The USDA is investing in urban agriculture. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
USDA announced a series of investments that will increase market access and revenue streams for producers while strengthening the food system. The investments will also give consumers better access to locally-grown foods and healthier choices.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small made the announcement in Philadelphia. “The USDA announced 17 new Urban Service Centers and ten new urban county committees, as well as approximately $10.7 million in investments in Farm to School and an expansion of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative,” Vilsack says. “It also includes $30 million in funding availability for the new Local and Regional Healthy Food Financing Partnerships Initiative.”
The secretary also says these investments will allow families and farmers alike to benefit from healthier food produced close to home. “Families should have access to locally grown food wherever they live, and farmers should have profitable markets regardless of zip code,” says Torres Small.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land Of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.