USDA selects Ohio State to support new effort in urban agriculture
“Urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural enterprises in Ohio’s metropolitan areas play a vital role in Ohio’s agricultural community,”
Ohio Country Journal
Dec 27, 2023
Excerpt:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) recently selected The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) to support the creation of a new USDA Urban Service Center designed to further urban agriculture and innovative production in Ohio.
The USDA is opening 17 new Urban Service Centers in 15 states nationwide, including in Ohio. The Cleveland USDA Urban Service Center is a first for Ohio and is supported by Ohio State University Extension. The five-year collaborative partnership will later expand to metropolitan sites across northeast, central, northwest, southwest, and urban Appalachian areas in Ohio.
FSA awarded cooperative agreements to organizations located in the 17 cities where USDA is opening an USDA Urban Service Center or will have an urban county committee, said John Patterson, state executive director for the USDA FSA in Ohio.
“Until now, there has been no vehicle for urban growers to easily access USDA priorities and funding,” Patterson said. “Whether a farm is in a rural area or the middle of a city, the USDA FSA is committed to working with farms of all sizes and in all locations. Urban farming is in every county across Ohio, and agriculture is for everyone.
