The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS) recently announced it has a cooperative agreement with Florida under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Through this agreement, USDA and Florida are offering more than $8 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain.
Florida is accepting applications for the RFSI program through Aug. 5, and growers can apply here. Updates for each state’s request for applications for the RFSI program are available on the AMS website.
In May 2023, USDA announced the availability of up to $420 million through RFSI to strengthen local and regional food systems. Through this program, USDA AMS has entered into cooperative agreements with state agencies, commissions or departments responsible for agriculture. RFSI is authorized by the American Rescue Plan.
“This partnership between USDA and Florida is allowing critical funding to reach areas of the supply chain that need it most,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The projects funded through this program will create new opportunities for the region’s small and midsize producers to thrive, expand access to nutritious food options and increase supply-chain resiliency.”
Using RFSI funding, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will fund projects that build resilience within the middle of the supply chain while strengthening local and regional food systems. The projects will focus on supporting Florida farmers and producers. The program will expand the capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, storage, transportation, wholesaling and distribution of regional agricultural products.
USDA AMS encourages applications that serve smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers and underserved communities.
For more information, visit the USDA AMS Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure webpage.
Source: USDA/AMS
Share this Post
Sponsored Content