For Immediate Release
Contact: Laura Zaks
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net
Release: USDA Announces Second Round of Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities Awards
Washington, DC, December 12, 2022 – Today, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the second-round awardees of the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) effort to combat the climate crisis by partnering with agriculture, forestry, and rural communities to provide climate solutions that strengthen rural America. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is pleased to see that the Administration’s latest round of awards will benefit more than 30 minority-serving institutions and more than 20 Tribal partners.
“NSAC is pleased to see that USDA is investing $ 325 million in Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodity awards to 71 projects that focus on the needs of small and underserved producers. We look forward to seeing these projects serve to support the kinds of producers for whom NSAC advocates. Moving forward, more information on the contents of the proposals and how they will serve small farmers and minority-serving institutions is essential to fully assess the value of the approach” said Cathy Day, PhD, NSAC climate policy coordinator.
USDA received more than 1,000 proposals from more than 700 entities, including over $ 2 billion in proposals for this second, smaller funding round. A complete list of projects is available at usda.gov/climate-smart-commodities.
“NSAC welcomes today’s announcement as this funding opportunity creates market opportunities for US agricultural and forestry products that use climate-friendly practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits. Effectively expanding climate-friendly systems will require purchase programs, infrastructure, and equipment support, as well as market support. Such programs can ensure that farmers who already grow highly diversified systems with continuous or permanent living cover, and who integrate livestock into their cropping systems, will be able to find good returns for their climate-friendly products,” Day added.
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition members who received Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities grants in the first phase include:
- Pasa Sustainable Agriculture: as a major partner in the Alliance to Catalyze Transition Incentives through Open Networks for Climate Smart Agriculture project AND as lead partner in Climate-Smart Farming & Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science
- Organic Valley: as a major partner in the Alliance to Catalyze Transition Incentives through Open Networks for Climate Smart Agriculture project
- CCOF: as a major partner in the Alliance to Catalyze Transition Incentives through Open Networks for Climate Smart Agriculture project
- Maine Farmland Trust: as a major partner in the Alliance to Catalyze Transition Incentives through Open Networks for Climate Smart Agriculture project AND as a major partner in Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science
- Oregon Tilth: as a major partner in the Alliance to Catalyze Transition Incentives through Open Networks for Climate Smart Agriculture project
- National Young Farmers Coalition: as a major partner in the Alliance to Catalyze Transition Incentives through Open Networks for Climate Smart Agriculture project
- Savanna Institute: as a major partner in the Climate Change project AND as a major partner in Expanding Agroforestry Production and Markets
- NCAT: as a major partner in the Farmers for Soil Health Climate-Smart Commodities Partnership AND as the lead partner in Climate Beneficial Fiber: Building New, Accessible, and Equitable Market Opportunities for Climate-Smart Cotton and Wool AND major partner in Expanding the STAR Program Across Colorado and the West AND as a major partner on Building Soil, Building Equity: Accelerating a Regenerative Farming Movement in Appalachia and the Southeast
- National Bison Association: as a major partner in The Grass is Greener on the Other Side: Developing Climate-Smart Beef and Bison Commodities
- Practical Farmers of Iowa: as a major partner in Expanding Agroforestry Production and Markets
- Carolina Farm Stewardship Association: as a major partner in Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science AND as a major partner in Quantifying the Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Growing and Marketing Climate-Smart Commodities in the Southern Piedmont
- CISA: as a major partner in Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science
- Future Harvest: as a major partner in Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science
- Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association: as a major partner in Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science
- Northeast Organic Farming Association: as a major partner in Climate-Smart Farming and Marketing: Engaging in Community-Science
- Virginia Association for Biological Farming: as a major partner in Quantifying the Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Growing and Marketing Climate-Smart Commodities in the Southern Piedmont
- Georgia Organics: as a major partner in Quantifying the Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration by Growing and Marketing Climate-Smart Commodities in the Southern Piedmont
- Roots of Change: as a major partner in The Growing GRASS & Climate-Smart Value-Added U.S. Commodity Markets Project (Growing GRASS Project)
- Winrock International: as lead partner on Growing Value for Producers
- Farmer Veteran Coalition as a major partner on Producer Led Collaborative Effort to Fundamentally Transition the U.S. Beef Supply Chain to Carbon Neutral in Community-Science
For a deeper look at the funding available from the Commodity Credit Corporation for the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects, see NSAC’s blog post from earlier this year.
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About the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. Learn more and get involved at: https://sustainableagriculture.net
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