A Resilient Future in Food and Farming and More

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Financing, Funding, Policy, Politics, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

Building a Resilient Future in Food And Farming, FSA Loan Deferment, Urban Agriculture and Community Compost Funding, and The Healthy Food Financing Initiative in this week’s news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC).

Building a Resilient Future in Food and Farming

The road to a resilient future in food and farming will be long and hard. Fortunately, far-sighted Members of Congress have joined the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and many other organizations to begin the first steps on that road. Earlier this year, the Agricultural Resilience Act (ARA) was introduced by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) to begin the process of transforming American agriculture into a system that can rebound and adapt no matter what disturbance arises, including climate change.

ARA establishes a set of aggressive but realistic goals for farmers to help mitigate climate change and increase agricultural resilience, starting with the overarching goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. agriculture by no later than 2040. ARA’s substantive programmatic sections are divided into six additional titles, the key building blocks for creating a more resilient agriculture. Get up to speed on additional details of ARA by clicking below!

Farmers Impacted by COVID-19 Now Eligible to Defer FSA Loan Payments

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced changes to federal farm loan programs that may provide immediate, short-term relief to some farmers through its Disaster Set-Aside Program (DSA). The DSA allows farmers to skip an annual installment payment with a scheduled due date between March 1, 2020 and September 1, 2021 on any current direct FSA farm loan.The deferred payment is then moved to the end of their loan repayment period. Any principal set aside will continue to accrue interest until it is repaid. Learn more about eligibility and application details below:

Inaugural Urban Agriculture and Community Compost Funding Opportunities Announced

In early May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the inaugural round of the Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program. This program makes $3 million in competitive grant funding available for projects that support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production activities. The USDA also announced the availability of $900,000 for local governments to host a Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2020. The deadline to apply for the UAIP grants is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 06, 2020. The deadline to apply for a CCFWR pilot is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 26, 2020. Read more about these programs in our blog!

Healthy Food Financing Initiative Now Accepting Applications

The Reinvestment Fund (RF) recently announced the opening of 2020 applications for financial and technical assistance through the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Targeted Small Grants program. Funding for the HFFI is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), authorized by the Farm Bill to offer $3 million in grant funds for food retail and food enterprises working to improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas, to create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low‐income communities. Read about important deadlines, the application process, and more below:

Learn about the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program which provides direct payments for farmers at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/cfap-direct-farmer-aid-program/