NSAC's Blog


USDA Awards $27 million to Support Local Food Projects

October 14, 2020

Local food systems and direct-to-consumer marketing through farmers markets, farm stands, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) programs have flourished across the country over the past several decades. Once viewed as a  fad or niche part of the food sector, local food systems and direct marketing agriculture are now an integral part of American agriculture and […]

Inaugural Regional Food Systems Partnership Program Funding Opportunity Announced

March 31, 2020

Local and regional food economy entrepreneurs and organizations received some long-awaited news earlier in March – the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) finally released the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) Program. RFSP is a new program that supports foodshed-level approaches to developing regional food economies. […]

$27 million in Grant Funding Available for Farmers Markets and Local Food Projects

March 24, 2020

On March 9, 2020  USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the availability of $27 million in funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP). FMLFPP has two subprograms – the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) – with a separate Request for Applications (RFA) for each […]

USDA Awards Over $41 Million for Healthy Food Access Projects

November 19, 2019

When it comes to food production, the United States is a land of abundance and plenty. On the food access front, however, the numbers are not very encouraging. One in 10 American households is struggling with food insecurity, meaning that over 100 million low-income, urban and rural Americans cannot afford or have trouble affording healthy […]

$41 Million for Healthy Food Access Projects Now Available

May 8, 2019

Editor’s Note: On May 9, NIFA issued a revised RFA fixing a number of discrepancies between the RFA the program’s statute. NIFA will host a free informational webinar for interested applicants on May 15, 2019 at 2:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. An archived version will be available on NIFA’s webpage following the webinar. More information […]