Public Affairs
WASHINGTON, June 22, 2022 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with South Dakota under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) will administer the program and procure and deliver locally grown foods from underserved producers to underserved communities statewide.
“USDA is excited to partner with South Dakota to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.”
DANR’s LFPA-funded program will connect South Dakota’s underserved producers to new opportunities to deliver their products to local markets through Feeding South Dakota’s extensive network of food assistance partners. The program will promote stronger relationships with underserved, smaller scale, beginning, women, and veteran producers. It is expected that 100 underserved producers across the state will benefit from the program.
Underserved communities across South Dakota deserve reliable access to locally produced food, including fresh produce from South Dakota farmers. This program will strengthen that supply chain so South Dakotans can obtain the sufficient and nutritional food they need to thrive. DANR and Feeding South Dakota anticipate delivering 1.3 million purchased meals from South Dakota producers to over 45,000 families in underserved communities.
“DANR looks forward to working with Feeding South Dakota to procure and deliver locally grown foods to communities across the state,” said DANR Secretary Hunter Roberts. “The partnership will help connect South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers to local markets while providing reliable access to locally produced foods to those who need it most.”
The LFPA program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. Through this program, USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.
AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to their geographic area.
More information about the program is available on AMS’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program webpage.
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