Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2022 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Nevada under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the Nevada Department of Agriculture seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.
“USDA is excited to partner with Nevada to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.”
LFPA funds will help the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) expand the Home Feeds Nevada program through food purchases within Nevada and from neighboring states. The food will be distributed to community partners within and outside the food bank network. NDA will release a request for proposal for competitive procurement of food and establish vendor agreements with farmers and producers.
“Improving food security for Nevadans is one of the NDA’s top priorities,” said NDA Director Jennifer Ott. “The purchase and distribution of locally grown, produced and processed food through the LFPA program offers economic stability for Nevada’s food producers while increasing food access for our communities in need. This project will assist in forging productive relationships between food producers and the network of food providers in Nevada.”
The LFPA program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. Through this program, USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.
AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to their geographic area.
More information about the program is available on AMS’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program webpage.
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