Report illustrates initial success of local food purchasing agreements
In the short time since its inception in 2021, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program has demonstrated its capacity to create economic opportunities for producers, scale regional supply chains, and deliver healthy, culturally relevant food to those in need.
The Local Food Purchase Assistance program is one among many initiatives that USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is leading to build resilient supply chains and promote market access for local and regional farmers, ranchers, and fishers. Specifically, through LFPA, AMS enters into non-competitive cooperative agreements with states, tribal, and territorial governments that in turn purchase locally grown and raised products to distribute in food assistance programs such as food pantries, schools and other organizations that serve food insecure communities. Each state can tailor their …