The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $7.5 million in 26 cooperative agreements that support innovative, scalable waste management plans to reduce and divert food waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida (NRCS-FL) notes two Florida projects have been selected.
The Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) cooperative agreements are part of USDA’s broad support for urban agriculture. The CFWR program is jointly administered by USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The selected projects will be implemented between now and 2027.
“These Composting and Food Waste Reduction projects help communities reduce the harmful effects of food waste on the environment,” said Juan C. Hernandez, NRCS-FL State Conservationist. “Local strategies and tools like these are important climate solutions and also contribute to food security at the community level.”
USDA prioritized projects that anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits, incorporate plans to make compost easily accessible to farmers, including community gardeners, integrate other food waste strategies, including food recovery efforts and collaborate with multiple partners.
The two Florida projects selected are:
- City of Deerfield Beach – located in Deerfield Beach, this project will build on the success of DFB Compost to grow the reach of organics recycling in South Florida.
- School Board of Miami-Dade County – located in Miami, this project will prevent food waste from reaching landfills and contributing to production of methane gas by learning how to prevent or waste leftover food and understanding the problems caused by wasting food. It will also reduce food insecurity by using share carts and increasing back-of-kitchen composting.
For a complete list of the selected cooperative agreement recipients and project summaries, visit usda.gov/urban.