The purpose of our project is to create a successful collaboration of distinct but critical parts of the local food system to increase supply, distribution, and demand of specialty crops grown by socially disadvantaged farmers/producers within rural, remote, or underserved communities throughout Alabama.
The Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) will purchase food directly from socially disadvantaged farmers. ADAI will coordinate the logistics of getting the food from the farm to 1) aggregation and storage facilities, and 2) directly to Feeding Alabama (FAL) for distribution among their more than 1,500 partners assisting underserved communities throughout Alabama. We are committed to purchasing 65% of our overall budget on food and 70% coming from socially disadvantaged farmers. ADAI is increasing the total number of farmers we plan to work with to 87 and 74 of those are socially disadvantaged. We anticipate new relationships created thru LFPA+ will continue for years to come.
ADAI will enter into new subaward agreements to purchase 10 new agricultural products including a protein item of catfish. Through these subawards we will connect the farmers to the proper area to distribute their products to families in greatest need for the purpose of this project while increasing our state’s overall food production.
ADAI feels this proposal will strengthen and improve the food and agriculture supply chain resiliency by providing local nutritious food to those with the greatest need while providing new market avenues to socially disadvantaged farmers.