WASHINGTON – The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service announced that the agency awarded more than $32 million for 98 grant projects to expand local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products.

The funding for these grants will go through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP) and the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program.

“These grant programs support local and regional food producers by broadening marketing opportunities, such as farmers markets, local food hubs, and farm-to-institution programs,” said Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. “Not only do these channels provide consistent and profitable revenue streams to farmers, they also increase consumer access to fresh, locally sourced foods across the nation.”

The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) will fund 55 projects that would support producer-to-consumer markets, such as farmers markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs, and online sales.

With the Local Food Promotion Programs (LFPP), the agency will fund 33 projects that support local and regional food businesses that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing.

Finally, the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) would fund 10 partnerships that will work around eight states and the District of Columbia.

Requests for grants by the USDA were sent out in February.

LAMP and other grant programs were funded through the 2018 Farm Bill and annual appropriations for fiscal year 2023.