Find out what projects were awarded in New Hampshire
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2024-- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service today awarded over $33.5 million for 113 grant projects in 43 states and territories to expand and strengthen local and regional food systems and increase the availability of locally grown agricultural products. The funding will be distributed through the Local Agriculture Market Program’s (LAMP) Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP) and the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program.
“The Local Agriculture Market Program is a key piece of USDA’s efforts to strengthen local and regional food systems with over $220 million awarded to 597 projects since 2021,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The projects will expand market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers, allow more money to stay within local and rural economies, and build resilience in our food systems.”
FMLFPP is implemented through two grant programs, the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). The goal of the programs is to strengthen local and regional food businesses through projects that support farmers via the creation of targeted marketing capabilities; training on topics such as record keeping, fair pricing, family-friendly marketing and agritourism activities; and new market development.
This year, FMPP is awarding $14.2 million to 60 projects across 28 states and territories. The program funds projects that support producer-to-consumer markets, such as farmers markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs, and online sales.
FMPP AWARD IN NH
Rejuvenating Farmers’ Markets in the Seacoast of New Hampshire and Maine
Recipient: Seacoast Eat Local, Inc., Lee,
Project Type: Turnkey
Total Project Amount: $125,000.00
This project seeks to reinvigorate numerous local food outlets that have struggled to be consistent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic impacts. Project work will create and implement a marketing plan for four outdoor summer farmers markets which will include a number of targeted digital and print marketing efforts. The project will further strengthen the visibility of the other farmers markets and farms in the region by redesigning an online local food guide to make it more interactive, informative, and user friendly. Furthermore, the project will expand printing and distribution of the local food guide to reach more households. The cumulative impact of these efforts will provide invaluable exposure for the area farms, fisheries, and value-added food producers in the region leading to more a reliable and consistent customer base.
LFPP is awarding $14.1 million in fiscal year 2024 funding to 43 projects across 29 states and territories. The program supports local and regional food businesses that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing. The awarded projects focus on activities, such as supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products; developing value-added products; and facilitating regional food chain coordination.
LFPP AWARD IN NH:
Upgrading Small Farm Virtual Marketplace Point-of-Sale System to Streamline Farm Sales & Inventory Management
Recipient: Rooted Farmers, Inc., Etna,
Project Type: Implementation Award
Total Project Amount: $306,525.00
Rooted Farmers is a women-run online sales platform for small farms, built and led by a team of farmers. The mission is to facilitate hyper-local distribution of agricultural products through our networked virtual marketplace, allowing farms to access, promote, and sell their inventory to local buyers. Initially launched in 2019 to support local flower sales, Rooted is now completing a multi-year project in partnership with the University of New Hampshire to expand the platform to support food hubs, specialty crop farms, and value-add producers across the US. The project’s focus has been on value chains primarily servicing wholesale channels. However, small farm members are seeking a unified technology solution across all of their channels,-both wholesale and direct-to-consumer. Rooted Farmers is applying on behalf of producer members who have requested the integration of a complete point-of-sale solution with card reader technology to allow them to continue efficiently scaling their businesses.
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