Summer Lettuce Project at JGTF
Farm Service Agency Urban County Committee Comes to KC with support from T.I.M.E. Inc
Cultivate KC is thrilled to share that we have been selected as one of ten cooperative agreements to support Kansas City’s new Farm Service Agency (FSA) Urban County Committee. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it is investing nearly $9 million in funding to local organizations to provide outreach, education and technical assistance to urban agricultural producers in ten U.S. cities. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is partnering with To Improve Mississippi Economics (T.I.M.E.) to administer an urban farm outreach program offering subawards to community groups that work with producers in cities where FSA has established Urban County Committees. Read the full announcement here.
With this cooperative agreement, we will work alongside local and state FSA staff to invest in Kansas City’s urban growers. The funds will allow us to significantly expand our mini grant program next year and create a new position to support urban producers in accessing grant and cost-share funding. Additionally, this agreement will support KC Black Urban Growers to expand their capacity and micro grant program, support Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council’s Learning Farm, and fund free soil testing and interpretation for urban growers through MU Extension.
This project also allowed Cultivate KC to invite several partners and farmers to join us at the National Urban Agriculture Conference hosted by the USDA in Detroit, Michigan in August. This provided an opportunity to hear directly from USDA leadership about their priority to support urban agriculture, visit farms, and learn from peers around the country and across the state of Missouri. [photo]
As part of this cooperative agreement, Cultivate KC is working with the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to accept nominations for Kansas City’s inaugural FSA Urban County Committee (UCOC). The UCOC was not established in time to participate in the traditional FSA election cycle, so this alternative process will be used to get the UCOC members appointed and operating without waiting for next year’s elections. To learn more and nominate yourself or a farmer, visit our website.
