U.S. Department of Agriculture said March 9 it will be working to offer technical assistance to help underserved farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.
The USDA will be accepting applications for the Technical Assistance Investment Program that will help underserved agricultural workers launch and grow their enterprises. Funding will come from the American Rescue Plan.
“This past year, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken bold and historic actions to level the playing field to ensure all Americans benefit from the many opportunities open to them," Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in the release. "As part of the USDA's American Rescue Plan investments, we want to ensure that those who have been traditionally underserved by USDA have the same understanding and technical support needed to access USDA program and services."
Technical support can be provided for targeted agricultural financial training, agriculture mediation access, program and service outreach, cooperative development training and support, capacity building training and land access training support, agricultural production and agricultural credit and capital access.
Under these grants, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture will give at least $25 million in awards ranging from $500,000 to $3.5 million for five-year cooperative agreements from organizations.
USDA is encouraging nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education that have specialized expertise to apply before the June 1 deadline, as they are in higher demand and have the infrastructure needed to have the largest impact. Applicants are also encouraged to include youth-related or beginner farmer activities within their projects' scopes where applicable.
