funding | Environment.org

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the 2023 Regional Food System Partnership, Farmers Market Promotion and Local Food Promotion program awards, totaling $ 32 million for 98 projects to bolster local and regional food economies across the country.

This year, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) offered a new ‘turnkey’ application process for applicants seeking funding for a specific set of marketing and promotion activities for Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion grants. ‘Turnkey’ is a term for simplified federal grants with short applications and lower barriers to entry. This post highlights this new process and features National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) members who were awarded a grant this year.

Background

The 2018 Farm Bill created new opportunities to coordinate and maximize investments in local and regional food systems by creating the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). This …

Comment: NSAC Welcomes Senate Amendment to Restore Funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

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| Sustainability

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Zaks

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

lzaks@sustainableagriculture.net

Tel. 347.563.6408

Comment: NSAC Welcomes Senate Amendment to Restore Funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

Washington, DC, September 13, 2023 – Today, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) issued the following comment, attributable to Hannah Quigley, NSAC Policy Specialist, in response to Senator Stabenow (D-MI) filing an amendment to restore $ 8.5 million in funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to the Senate’s Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill, which is cosponsored by Senators Brown (D-OH), Blumenthal (D-CT), Booker (D-NJ), Durbin (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA), Fetterman (D-PA), Gillibrand (D-NY), and Rosen (D-NV).

“NSAC applauds Senator Stabenow, Senator Heinrich and other champions as they work to restore funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture

…

Forests managed by Indigenous nations face a $100 million funding gap

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| Pollution

Forests managed by Indigenous nations are severely underfunded. To reach per-acre parity with forests managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, the federal government would need to increase funding by nearly $ 96 million every year. That’s according to a new report from the Intertribal Timber Council, a nonprofit consortium consisting primarily of tribes and Alaska Native Corporations.

In 2019, the base year for the study, tribal forests represented nearly 19 million acres in the United States, including approximately 10.2 million acres of commercial forests and woodlands. A total of 345 tribal forests are managed across the nation, with 316 of those forests being held in federal trust.

“It seems like a fairly straightforward answer that when we look at the disparity in funding between other federal agencies and tribes, that [Congress] would just increase …

Farmers, Communities and Congressional Leaders Seek Full Funding for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

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This week the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, together with over seventy organizations and farm businesses, delivered a letter to Congressional Appropriators to urge them to fully fund the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) and the urban agriculture data collection initiative. This request echoed one made by over 50 Senate and House leaders in a separate letter to agriculture appropriators.

The 2018 Farm Bill authorized OUAIP and its various relevant initiatives in an effort to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other innovative agricultural practices as a tool to provide healthy, fresh food in low-access areas, workforce and community development opportunities, and promote soil health and reduce food waste.

Since the Office received its first appropriation in 2020, it has already invested over $ 50 million to increase the capacity of urban agriculture, innovative producers, and municipal composting …

Funding Now Available for Organic Transition and Certification Cost-Share

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| Sustainability

Organic agriculture continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors of American agriculture. In 2020, the organic food market experienced incredible growth, with sales over $ 56 billion, a 12% increase from 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, certified organic and transitional operations faced numerous challenges including loss of markets, increased costs, labor shortages, and expenses related to obtaining or renewing their organic certification. Transitional operations also faced the financial challenge of implementing practices required to obtain organic certification without the premium prices associated with certified organic commodities.

Producers who are certified organic, along with producers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for USDA’s Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). These programs help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses.

Applications …

Funding Sustainability Initiatives: A Reflection on Pandemic Era Financing Innovation

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| Sustainability

Nowadays, we seem to be living in two worlds, caught between a longing for pre-pandemic culture and the wish for a different tomorrow. I feel we are in a very similar situation regarding energy and sustainability in education. We celebrate our successes from the Y2K era while acknowledging the need for a paradigm shift that […]

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