NSAC's Blog
USDA Boosts Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
July 19, 2010
The USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) is requesting a second round of applications for the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Competitive Grants Program (OASDFR), a program that seeks to ensure equitable participation in USDA programs for minority producers.
The OAO will fund up to $4.7 million in grants to eligible entities.
Applications can be found here and must be submitted on or before August 9, 2010.
A conference call is taking place on Tuesday, July 20 from 1 PM to 2 PM EST to answer questions about the program and the request. The call-in number is (800) 867-6144 and the conference code is 4635#. To RSVP for the call send a message to oasdfr@usda.gov.
In June, USDA announced some $26 million in FY 10 awards under an earlier round of the program.
Through the new OASDFR request for proposals, the OAO hopes to identify the causes of inequitable participation by certain socially disadvantaged groups through the provision of grants to Native American Tribal Governments and organizations, Latino-Serving Institutions, State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education, Land Grant Institutions, and community-based organizations and non-profits that focus on minority farmers.
Groups eligible for the newly-announced grants must be able to implement a project that addresses the following:
1. Collect and analyze data on the number of actual and potential socially disadvantaged farmers within a defined geographic region
2. Engage in outreach to identify causes of failure to achieve equitable participation in USDA agricultural programs and to develop recommended solutions
3. Develop and deploy improved approaches to technical assistance and outreach
4. Collect and analyze information to evaluate the success of those approaches
More information regarding the program is available on our website: OASDFR.
Categories: Beginning and Minority Farmers, Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Grants and Programs