VSU outreach program to battle food insecurity with $4M in grant funding

An outreach program part of the Virginia Cooperative Extension has been awarded $4 million in grants and sub-awards to battle food insecurity.

The Small Farm Outreach Program (SFOP) will receive a national grant and a regional grant and bridge the gap between urban farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). The program is administered by Virginia State University College of Agriculture.

A nearly $3.25 million national grant will develop a National Urban Agricultural Program for FSA as part of the National Urban Innovative Community-Based Grant. A four-year pilot project will begin in July 2023 and help urban growers develop the necessary knowledge and skills to access and use FSA and other USDA programs, tools and services.

With regional grant funding, VSU-SFOP will partner with Cornell University’s Small Farm Center and the USDA Farm Service Agency in a pilot project to develop a model National Urban Farmer Program to establish evidence-based best practices that empower all states to establish their own regional or local urban farmer programs.

The grant funding is the first time that FSA programs will target rural farmers with the understanding of the importance of urban farming and the challenges they face.

“This is a tremendous step forward to help urban farmers. They can now receive a Farm Serial number which enables them to apply for FSA loans, buy crop insurance and accept EBT cards and more,” SFOP Director William Crutchfield said.

Through education and training, VSU-SFOP and Cornell University will work with stakeholders to introduce FSA and Urban producers to local food systems. Improvement of urban growers’ knowledge will better position them to become sustainable and to help alleviate the plights of individuals living in food deserts.

In the national initiative, VSU-SFOP will provide direction and support to the 17 Urban County Committees (UCOC) the FSA established across the nation; analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of FSA programs in the urban agriculture sector; and will provide national-policy recommendations and strategies to increase future participation in FSA programs.

“We are elated,” Crutchfield said. “It is an honor to lead this national initiative that will help urban farmers and their communities thrive, and will establish a model for all states to follow.”

With one of the UCOCs that VSU-SFOP will be advising located in Richmond, Va., those in Virginia and Greater Richmond can rest assured that SFOP is still focused on serving the state and community.

VSU and Virginia Tech were each co-awarded $750,000 of an Urban Agriculture Initiative. The two educational institutions will work together to assist FSA in educating Virginia urban growers about FSA services that could benefit their operations.

SFOP provides educational programming in Virginia, and parts of North Carolina and Maryland.

“SFOP has long been a leader in Virginia. Being tapped to lead a national initiative further proves that ‘GREATER Happens Here.’ With SFOP taking on a national role in Urban Agriculture, I am confident that even greater is yet to come,” Dr. Robert N. Corley III, interim dean/1890 Extension administrator of Virginia State University College of Agriculture and vice provost for Academic Affair, said.