USDA Aims to Improve Literacy Food and Nutrition Education for Low-Income Communities

Press Release
Media Contact: Selina Meiners, (202) 734-9376

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced support to develop local and self-reliant food systems, such as farm to table enterprises that bring nutritious food to low-income communities. This funding is available through NIFA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

“This program reaches into neighborhoods across America to improve access to food and nutrition education, assist community outreach, and empower local farms,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “These NIFA investments help communities develop field to fork food systems that provide long-term community solutions.”

The primary goals of the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFP) are to meet the food needs of low-income individuals, increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their food needs, promote comprehensive responses to local food access, farm, and nutrition issues, and meet specific state, local, or neighborhood food and agricultural needs. Grants aim to bring together stakeholders from the distinct parts of the food system and foster understanding of national food security trends and how they might improve local food systems.

In fiscal year 2017, 35 grants totaling $8.6 million were awarded through the CFP program. They are:

Community Food Projects

• United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, New London, Connecticut, $35,000
• Liberty`s Kitchen Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana, $33,890
• Columbia Center For Urban Agriculture, Columbia, Missouri, $35,000
• United Way of the Midlands, Omaha, Nebraska, $34,001
• Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, Nebraska, $35,000
• Capital Roots, Troy, New York, $35,000
• South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs, Columbia, South Carolina, $35,000
• People Incorporated of Virginia, Abingdon, Virginia, $24,078
• Community Action Center, Pullman, Washington, $35,000

Planning Projects

• Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, $69,976
• Uncommon Good, Claremont, California, $400,000
• Community Services Unlimited Inc., Los Angeles, California, $400,000
• Project Worthmore, Aurora, Colorado, $400,000
• Re:Vision International, Denver, Colorado, $374,935
• LiveWell Colorado, Denver, Colorado, $130,268
• Nationals Youth Academy, Washington, D.C., $341,768
• Beaches Emergency Assistance, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, $276,738
• Tanner Medical Center Inc., Carrollton, Georgia, $399,790
• Waimanalo Market Co-op, Waimanalo, Hawaii, $304,960
• The Kohala Center Inc., Kamuela, Hawaii, $347,802
• Kentucky Association of Food Banks, Berea, Kentucky, $400,000
• St. Mary`s Regional Medical Center, Lewiston, Maine, $400,000
• Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, St. Paul, Minnesota, $396,372
• Springfield Community Gardens, Springfield, Missouri, $375,000
• Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration, Brooklyn, New York, $239,140
• Massachusetts Avenue Project, Buffalo, New York, $389,088
• Lantern Community Services Inc., New York, New York, $398,200
• High Desert Food & Farm Alliance, Bend, Oregon, $361,988
• Southside Community Land Trust, Providence, Rhode Island, $397,939
• International Rescue Committee Inc., Dallas, Texas, $374,495
• Richmond City Health District, Richmond, Virginia, $166,100
• Tricycle Gardens, Richmond, Virginia, $105,618
• Project GROWS Inc., Staunton, Virginia, $249,190.00
• Helping Overcome Poverty`s Existence Inc., Wytheville, Virginia, $240,000
• Action Resources International Laramie, Wyoming, $398,664

Project details can be found at the NIFA website.

One of the new projects, the Waimanalo Market Co-op in Waimanalo, Hawaii, will involve connecting local farmers with their communities to provide better access to culturally accepted foods, increasing the number of farmers, and educating citizens about eating healthier by making better food choices.   

Since 1996, Community Food Projects have awarded approximately $101 million to organizations nationwide. Among previously funded projects, the City Schoolyard Garden, Inc (link is external)., in Charlottesville, Virginia, helps local communities work together to educate their neighbors about healthy eating and local food choices. These efforts have created a food system for all citizens, regardless of background or neighborhood. The Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc. (FCCAA) is developing the Republic Food Enterprise Center (RFEC) (link is external) in Republic, Pennsylvania, to connect producers and growers, retailers, and consumers. They also create a support system to develop sustainable businesses within the food system.

NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture. To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural sciences, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/Impacts, sign up for updates (link is external), and follow us on Twitter @USDA_NIFA (link is external), #NIFAImpacts (link is external).

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