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NEW GRANT: FY24 Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Program

Writer's picture: Newark Green TeamNewark Green Team


The USDA has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for the FY24 Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP) Program. The goal of the program is to fund projects that:

  • support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production to any of the eligible entities.

  • improve access to local foods in areas where access to fresh, healthy food is limited or unavailable through urban and/or innovative agricultural practices, including, but not limited to, community gardens, urban farms, rooftop farms, urban agroforests, food forests, orchards, outdoor vertical production, green walls, indoor farms, controlled environment agricultural production, greenhouses, high-tech vertical technology farms, and hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities.

  • support multiple farmers or gardeners, impacting underserved areas that are lacking access to fresh, healthy foods, and promote urban and/or innovative agricultural practices with planning and implementation activities.


Key Information (see APPENDIX of the attached document “UAIP_RFA” for more):

  • Deadline to apply: Apr 09, 2024

  • Eligible Entities: City/Municipal/County governments, Independent school districts, Nonprofits, Native American tribal organizations and governments, Special district governments, Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.

  • Award Scale: $75,000 - $350,000

  • Match Requirement: NO

  • Performance Period: 3 years (36 months) starting 9/30/2024

  • Project types: Planning AND Implementation (see below)


Planning activities support one or more of the following:

  • Assessments of underserved community needs within the local food system to identify how food is grown, distributed, or marketed and what existing needs related to food access, nutrition education, conservation, and economic development can be addressed by urban and/or innovative agriculture.

  • Planning activities and community partnerships to improve how food is grown, distributed, or marketed in the target area using urban and/or innovative agriculture.

  • Business planning, feasibility studies, and other strategies, such as community resource development.

  • Policy development to make municipal policies and zoning laws in the target area more supportive of the needs of urban and/or innovative agriculture.

  • Creating educational materials and programs that will increase knowledge about food and agriculture and encourage careers in agriculture and innovative production in the impacted community; example topics include nutrition, crop and biology science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

  • Ensuring safe growing conditions (e.g., soil tests, environmental assessments). More information can be found at EPA Brownfields and Land Revitalizations.

 

AND

Implementation activities support one or more of the following:

  • Increasing food production in small, urban, and/or controlled environment spaces which may include emerging or innovative technology such as hydroponics, aquaponics, vertical farming, indoor, rooftop, etc.

  • Promoting agricultural businesses through job training and providing resources to help underserved communities access land and equipment, mentoring, and other assistance to beginning farmers in the local community.

  • Implementation of best practices to address food access, zoning, compost, land access, soil health, emerging technologies, infrastructure needs (such as access to water and utilities) at the State, county, local, municipal, or school level to meet the needs of target community and local agricultural producers.

  • Educating the impacted community about food systems, nutrition, agricultural production, and environmental impacts

  • Operating community gardens or nonprofit farms that offer hands-on training in farming or gardening through virtual or web-based formats.

  • Providing schools (K-12) with educational resources or programs that increase student knowledge of and access to locally grown foods, emphasize the importance of consuming nutritious and locally grown foods, and train students for careers in agriculture or innovative production.

 

Useful Links:






Contact Jose Berna, Jose.Berna@usda.gov, with a copy to NFO.FPAC@USDA.GOV for more information regarding this opportunity.




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