Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2021--The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced $11 million awarded to 21 grant projects to strengthen and explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. The funding is made possible through three funding programs administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS): Acer Access and Development Program (Acer), Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP), and Micro-Grants for Food Security Program (MGFSP).
- Acer, authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill to increase market opportunities for the domestic maple syrup industry, awarded $5.4 million to eleven projects.
- FSMIP awarded $1 million to five projects to explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving marketing system efficiency and performance. FSMIP was authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.
- The Micro-Grants Program awarded $4.6 million to agricultural agencies or departments in Alaska, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Hawaii through a non-competitive application process, which was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and is specifically designed to realize USDA’s commitment to support communities across the U.S. that have significant levels of food insecurity and import significant quantities of food.
“These awards support innovation and resilience in agricultural food systems. The newly-funded projects in these three grant programs support critical activities that will open up new market opportunities for producers and processors and increase local food consumption in food insecure communities. Through our partnerships with states and local groups, we are building better back the tools to help both producers and consumers,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jennifer Moffitt.
AMS supports U.S. food and agricultural products market opportunities, while increasing consumer access to fresh, healthy foods through applied research, technical services and Congressionally funded grants.
To learn more about AMS’s investments in enhancing and strengthening agricultural systems, visit www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
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