USDA Accepting Proposals for Regional Food Business Centers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently announced the availability of $ 360 million to establish at least six new Regional Food Business Centers. This funding comes from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), which provided significant investments to respond to and rebuild from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among its provisions, ARPA included funding for strengthening and building more resilience into our nation’s supply chains, with a focus on supporting local and regional producers and markets impacted by the pandemic.
According to the Request for Applications (RFA), the Regional Food Business Centers are envisioned to provide “coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building support to small and mid-sized farm and food businesses, with the goal of creating a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system.”
Specific goals for the Centers are …