cultivate KC, Kansas City, Mo.
• Zion United Methodist Church, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Allegheny County Conservation District, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• South Carolina State University, Columbia, S.C.
• Black United Fund of Texas, Houston, Texas.
• Memphis Dawah Association, Memphis, Tenn.

The awarded organizations will work with T.I.M.E. and FSA to support urban producers in learning about and accessing FSA programs and services. These partnerships will help FSA county office staff further understand the program support needs of urban producers, assess existing FSA programs in urban agriculture, gather feedback from communities to identify successes and challenges, evaluate the effectiveness of FSA programs in urban agriculture and provide policy recommendations to enhance participation in FSA programs. 

Information gathered can be used to assist FSA and other USDA agencies in developing guidelines to better serve underserved communities, promote cooperative community growers' organizations, educate employees about local food systems, and uphold USDA’s commitment to equity. The outreach provided by the organizations will also support the growth of FSA’s Urban County Committees and help connect producers to USDA’s Urban Service Centers.