New but Mighty Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production
Earlier this summer the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUIAP) announced a series of new investments
NSAC’s Blog
Sept 29, 2023
Excerpt:
The latest announcement of investments in July seeks to serve the unique needs of growers in urban and indoor settings through the establishment of seventeen new Urban Service Centers. These centers will include co-located FSA and NRCS staff, just like the existing 2,300 USDA Service Centers, but with a focus on supporting urban and innovative growers in navigating farm loans, conservation program access, and other risk management resources to ensure the success of their farm.
In the past, urban, micro-scale growers, or agricultural operations using new and innovative practices risked traveling to a service center just to be turned away due to a staff member not having resources to support them. OUAIP has sought to address these issues by locating the Urban Service Centers in areas with high concentrations of urban and micro-scale growers and implementing updated procedures that address historical barriers for participation among these growers.
Under the initial direction from Congress, OUAIP established 17 pilot FSA Urban County Committees. In an ongoing effort to ensure FSA and NRCS services respond to the dynamic, place-based needs of farmers, OUAIP announced ten additional committees in July, bringing the total to 27 committees across 22 states.
These committees serve an important role in tailoring each center’s services to the geographical needs of the agricultural community: hiring local staff, reviewing local administrative area boundaries, supporting local policy development, and conducting outreach to growers regarding services offered by USDA.
