Washington, D.C. – Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen
Merrigan recently announced approximately $10 million in funding for the
Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) to help increase availability of local
agricultural products in communities throughout the country.
“These grants
will put resources into rural and urban economies to create and support direct
marketing opportunities for farmers” said Merrigan. “Consumer and farmer
enthusiasm for direct marketing has never been greater. This year we will place
emphasis on food deserts because America’s low income and
underserved communities need greater access to healthy, fresh food.”
Information on
how to apply for a FMPP grant was published in the June 1, 2011, Federal
Register, and posted to the AMS website.
FMPP deadline
requirements have changed. This year complete applications must be received –
not postmarked – by AMS no later than close of business on July 1, 2011.
Applications received after the deadline – and incomplete applications – will
not be considered.
In fiscal year
2011, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will competitively award
grants to projects that develop producer-to-consumer market outlets, including
but not limited to farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and
road-side stands. Priority status will be granted to those projects that expand
healthy food choices in food deserts. AMS will continue to target 10 percent of
grant funding toward new electronic benefits transfer projects at farmers
markets.
USDA, in
coordination with the Departments of the Treasury and Health and Human
Services, seeks to eliminate food deserts in the United States by increasing access
to fresh, healthy and affordable food choices for all Americans, while
expanding market opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Through a suite of
funding options, the federal partners are targeting food deserts, or areas with
limited access to affordable and nutritious foods in urban, rural and tribal
neighborhoods. Earlier this year, USDA’s Economic Research Service released a
Food Desert Locator tool online. The Food Desert Locator is an Internet-based
mapping tool that pinpoints the location of food deserts around the country and
provides data on population characteristics of census tracts where residents
have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods. To use the Locator,
visit the website.
Because of
changes to the program in fiscal 2011, applicants should visit the FMPP website
for full details about food deserts and assistance in applying. The “FMPP
Pre-Application Guide” also helps applicants assess their readiness for
implementing a federally-funded grant project, and the “How to Apply for an
FMPP Grant” tutorial will guide them through completion of the application.
These and other tools can be found on the FMPP website.
Authorized by
the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 and amended by the Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the Farm Bill), FMPP is in its sixth year
of funding direct markets that benefit local and regional economies.
Since 1994, USDA
has counted the number of operational U.S. farmers markets. During that
time, the number of farmers markets listed in the USDA National Farmers Market
Directory has skyrocketed from 1,755 to 6,132. The directory captures
information about where and when farmers markets operate, if they participate
in federal nutrition benefit programs, and detailed information about their
seasonality and location.
For more
information, contact in writing: Carmen Humphrey, Program Manager, Farmers
Market Promotion Program, AMS, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 4509 – South
Building, Washington, DC 20250; call 202-720-8317; or fax 202-690-0031.
