On Thursday, September 24, Congresswomen Alma Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), and Shontel Brown (OH-11)sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Richard Fordyce and Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Colton Buckley, urging the USDA to immediately release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) competitive grants program. The letter was joined by 24 Members of Congress.
The UAIP program was created by the 2018 Farm Bill, establishing an office to support and fund urban and innovative farming practices through competitive grants for planning and implementation projects. The program targets areas with limited fresh food access, helping expand efforts by farmers, gardeners, schools, and local governments to build food security, lower local food costs, and support economic development in underserved urban and suburban communities.
USDA has received $12 million in appropriated funding for UAIP: $7 million in Fiscal Year 2025 and $5 million in Fiscal Year 2026. However, the agency has not released any of the allocated funds, with no explanation for the delay. The letter calls on the USDA to open a 60-day application window no later than December 31, 2026, and requests answers on what caused the delay, when the NOFO will be released, and what the department's regular funding cycle will look like going forward.
“Addressing agricultural needs in North Carolina’s 12th District is one of my top priorities,” saidCongresswoman Adams, a senior member of the House Committee on Agriculture.“UAIP was created to support local family farms and increase access to affordable healthy foods in urban districts across the country; the program must continue to do that. I am calling on the USDA to distribute these funds as they have been directed by Congress.”
Source : house.gov