Tallahassee, FL – Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam has announced the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is now accepting applications for $5 million in federal funding for the Florida Specialty Crop Block Grant program.
The grant, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), will be awarded to nonprofits, producers, academic institutions, government agencies and others to fund projects that will enhance the competitiveness of Florida’s specialty crops, which include fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops.
The 2014 Florida Specialty Crop Block Grant Program will accept applications for projects pertaining to the following issues:
• Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops;
• Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems;
• Assisting all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain in developing “Good Agricultural Practices,” “Good Handling Practices” and “Good Manufacturing Practices,” and in cost-share arrangements for funding audits of such systems for small farmers, packers and processors;
• Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes;
• Enhancing food safety;
• Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops;
• Pest and disease control; and
• Development of organic and sustainable production practices.
The following have been identified as funding priorities for the 2014 Florida Specialty Crop Block Grant Program:
• Projects with immediate benefit to the public/industry;
• Projects that address barriers to increase access, availability and consumption of Florida grown specialty crops at local institutional level through more efficient, less costly distribution systems;
• “Buy Local Produce” programs for institutions, including schools, prisons, hospitals, restaurants and other businesses;
• Projects that increase access and availability of specialty crops for underserved populations;
• Projects that address the issue of food deserts;
• Projects to increase child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of, and access to, Florida specialty crops; and
• Projects that increase the sales and marketability of Florida commercially grown specialty crops.
Major considerations for the grant also include the overall economic benefit to the Florida specialty crop industry, project’s business model, the project’s likelihood of success and the project’s return on investment.
The deadline to apply for a Specialty Crop Block Grant is April 18. Grant applications will be reviewed by FDACS and an external review committee that is representative of Florida’s specialty crop industry. Pending USDA approval, funded projects are anticipated to begin by January 2015.
For more information, please visit http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Business-Services/Grant-Opportunities/Florida-Specialty-Crop-Block-Grant-Program.