Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production News
Director’s Welcome
Welcome to the first issue of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production News, a quarterly newsletter brought to you by USDA’s office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). Whether you are an urban farmer, community organizer, Government official, innovative producer, student or simply interested in urban agriculture and innovative production, we hope this newsletter provides helpful information and resources. OUAIP works to help urban and suburban communities grow fresh food, address food loss and waste, and ensure USDA partners with farms of all sizes and in all locations.
We look forward to finding ways we can better support the increasing interest in urban agriculture and innovative production and empower communities to grow nutritious, local food, create jobs, and cultivate greenspace, collaboration, education, and more. Through our newsletter, we aim to connect people from around the country to learn and grow with each other in this movement. USDA’s technical and financial resources, as well as enhanced infrastructure such as urban county committees, will help communities reach their goals and objectives. I invite you to learn more about the OUAIP staff introduced at the end of this newsletter.
If you know anyone interested in receiving this newsletter along with other opportunities and announcements related to USDA assistance for urban agriculture and innovative production, please forward this and invite them to subscribe here.
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Brian V. Guse, Director
Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
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Upcoming Opportunities
Farm to School Grant Program: USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is now open. USDA will award up to $12 million in competitive grants to eligible entities that support planning, developing, and implementing farm to school programs. Find resources for grant applicants here. Application Due Date: January 6, 2023, 11:59 pm, ET. Apply by visiting Grants.gov, Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-FNS-2023-F2S.
Risk Management Agency Roadshow: Agricultural producers – especially organic, urban, specialty crop and direct market producers – are invited to join the USDA Risk Management Agency for a series of virtual and in-person roadshow workshops highlighting the latest updates and improvements to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm Program insurance options. Participate on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:30 am CT, Wednesday, December 7 at 11:30 am PT or Tuesday, December 13 at 11 am ET. Visit RMA Roadshow.
Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops: This program provides financial assistance for specialty crop operations that incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification in calendar years 2022 or 2023. It helps to offset costs to comply with regulatory requirements and market-driven food safety certification requirements. Application Due Date: January 31, 2023. Apply by visiting your local USDA Service Center or online through the FSCSC Application Portal.
2022 Farm Service Agency County Committee Elections: Ballots have been mailed to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners to vote for county and urban county committee elections. Elections are occurring in certain local administrative areas for these committee members who make important decisions about how Federal farm programs are administered locally. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local Farm Service Agency county office or have their ballots be postmarked by December 5, 2022, for those ballots to be counted.
Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee
- The Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production is one of several ways that USDA is extending support to urban agriculture, including equity initiatives and nutrition access. The committee hosts public meetings to deliberate on recommendations for the Secretary of USDA to consider. These recommendations provide advice to the Secretary on supporting urban agriculture and innovative production through USDA's programs and Join us at the next public meeting on: November 29, 2022, 3-5 p.m. ET (register here).
Highlights from the Field
There are many great projects across the country helping people to access fresh, healthy food and address food loss and waste. Visit USDA.gov/urban to learn more about recipients of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants and Composting and Food Waste Reduction Agreements.
Fiscal Year 2022 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Awardees
Aquaponics in Buffalo and seed saving in Tucson are some of the projects receiving funding from USDA as part of its Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grant program. This year, USDA is investing $14.2 million in 52 grants that support urban agriculture and innovative production. This investment, which includes American Rescue Plan Act funds, will allow grant recipients to expand access to nutritious foods, foster community engagement, increase awareness of climate change and mitigate its effects within urban areas, provide jobs, educate communities about farming, and expand green spaces. For a complete list of grant recipients and project summaries, visit Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants.
Stay Connected
Be sure to check our websites for the latest information. USDA.gov/urban has information on USDA-wide resources for urban and innovative producers. Farmers.gov/urban has information on funding opportunities, Federal Advisory Committee and Urban County Committees.
OUAIP recently expanded the People’s Garden effort to celebrate gardens across the country and at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. If your community garden would like to be designated a People’s Garden, simply fill out the registration form on our website. Affiliate gardens are added to the map on USDA’s website and provided a People’s Garden sign to display. There are over 400 gardens registered with the movement that is growing every day!
In Case You Missed It
More on the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
The 2018 Farm Bill established OUAIP to bring more attention to the needs of urban farmers. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) leads the USDA’s efforts and coordinates with representatives from other USDA agencies such as the Farm Service Agency and the Agricultural Marketing Service. USDA is committed to serving the needs of urban agriculture thereby extending regional and local food production and ultimately increasing access to fresh, healthy food. Meet the staff of OUAIP!
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Brian Guse serves as Director of OUAIP. He is responsible for carrying out the mission of the office to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices. Brian previously served in the Foreign Agricultural Service where he helped to promote global food security, trade capacity building, and agricultural development around the world. |
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Leslie Glover II is the program manager for OUAIP. He serves as a subject matter expert for urban agriculture and innovative production, providing information and advice on all aspects of budget, strategy, plans, and policy direction to the Director and technical teams. |
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Markus Holliday joined OUAIP staff as the Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) Coordinator and manages many of the moving parts associated with USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee. Markus joins the team from the USDA Forest Service. |
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Sharonté E. Williams is a Management and Program Analyst and serves as the Senior Grants & Agreements Coordinator. She is responsible for administration of the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Grants and Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) Cooperative Agreements. Sharonté joins the team from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Louisiana. |
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Jose Victor Jimenez is a Management and Program Analyst and serves as an Assistant Grants & Agreement Coordinator on the OUAIP grants and agreements team. Jose joins the team from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Puerto Rico. |
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Sean Potts is a Management and Program Analyst and serves as an Assistant Grants & Agreement Coordinator on the OUAIP grants and agreements team. Sean joins the team from the Foreign Agricultural Service. |
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Nina Bhattacharyya is the Urban Agriculture Specialist for OUAIP. She serves as the technical contact for the office and coordinates the People’s Garden Initiative, food loss and waste activities, OUAIP newsletter, coordination of the 17 urban pilot hubs, and internal and external partnerships. Nina joins the team from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Florida. |
On Detail
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Shemekia Mosley is serving on a detail with OUAIP from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Georgia. Shemekia assists with administration of the People’s Garden and works with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Urban Waters Partnership. |
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Paula Salazar is serving on a detail with OUAIP from the Natural Resources Conservation Service Utah. Paula will be helping to develop urban agriculture and innovative production training materials. |
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Rylee James is serving on a detail with OUAIP from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) California. She is responsible for helping OUAIP coordinate networks of community gardens and local food banks, collaborate with other Federal agencies, and identify and update relevant programs within FNS for urban and innovative producers. |
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Matthew Goldsboro is serving on a detail with OUAIP from USDA Rural Development (RD) Rhode Island. Matthew will be helping coordinate the Federal Advisory Committee activities and increasing collaboration with RD. |
Advisor
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Margaret (Meg) Campbell is a Senior Advisor to the Chief of NRCS and supports the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. |
Do you have suggestions on the types of information you’d like us to highlight in newsletters like this? Let us know at urbanagriculture@usda.gov.
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