The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared that over $270 million in funding will be made available to enhance resilience in the food supply chain. The funding is being awarded through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, which is administered by the Department.
Secretary Tom Vilsack, speaking at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture conference, said, "These unprecedented investments into our nation’s supply chain infrastructure will not only benefit consumers by ensuring they have dependable access to fresh and locally produced food, but also producers and rural communities by providing more options and creating new and better markets for small and mid-size producers." Vilsack further acknowledged the role of partnerships in this endeavor, saying, "USDA also recognizes that the work through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program is made possible by the strong partnerships we maintain with state agricultural agencies."
According to a press release by the USDA, funds are distributed through a competitive grant process that enables states and territories of the United States to issue sub-awards of Infrastructure Grants to support the food supply chain. These awards can be given to institutions, nonprofit organizations, and agricultural producers. At present, 35 states have requested applications for the program. There is currently over $230 million available in grant funding across all states. The projects funded by these states aim to expand capacity for aggregation, processing, manufacturing, and distribution of food products to support the supply chain.
In May 2023, USDA announced close to $420 million availability through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program. This program aims to establish food systems infrastructure that supports a competitive market by increasing market access to domestic farm products. This initiative creates more opportunities for small-scale farmers and furthers economic opportunity for rural communities.
