Transportation and Marketing

Farmers Market Promotion Program

Fiscal Year 2020 Description of Funded Projects

Number of Grants Awarded: 49

Amount of Funds Awarded: $13,482,784.05

For more information, please visit the grant program's website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/fmpp

NOTE: The below project descriptions were provided by the grant recipients.

Arizona

Recipient: Startup Tucson, Tucson, AZ

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $250,000.00

Match Amount: $62,576.00

Total Project Amount: $312,576.00

Bridging the Tucson Tech Gap: Leveling-up Agricultural Producers in our City of Gastronomy 

through Technology, Training, and Tourism 

The project aims to help the region’s food producers level-up their technology, marketing, and business 

skills and to unify and amplify their overall marketing to improve consumer access and knowledge of our 

unique food heritage. Capacity building will be provided through the intensive Startup Tucson Food 

Accelerator to help participants develop new revenuestreams, products, and services. Access to online 

webinars, branding assistance, and expert mentoring will increase participants’ comfort with 

eCommerce and customer-facing digital marketing. Collaborator will build modern eCommerce websites 

to help those unable to create their own. Working with the agritourism and marketing specialists at Visit 

Tucson, participants and local producers will join a new online retail shop that aggregates these 

businesses into one location for easy consumer access. This shop will be embedded in Visit Tucson’s 

existing tourism site that attracts 1.1 million annually and paired with a robust regional marketing 

campaign to instantly expand reach for these producers. Expected outcomes include increased 

technological and entrepreneurial skills, consumer access, and digital sales for participants, new valueadded agricultural products for our region and increased consumer access of local products.

Recipient: White Mountain Apache Tribe, Fort Apache, AZ

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $500,000.00

Match Amount: $125,009.00

Total Project Amount: $625,009.00
Ndee Nest’ą’ Dayiyąągo íta’adé: Celebrating White Mountain Apache Foodways and Culture 

The White Mountain Apache Tribe is working to address local health disparities by building the capacity 

of producers and increasing direct producer-to-consumer local food access while also educating 

consumers. The project will focus on engaging producers and consumers to revitalize the White 

Mountain Apache local food system. The Ndee Bikiyaa team will host outreach training sessions to 

empower producers with the knowledge and skills to advocate for their own products and increase 

overall sales. The annual Apache Harvest Festival will be a collaborative effort between Ndee Bikiyaa 

staff, stakeholders, and community producers to promote agritourism in the White Mountain Apache 

reservation community and provide outreach and engagement with community members. Ndee Bikiyaa 

Market, a small storefront at the farm, will open to the public for 6 months of the year to attract 

community members, increase access to Apache grown foods, and provide a platform for developing 

local food businesses to sell products. Ndee Bikiyaa will establish Apache Farmers’ Markets in Whiteriver 

and Cibecue while supporting the developing community producers to include their products as well.

California

Recipient: Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Davis, CA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $249,875.00

Match Amount: $62,505.00

Total Project Amount: $312,380.00

Farm-to-Market Tech: Empowering Farm Direct Purchasing with Tech-Based Solutions 

If California’s family farms and our local food infrastructure can’t adapt quickly enough to the current 

crisis as well as to a fast- changing technological marketplace, we may lose them. To avoid further 

industry consolidation, to sustain any temporary surge in direct-market sales (such as the recent growth 

of CSAs), and to ensure the success of these small land-based entrepreneurs, CAFF seeks to invest in 

education, technology, and collaboration to help our local food system survive the current crisis and

thrive well into the future. This project will establish The Farm to Market Tech Hub (Tech Hub). Housed 

at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), the Tech Hub will provide free resources and 

consulting for California family farms and related local food businesses such as farmers markets and 

food hubs to help pivot to sales models better suited to the current crisis as well as longer-term 

consumer purchasing trends. Resources will be shared on our website, social media, webinar, and by our 

many statewide partners. Farmers and local food business owners will be able to arrange for direct oneon-one consulting. To compete with bigger, corporate food ventures that have invested millions into ecommerce, small businesses may have to collaborate to offer the same level of consumer convenience, 

diversity of product, speed, and market reach. To avoid duplicative efforts and to leverage that 

collective advantage, the Hub team will explore collective solutions to make purchasing local food more 

convenient, accessible. and competitive.
Recipient: Community Health Improvement Partners, San Diego, CA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $143,680.15

Match Amount: $36,282.78

Total Project Amount: $179,962.93

San Diego County Farmer Market Training Program 

The San Diego County (SDC) Farmer Market Training Program aims to improve the capacity of at least 84 

farmers with 10 acres or less to enter direct-to-consumer markets through developing stronger 

connections with their local communities and customers and improving their resilience to changes in 

markets. This project will support and expanded market options for small farmers in San Diego County 

(SDC) who face growing challenges due to the shifting demands of primary wholesale customers. These 

small farms are critical to crop diversity and economic resilience in the region but are declining in 

number each year. This training program will include market plan development for profitable direct-toconsumer markets including farmer's markets, CSAs, online sales, farmer-owned cooperatives, and onfarm stores as well as training on connecting with institutional markets. In addition to the training 

program, we will develop a targeted marketing campaign on local food purchasing and establish a 

network of Local Food Advocates to promote local products across the county.

Recipient: Regents of the University of California, Davis, CA

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $283,644.00

Match Amount: $71,224.00

Total Project Amount: $354,868.00

Strengthening California Local Food Networks with Agritourism and Direct Sales 

With the emergence of “shelter-in-place” directives, California’s small-scale direct-marketing farms and 

agritourism operations faced drastic and immediate disruptions to operations causing major losses in 

revenue and lay-offs for staff. Particularly hard-hit are agritourism operators who had to cancel visitorserving activities, often reducing staff or not hiring for seasonal employment. Positively, the disruptions 

in food supply and mobility brought the existence and importance of local farms and ranches to the 

attention of much of the public. Demand for online food ordering, delivery, and on-farm pickup options 

increased in many areas, as did sign-ups for community-supported agriculture (CSA), and other delivery 

programs. Many farm stands saw increased sales. Many U-Pick operations drew increased interest.

Although many farmers were able to pivot successfully from lost sales to new marketing channels, many 

lacked the skills or connections to do so. Increased awareness by the public of local farms and ranches 

indicates an increased potential for local agritourism and direct sales opportunities, offering needed 

options for small-scale farm and ranch diversification. This project will offer training to small-scale 

California farmers and ranchers in establishing new and improved direct-to-consumer sales and 

agritourism activities, which will support regional agritourism associations in promoting local farms and 

ranches to local communities, and will form regional direct-sales and agritourism networking groups to 

strengthen local food systems. We expect increased access to local food and participation in local 
agritourism activities by community members and a continued increased of revenue to local farms and 

ranches from direct sales and agritourism activities.

Recipient: Siskiyou Economic Development Council, Yreka, CA

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $439,395.00

Match Amount: $144,000.00

Total Project Amount: $583,395.00

Setting the Table for Siskiyou's Small Farms 

Setting the Table for Siskiyou’s Small Farms will support six existing rural farmers markets of Siskiyou 

County by developing a regional centralized online marketplace to aggregate, market, and sell locally 

raised and produced food. The Siskiyou Economic Development Council will bring together local 

producers, farmers market managers, and project partners to expand Siskiyou County’s existing farmers 

markets to an online platform. This project will strengthen the local food system while creating 

opportunities for agriculture producers and food businesses to increase income. The project will develop 

the online market, provide technical assistance to producers, and launch a comprehensive marketing 

campaign to promote the products and site. The project will aggregate the region’s farmers markets and 

local agriculture producers in the online platform, so residents can choose which market they prefer, 

seamlessly shop online, and conveniently pick up. The project will increase the capacity of at least 30 

farmers and ranchers and 30 value-added producers. Setting the Table for Siskiyou’s Small Farms will 

convert infrequent, occasional local sales into a stable local food economy, and bring together 

producers and consumers in the low-income, low-food access and frontier communities of California’s 

far north. This effort will substantially increase sales and consumption of locally and regionally produced 

agricultural products by reaching at least 10,000 consumers, including some of Siskiyou’s most 

vulnerable populations.

Colorado

Recipient: GoFarm, Golden, CO

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $249,502.00

Match Amount: $67,950.00

Total Project Amount: $317,452.00

Expanding Capacity and Resilience for Long-Term Impact through Community Outreach and the 

Optimization of Local Food Market Channels 

The goal of this project is to expand upon GoFarm's infrastructure to foster resilience and long-term 

impact. GoFarm's proposed approach integrates expanding and optimizing local food market channels 

developing deeper relationships within the community and establishing safety and emergency 

preparedness plans. Expanded and optimized market operations will include: operating a mobile market 

to serve under-resourced communities experiencing barriers to accessing local food, responding to 

changing consumer demands by utilizing an online sales platform, and extending consumption of local 
food by offering additional seasons of our multi-farm CSA. Throughout this project, GoFarm expects to 

double the sales of local products, reaching $450,000 in annual sales by 2023 and benefiting over 50 

local producers. Activities include: deepening community relationships, providing education to 

beginning farmers to help them better market their products, fostering a long-term commitment to 

purchasing local food through consumer outreach and education, as well as building up the GoFarm 

internship program to train new professionals in local food system development. GoFarm expects our 

annual customer count to be over 1,500 households and we will have trained and mentored 16 local 

food system professionals. Creation of safety and emergency preparedness plans include: working with 

partners to improve preparedness protocols and systems management that combat threats to the local 

food system, as documentation and dissemination of protocols and best practices. A strong local food 

system is multifaceted and complex, and only with all of these elements combined can we build overall 

resilience and create long-term impact.

Recipient: Regents of the Univ. of CO/Univ. of CO Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $462,991.00

Match Amount: $120,052.00

Total Project Amount: $583,043.00

The Colorado Grain Chain: Expanding Markets for Heritage and Whole Grain Growers and 

Makers of Value-Added Products 

The goal of this project is to expand direct-to-consumer markets for farmers and makers of value-added 

heritage grain products throughout Colorado and in southern Colorado. On the consumer end of the 

chain, there is heightened demand for grains as staples (e.g., flour, bread) but consumer acceptability of 

whole grains, local access, and basic baking/cooking skills remain low. On the producer end, supplies are 

limited and there is a low level of producer skills and knowledge for entering direct-to-consumer, directto-retail, restaurant, and institutional markets. This project will provide technical assistance to CGC 

members and others in an effort to address these opportunities and challenges. Specifically, the project 

focuses on marketing and a Colorado -Grown Heritage Grain co-branding strategy that will support and 

highlight Colorado’s heritage grain farmers, millers, maltsters, bakers, brewers, distillers, and chefs. 

Educational courses, such as Grain School (online/in the field) and technical assistance for growers and 

makers will provide robust regional and remote training and service opportunities. Finally, an enhanced 

grain literacy strategy, geared toward consumers of all income levels, delivered directly and through 

partnerships in food & agriculture, education, and health will ensure access to all Coloradans.
Connecticut

Recipient: GreenWave Organization Corp., New Haven, CT

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $142,958.00

Match Amount: $35,739.50

Total Project Amount: $178,697.50

Strengthening Market Connections for Kelp Farmers in Southern New England 

For fishermen and shellfish growers, adding kelp cultivation to their business strategy offers the 

potential to manage risk through crop and market diversification, extend their growing season, and 

increase revenue streams. New England has seen a rapid expansion of the number of people interested 

in and actively growing kelp, with approximately 100 nearshore small- scale kelp farms securing permits 

in coastal waters from New York to Maine since 2010 and interest from more than 655 people seeking 

to launch kelp farms or add kelp cultivation to their existing business. To realize the full revenue 

potential of kelp farming, however, southern New England farmers need to expand sales and diversify 

sales channels. GreenWave, a 501c3 nonprofit, began addressing this need with a pilot market 

development program in 2019, providing technical assistance to a small cohort of emerging ocean 

farmers to develop connections with qualified buyers for the 2020 harvest season. Through this project, 

GreenWave will expand on this critical pilot by developing resources and providing training and 

technical assistance for 20-30 kelp farmers and 2-4 value-added product companies and co-packers to 

expand kelp market opportunities. In addition to fueling growth in southern New England, this project 

will increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced kelp products around the 

United States. Within 5 years, we anticipate 1,250 kelp farmers will access these resources to support 

their marketing efforts.

District of Columbia

Recipient: Dreaming Out Loud, Inc., Washington, DC

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $249,992.00

Match Amount: $139,600.00

Total Project Amount: $389,592.00

Community Solutions Accelerated: A Vertically Integrated CSA, Farmers Market, and 

Micro-enterprise Model 

According to the DC Food Policy Council’s “Food System Assessment”, released in Spring 2019, overall 

food security improved in the District between 2012 to 2017, while very low food-security rates did not 

statistically improve. The rates of chronic disease in Washington, D.C. follow obesity trends with respect 

to race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. Residents of very low food security areas, 

particularly those earning less than $25,000 per year have rates of hypertension more than double those 

of residents earning greater than $75,000 per year. Economic opportunity in low access areas is also 

lacking with unemployment rates ranging between 11.3% and 14.6%, several times the regional average. 

Lack of employment and entrepreneurial opportunity compounds food access issues. The purpose of 
Dreaming Out Loud’s intervention is to address the intersecting problems of low food access and limited 

economic opportunity. Dreaming Out Loud will implement “Community Solutions Accelerated: A 

Vertically Integrated CSA, Farmers Market, and Micro-enterprise Model” in order to: Expand the number 

of CSA/market sites from 5 to 9 via school, community partnerships, and food hub-to-food hub 

collaborations; Increase the number of local and socially disadvantaged farmers participating in CSA 

through outreach; Encourage the development of value-added agricultural products through the 

expansion of the DREAM food entrepreneurship program; and Develop marketing strategies for 

producers of local food and value-added products.

Florida

Recipient: African People's Education and Defense Fund, Inc., Saint Petersburg, FL

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $243,378.00

Match Amount: $60,845.00

Total Project Amount: $304,223.00

One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market - Food Desert to Oasis: Creating Sustainable Access and 

Expanding Direct Producer-Consumer Market Opportunities in North St. Louis City 

The African People's Education and Defense Fund has designed a project to create sustainable access 

and expand economic opportunities for farmers/ranchers to sell to consumers through direct producerto-consumer marketing, agritourism, and online sales. The One Africa! One Nation! Farmers Market in 

the historically black community of North St. Louis City will create an oasis and a blueprint that 

addresses the issues of concentrated poverty, food deserts, and grave health disparities found there. 

The market will build capacity for local job creation and instill a community-based approach to black 

empowerment and economic development. Our objectives are to 1) Network with Farmers/Ranchers to 

establish new market opportunities by creating a Farmers Market, an online market, and through sales 

of agricultural products to our partner organization; 2) Increase Capacity for a Farmers Market by 

building our market committee, staffing, and purchasing necessary supplies and management tools; 3) 

Increase access to fresh locally grown produce for low income/low access customers by including 

utilization of EBT/SNAP and other programs in communities located in areas of concentrated poverty 

with limited access to supermarkets or locally or regionally grown food; and 4) Establish a baseline of 

customers and sales of local and regional agricultural products. Our market will have a minimum of eight 

farmers/ranchers and two value-added agricultural product vendors with estimated sales of $202,800. 

We will do outreach to 20,000 residents and have a total market attendance (including online) of 18,434 

people during the 3-year project period.
Recipient: Frenchtown Neighborhood Improvement Association, Tallahassee, FL

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $244,682.86

Match Amount: $63,100.00

Total Project Amount: $307,782.86

Tallahassee Farmers Market Promotion Program: Building Healthier Communities from the 

Ground Up 

Tallahassee, FL was named the country’s most economically segregated city by the Martin Prosperity 

Institute in 2015. Additionally, Florida’s Department of Health has cited Leon County as having the 

fourth highest food insecurity rate in the state. A significant contributing factor to these disparities is the 

lack of local food infrastructure to develop agricultural resources into business opportunities that can 

provide healthy food options at competitive prices. With the help of this grant, FNIA and its partners will 

facilitate increased participation in the local food system through business support services to enable 

the growth of local food sources, commercial kitchen access for value-added preparation, marketing to 

establish brand identity for local food purveyors, farmer/producer education workshops to expand 

sustainable production, consumer education workshops to grow the demand for local food products, 

and direct producer-to-consumer sales at weekend markets. The project will open the local food market 

to 1,000 new consumers, increase local food sales by 20%, create at least 20 new jobs and as many 

careers, covering the cost of certifications to remove barriers to entry for at least half of these, and 

build brand new market opportunities in two neighboring counties. We will also confront the issue of 

food insecurity by serving 200 households through our food rescue program and pop-up markets 

strategically targeted to serve at- risk communities. We are creating a sustainable model that will 

strengthen our region’s resiliency and stability, especially needed in this time of crisis and uncertainty.

Georgia

Recipient: Athens Land Trust, Athens, GA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $248,545.00

Match Amount: $62,210.00

Total Project Amount: $310,755.00

Growing Together: West Broad Farmers Market Innovations for Farmers, Producers, and 

Consumers 

Athens Land Trust serves disadvantaged and limited resource farmers in northeast Georgia through our 

Farmer Outreach program. Ongoing needs among these farmers are for increased access to direct-toconsumer markets and support and training in marketing and sales of their products. In Athens-Clarke 

County, where the overall poverty rate is 36%, Athens Land Trust has operated the West Broad Farmers 

Market (WBFM) in a low-income, low-access neighborhood since 2012, with the goals of increasing 

economic opportunity for small farmers and food-based microentrepreneurs and making fresh, local 

produce and agricultural products more accessible for underserved community members. In March 

2020, ALT developed the WBFM digital retail market platform. The goal of the current project is to use 

this necessary adaptation as a catalyst to develop a comprehensive multi-platform sales, marketing, and 
vendor development program: the WBFM Farmer and Food- based Microenterprise Collective. The 

market opportunities will include a farmers market, online retail platform, online wholesale platform 

targeting restaurants and institutions, and the option for a multi-farmer CSA. Benefits for collective 

members include simplified access to affordable markets, Grow Your Business training sessions, and 

marketing strategies to increase consumer demand. Expected outcomes include increased numbers of 

successful farmers and food-based small businesses who grow their income through diverse market 

streams; a larger and more diverse customer base for the WBFM; and an increased awareness of and 

participation in the market by low-income, underserved residents.

Recipient: Collective Harvest, LLC, Athens, GA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $249,498.00

Match Amount: $83,166.00

Total Project Amount: $332,664.00

The Future of the 21st Century Direct-to-Consumer Cooperative: Continued Market Expansion of 

the Collective Harvest Farmer Network in the Era of Ecommerce 

Collective Harvest is a CSA network composed of direct-to-consumer, sustainable small farms. In 2015,

the farms began successfully systematizing complementary crop plans, aggregating products, and 

distributing to satellite pick-up locations. Previous funding furthered the success of the network allowing 

it to establish a central Distribution Center, lease a delivery vehicle, and hire additional staff. The 

farmers’ cooperative marketing efforts exceeded sales and producer membership and revenue targets 

during the first project period. However, the network’s continued growth threatens its sustainability: 

labor and management software costs have significantly increased, as has competition from national 

companies offering online sales and home delivery of produce. In the past two seasons the distribution 

of over 800 CSA shares and the creation of an online Farm Stand service necessitated by the pandemic 

has strained the financial and physical resources of Collective Harvest and its small farmers. 

Consequently, Collective Harvest proposes a project to continue investing in necessary infrastructure, 

labor, and further refine their successful business model for small farms. The funding will renew the 

lease of its centralized DC for aggregation and pickup of CSA and online Farm Stand sales, lease a second 

delivery vehicle for delivery of discounted produce shares to low-access customers, and develop a 

custom CSA and online Farm Stand management software platform which will increase the efficiency of 

all aspects of the business and allow Collective Harvest to operate profitably and competitively in the 

era of Ecommerce.
Recipient: William S. Davies Homeless Shelter Inc., Rome, GA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $212,600.00

Match Amount: $53,150.00

Total Project Amount: $265,750.00

Davies Farm Bus Project: Breaking Down Barriers to Food Access with a Mobile Farmers Market 

The goal of the Davies Farm Bus project is to expand direct-to-consumer marketing opportunities for 

local agricultural producers through innovative partnerships, cost-effective digital marketing, and valueadded production that increase food access for low-income, low-access communities. The project will 

create new demand and increase food access by 1) developing a comprehensive local promotional 

campaign and community outreach strategy; 2) effectively staffing and equipping the Davies Farm Bus 

to implement best practices in food safety and community outreach; 3) developing and implementing a 

SNAP incentives strategy, volunteer “work share” program, and food pantry co-op to incentivize

consumption of locally-grown produce in low-income low-access communities; and 4) developing a new 

line of value-added products to be sold on the Davies Farm Bus that reduce food waste, increase local 

market opportunities, and make locally- grown food more convenient for consumers. Breaking down 

these barriers to food access will create new consumers and new marketing opportunities for local 

agricultural producers.

Illinois

Recipient: The Land Connection Foundation, Champaign, IL

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $211,495.71

Match Amount: $53,947.58

Total Project Amount: $265,443.29

Resiliency Realized: Utilizing E-Commerce, Marketing Strategy, and Innovative Business Models to 

Help Farmers Face the Future 

The Land Connection (TLC) proposes a project to help farmers and ranchers build more resilient farm 

businesses through the diversification of revenue streams and crafting strong marketing strategies. 

These efforts will prepare producers to not only tackle the next disruption that upsets our local food 

economy but reduce risk and increase resiliency for the long-term. TLC’s proposed project addresses the 

following initiatives: (1) provide decision support and technical assistance to explore and set- up direct 

e-commerce stores, (2) educate farmers on market analysis and marketing strategy, (3) build new onfarm cottage food and value-added businesses to create new revenue streams for farmers and reduce 

food waste, (4) and develop entrepreneurship in marginalized communities as we provide instruction 

and support to individuals launching a cottage food or value- added business and foster connections to 

local producers. TLC will convene two committees of experts to assist in both of the major project focus 

areas: E-Commerce and Marketing Strategy and Cottage Food and Value-Added Businesses. These 

individuals will drive content creation and delivery to educate farmers and ranchers, as well as new food 

entrepreneurs, with deliverables including an online course, in-person workshops, one-on-one technical 
assistance, and educational resources. We anticipate providing 70 farmers and ranchers direct support 

through the project, with more able to engage with the information far beyond the end of this project.

Indiana

Recipient: Indiana Cooperative Development Center, Inc., Indianapolis, IN

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $265,448.00

Match Amount: $66,370.50

Total Project Amount: $331,818.50

All IN: A holistic, partnership-based plan to grow and strengthen Indiana’s Farmers Markets 

The Indiana Cooperative Development Center, in collaboration with its partners, will grow and 

strengthen a key component of Indiana’s local food system – farmers markets. There are currently 240 

farmers markets in Indiana but there is a lack of centralized regulation and oversight. Many markets 

struggle to remain operational and to offer services such as acceptance of SNAP and WIC payments. This 

instability has negative impacts on the markets, farmers, and customers. To overcome the challenges of 

instability in Indiana farmers markets, this project seeks to: 1) create a community of practice to share 

resources and best practices; 2) provide training and education to new and existing farmers markets; 3) 

create an online clearinghouse for information pertinent to farmers markets; 4) provide a forum for 

communication among farmers markets through collaborative software; and 5) increase access to 

farmers markets for non-English speakers and low income families by translating materials into Spanish 

and Burmese. The anticipated outcomes are more informed and better educated market managers, an 

increased connectivity among market managers (through an online communication platform), and an 

increase in the number of markets that accept SNAP, WIC and SFMNP.

Kentucky

Recipient: Catholic Charities of Louisville, Louisville, KY

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $322,875.14

Match Amount: $80,719.40

Total Project Amount: $403,594.54

Assisting Farmers to Access and Develop Market Opportunities through Culturally Responsive, 

Linguistically Appropriate, and Trauma Informed Training 

This project is designed to create more equitable market access for multilingual and multicultural 

farmers in the Louisville, Kentucky region. The project will provide training to incubator farm 

participants covering direct-to-consumer sales, food safety, and value-added processing that is traumainformed, linguistically appropriate, and culturally responsive. As a result, farmers will experience 

increased economic opportunities and build stable, successful farm businesses. This project will impact 

60 farmers during the 3-year period. This project will also support 10 farmers markets throughout the 

Kentuckiana region with coordinated translation and interpretation of market applications, guidelines, 

trainings, and informational meetings. Additionally, a relationship with a culinary program will serve as a 
means to promote local farmers and farm products to a new set of consumers thereby increasing overall 

purchasing of local food, while providing new sales training opportunities to incubator farmers.

Recipient: Organic Association of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $367,894.10

Match Amount: $92,865.00

Total Project Amount: $460,759.10

Kentucky Farm Share Coalition: Expanding Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Markets for 

Organic Farmers 

The Kentucky Farm Share Coalition: Expanding Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Markets for 

Organic Farmers builds upon previous successes and takes a multi-tiered approach to strengthening CSA 

markets in Kentucky. The project’s goals are to provide community outreach, training, and technical 

assistance to promote and deliver innovative CSA models which will expand direct producer-toconsumer marketing opportunities across Kentucky. CSA models link locally grown food directly with 

consumers via a weekly vegetable share using a central distribution point. CSA models have been proven 

to help farmers overcome major logistic, distribution, and cash flow issues that make it difficult to 

maintain quality, scale, and/or be profitable. The purpose of this project is to 1) increase organic 

farmers’ direct-to- consumer sales of CSA shares through workplace CSA programs; 2) promote the CSA 

model through a public education campaign; and 3) provide educational training and technical 

assistance to improve farmer CSA production capacity, product quality, organic practices and marketing. 

The Organic Association of Kentucky and partners are committed to working together to make this 

project successful. Partners include: Bluegrass Farm to Table, Barr Farms, Elmwood Stock Farm, Lazy 

Eight Stock Farm, Rootbound Farm, Sustainable Harvest Farm, UKCSA, University of Kentucky, Kentucky 

Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, University of Kentucky Health & Wellness, The Food 

Connection, and Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The project’s expected outcomes include 

increased farm revenue from CSA sales; increased CSA public knowledge and participation; expanded 

CSA farm production capacity and product quality; and improved CSA farmers’ abilities to market their 

products.

Louisiana

Recipient: Twin Parish Port District (Port of Delcambre), Delcambre, LA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $231,244.00

Match Amount: $57,900.00

Total Project Amount: $289,144.00

Delcambre Seafood and Farmers Market Health and Wellness Initiative Program 

The Delcambre Seafood and Farmers Market (DSFM) seeks to promote health awareness in our 

community. The market has grown in size, popularity, and visibility and we want to leverage that 

community profile to promote health and wellness in the community and expand the market to meet 
growing demand. The DSFM Health and Wellness Initiative will develop marketing strategies for 

producers of seafood, meats, and produce that focus on health and wellness. High rates of obesity, 

diabetes, and high blood pressure plague the region and there is an abundance of healthy food that 

needs to be more accessible to the public. Training and education will be provided to vendors about 

creating healthier options for their value- added products, the value of nutritional labeling and healthy 

recipe development. An aggressive marketing campaign will be highlighted by the creation of a podcast 

and supported by social media and media sharing platforms. The permanent location of the Delcambre 

Seafood and Farmers Market will allow for more market dates and the development of relationships 

with other regional farmers markets will lead to increased sales opportunities. Locations for “pop-up” 

markets will be scouted and promoted by the DSFM. This project will help develop a farmers market 

network that offers fresh and frozen seafood and healthy food options.

Maine

Recipient: University of Maine System acting through the Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $499,463.00

Match Amount: $124,868.00

Total Project Amount: $624,331.00

Local Catch Network: Technical Assistance and Network Building to Catalyze Direct-to-consumer 

Seafood Marketing in the United States 

The Local Catch Network, based at the University of Maine, is a North American network of seafood 

harvesters, researchers, and community organizations that support and promote safe and profitable 

local and regional direct seafood distribution through community supported fisheries and similar 

models. Funding will be used to: (1) Establish a nation-wide, cohort-based training and technical 

assistance program to increase direct producer-to-consumer sales, with a focus on operations based in 

or serving low income and/or low food access areas; (2) Provide tools and services to help fishers and 

shellfish farmers promote locally and regionally produced seafood; and (3) Strengthen the network of 

direct-to-consumer seafood operations. The overarching goal of this project is to support healthy and 

resilient coastal communities and strengthen America’s food system by increasing direct producer-toconsumer seafood sales.
Massachusetts

Recipient: Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, South Deerfield, MA

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $500,000.00

Match Amount: $125,072.00

Total Project Amount: $625,072.00

Outreach, Training, and Technical Assistance to Expand Massachusetts’ Direct Producer-ToConsumer Markets 

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA), the lead agency, will manage this state-wide direct 

market promotion and technical assistance project through a network of collaborating “Buy Local” 

agricultural nonprofits: Berkshire Grown (BG), Cape Cod Buy Local Buy Fresh (CCBLBF), Central Mass 

Grown (CMG), Northeast Harvest (NEH), Southeastern MA Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP), and the 

Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston (SBN). Activities include workshops, networking events, 

and one-on-one meetings for direct market farmers; direct consumer outreach, particularly for low 

income, low access communities; cross-promotion and collaborative marketing opportunities; support 

for a statewide network of service providers; and detailed program evaluation. Marketing will support 

600 farms and technical assistance will benefit 420 farmers. Increased outreach to consumers will 

generate a 1.2M consumer impressions. At least 14 low income/access communities will benefit from 

targeted promotion. The work outlined will result in 350 farmers gaining knowledge and 280 directmarket farmers increasing sales. This targeted support will create a more robust local food system with 

increased access and availability of locally produced agricultural products.

Michigan

Recipient: Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency dba Health Department of Northwest 

Michigan, Charlevoix, MI

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $210,060.00

Match Amount: $56,192.00

Total Project Amount: $266,252.00

Growing Farmers Markets in Northwest Michigan 

Northwest lower Michigan is a beautiful part of the state that is characterized by small towns and rural 

expanses. Second homes and tourists nearly triple the summertime populations, yet many local 

residents experience financial hardship that makes attaining healthy, local food out of reach. The 

climate is suitable for producing a broad variety of fruits and vegetables in addition to maple syrup, 

honey, protein sources, and eggs. Local farmers markets have been established for over 10 years; 

however, management of these markets is done by staff who either have additional full-time job 

responsibilities or serve as a volunteer. This project aims to facilitate the growth of five of these markets 

through a multi-layered approach that will increase visitors and sales at local markets. The project plans 

to strengthen the organizational capacity of market managers by supporting training, use of data 

collection tools and analysis, and developing strategic plans for short- and long-term goals. It will 
facilitate market enhancements by providing food demonstrations and tastings, offering market tours to 

specific community groups, and serving as a touchpoint at the markets. Another important aspect of this 

project is to increase the use of SNAP benefits by promoting the availability of SNAP and statewide 

matching program at Farmers Markets. This project will “grow” local markets and increase sales for local

farmers.

Missouri

Recipient: Farmer's Community Market of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $171,200.00

Match Amount: $42,800.00

Total Project Amount: $214,000.00

Establishing Roots: Capacity Building for Kansas City’s Sustainable Farmers’ Market 

The Brookside Farmers Market is governed by a board of volunteers who have aided in the continual 

growth and expansion of the market despite only having one part-time employee. This volunteer 

structure is not sustainable for the future of the market and greatly limits the market’s capacity to 

accept new farmers and plan for the future. After 16 years of operating as an all-year market focused on 

sustainable growing practices, at separate indoor and outdoor locations, the market is ready to begin 

strategic planning for a permanent location for our growing roster of farmers and ranchers to establish 

the market as a consistent food source throughout the winter and summer seasons. This project will 

stabilize operations by hiring a full-time farmers market manager at a competitive salary to liaison with 

the community to increase sales and attendance, as well as expand the farmers market customer base 

by formalizing community partnerships and further investing in direct producer-to- consumer market 

opportunities. Upon receiving grant funding, a full-time market manager will work to better inform

potential farmers market shoppers in the community of the market’s locations, times, available 

products, SNAP programs, and the ways Brookside farmers and ranchers steward our soil, water, and 

natural resources. Farmers and ranchers will experience an increase in direct sales and more 

opportunities to share their sustainable growing practices via media promotion and event programming. 

The funding will help ensure the future of the Brookside Farmers’ Market as a staple for organic local 

food in our area.

Montana

Recipient: National Center for Appropriate Technology, Inc., Butte, MT

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $455,401.00

Match Amount: $113,911.00

Total Project Amount: $569,312.00

Sustaining Farmers Market Success 

Sustaining Farmers Market Success will build on the foundation of NCAT’s 2016 FMPP project, Building 

Farmers Market Success, through creating a farmer’s market and vendor support program, developing a 
farmer’s market impact report, and increasing the number of local food access points that accept SNAP. 

We had success in increasing the viability of farmers markets in Montana and increasing low income 

local food access, but limited success in preventing market manager turnover and engaging vendors. By 

developing a Montana specific farmer’s market toolkit, piloting a farmer’s market cost share program 

and formalizing peer mentoring, NCAT and its partners will provide Montana markets with tools and 

opportunities to strengthen their position in an increasingly competitive marketplace. We will actively 

engage vendors through a targeted vendor support program including regional trainings, a toolkit and 

technical assistance. We will also work with a representative sample of Montana markets to gather 

economic and consumer data and develop an impact report to share with community partners and our 

state leaders. This analysis will establish baseline sales data and address this basic research question: 

“What would the economy of the community look like if the farmers markets did not exist?” Montana’s 

farmers markets remain one of the only local food access sites for people on limited incomes. We will 

continue to support markets in improving low-income local food access through technical assistance and 

outreach activities.

New Jersey

Recipient: County of Camden, Camden, NJ

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $79,395.11

Match Amount: $21,284.00

Total Project Amount: $100,679.11

Camden County Farmers Market 

The purpose of the project is to enhance its existing sustainability efforts by funding a farmers market to 

provide healthy, locally grown food to the underserved population of the County. With grant funding, 

the County will be able to host a regular farmers market at their sustainability campus and a weekly 

pop-up market in Camden City to target those who have limited access to transportation. Camden 

County contains areas that are “food deserts,” i.e. low-income areas without access to fresh food. 13.1% 

of the County’s residents live below the poverty level, while 12.3% receive SNAP benefits. In addition, 

14% of residents have reported experiencing a food insecurity, where they are not sure if they will have 

access to and/or be able to afford food regularly. The County has been making efforts to combat this, 

including the construction of a sustainability campus that supports both environmental efforts and food 

accessibility. However, accessibility continues to be a major issue for many residents. Camden County 

will specifically target those underserved citizens and provide them with easily accessible and healthy 

food options, all while creating an abundance of business for local farmers. Expected project outcomes 

include eradicating the “food desert” by making locally-grown, healthy food easier to access, eliminating 

the food insecurity felt throughout the community, and creating and expanding market opportunities 

for local farmers and producers.
New Mexico

Recipient: San Juan College, Farmington, NM

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $182,038.00

Match Amount: $48,672.00

Total Project Amount: $230,710.00

Northwest New Mexico Growers’ Market Alliance 

Northwest New Mexico faces many challenges in regards to agricultural production, marketing, 

distribution and collaboration due to a myriad of economic and environmental factors. In this 

community, seven independent markets operate in order to both increase opportunities for farmers and 

to provide services to areas that have little or no access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This independent 

system, which relies heavily on farm vendors and volunteers to operate each market, creates 

operational inefficiencies that are preventing the current and future growth of a viable, dependable, 

coordinated and efficient farmers/growers’ food distribution system for our 100+ farm vendors. The 

Northwest New Mexico (NWNM) Growers Market Alliance (GMA) will help bring efficiency and 

organization to the regional markets, providing opportunities for expansion and profitability for 

producers and improved access for community members. In addition to creating a regional market 

coordinator, the alliance will offer vendor and market training programs, a community sponsorship 

program, and a “friends of the market” volunteer program. Project objectives are to 1) improve the 

coordination, organization and efficiency of the regional farmers markets; 2) increase consumer demand 

and community support of local agriculture, and 3) increase vendor retention and efficiency through a 

creation of a vendor-training program. The NWNM GMA currently has support from all seven markets in 

San Juan County, NM, and partnerships with Four Corners Economic Development, NMSU Cooperative 

Extension, San Juan College, NWNM Buy Fresh Buy Local and many local food advocates.

New York

Recipient: Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc., Buffalo, NY

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $215,324.00

Match Amount: $65,846.00

Total Project Amount: $281,170.00

Building Capacity for BNMC FreshTakes 

This project aims to expand the direct to consumer markets established in 2018 which aimed to build a 

culture of local food procurement practices at both institutional and consumer levels in the healthcare 

sector. While positive shifts have been made to infrastructure at the institutional level, gaps remain in 

sustaining the consumer level changes. The new direct to consumer program FreshTakes was first 

established by installing 2 locally foods smart fridge machines in healthcare institutions. This currently 

enables approximately 1,500 employees, 500 patients, and 100 visitors per day to have 24/7 access to 

ready-prepared meals and snacks as well as value added products that are 100% sourced from 70+ 

farmers and processors in New York State. While the operator, a local aggregator and processor, has 
invested its own funds into the project along with grant funding support, limited capacity in distribution, 

stocking and marketing prevents further growth. The objectives of the FreshTakes project are to expand 

distribution capacity through partnering with a local distributor, diversify local product portfolio with 

40+ additional farmers, growers, and processors the distributor has access to, and develop a targeted 

marketing strategy for consumers. If expanded FreshTakes has potential to reach the entire 15,000 

employees and 1.5 million annual patients and visitors among 4 hospitals, as well as funnel at least 

$50,000 back to New York State growers, processors, and distributors per year.

Recipient: Cornell Cooperative Extension Assoc. of St. Lawrence County, Canton, NY

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $245,152.00

Match Amount: $68,224.00

Total Project Amount: $313,376.00

Growing Resilience: Ag and Food Producers Academy 

St. Lawrence County has an emerging sector of direct-to-consumer specialty crop and livestock 

producers. Many of these producers lack business plans, food safety plans, and marketing/consumer 

awareness strategies that contribute to buyer confidence and increased sales. This project will enhance 

the viability and resiliency of producers by filling these gaps and building connections with business 

specialists engaged with underserved populations to identify new markets and remove barriers to 

existing markets. Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County (Extension) will establish a 

network of business development providers to assist farmers and food entrepreneurs with business 

planning, access to capital, product development, food safety, value-added processing and regulatory 

compliance, market analysis and development, and consumer awareness and engagement. This network 

will serve new and existing businesses including direct market producers, CSAs, farm stands, market 

vendors and farmers market managers of St. Lawrence County. Extension’s Marketing Specialist will 

coordinate the network and will partner with GardenShare, a local hunger organization, to develop an 

Ag and Food Producers Academy to leverage the network’s expertise and guide an entrepreneur cohort 

through a shared learning and development experience. This initiative’s goal is to increase the economic 

viability of direct market producers while increasing underserved populations’ access to local foods. 

Project outcomes include increasing consumption and access to local and regional products; increasing 

customers and sales of local and regional products; developing new market opportunities; improving 

food safety; and increasing access to local foods by underserved populations.
Recipient: Council on the Environment, Inc., New York, NY

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $492,774.45

Match Amount: $123,845.44

Total Project Amount: $616,619.89

Expanding Farmers Market Sales Opportunities for Direct Market Farmers through Innovative 

Marketing Strategies 

GrowNYC's Greenmarket program organizes 50 farmers markets at which nearly 250 producers from 

seven states have access to New York City customers. Business development support for these 

producers is offered through GrowNYC Farmer Assistance and includes one-on-one, client-tailored 

technical assistance, as well as education through training and workshops. This project will build off the 

success of our previous FMPP project to offer a refined set of strategic marketing services to 45 

participating producers over three years that increase gross revenues. While the project focuses on 

proven techniques and strategies to increase farmers’ direct sales, including customer behavioral 

analysis, at-market display optimization, logo and branding development, and point-of-sale 

optimization, it expands upon that work through software developer Fellow Farmer to include the 

development of streamlined pre-order, curbside pickup, and delivery options for farmers market

customers.

Recipient: Escapemaker, Inc- Kelly Sanders, Brooklyn, NY

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $160,098.00

Match Amount: $41,010.00

Total Project Amount: $201,108.00

Fulton Stall Market Online Food Sales, Workshops & Local Agritourism Promotion 

The Fulton Stall Market, a unique indoor/outdoor farmers market on the South Street Seaport in NYC, 

supports over 100 local farmers and producers. Since 2015, the Fulton Stall Market has partnered with 

the online agritourism website EscapeMaker.com to promote the market as a local food destination 

while also endorsing travel to local farms, food & beverage trails, and harvest events. This website 

promotion has made it possible for the market to host large agritourism events that increase market 

awareness and sales to farmers by enabling thousands of NYC consumers to sample and buy products 

from far-upstate regions. The indoor farmers market has lost significant sales from the departure of 

Lower Manhattan office workers. The outdoor farmers market and agritourism events have been 

canceled until further notice. In addition, the large consumer attendance dependent on robust regional 

and international tourism has disappeared. To enable the market and continue to deliver income for 

farmers and producers, funding is requested to re-engineer the market’s website to: (1) add product 

information and video features to enable online sales and promote awareness of agritourism and enable 

production of how-to video workshops by selected market producers to replace the series of paid inperson workshops that can no longer occur. These e-resources will also be used in social media and eblasts to increase the market’s local customer base and encourage the revival of local agritourism as a 

healthy, affordable, family travel activity that provides for both nutrition and education.
Recipient: Mid-Hudson Children's Museum, Poughkeepsie, NY

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $160,800.20

Match Amount: $41,000.05

Total Project Amount: $201,800.25

Planning the Expansion of the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market 

The Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum (MHCM) opened the Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market in 2017 in 

response to significant food insecurity in the City of Poughkeepsie. In doing so, it created a direct 

connection between local farms and urban consumers and became the first children’s museum in the 

entire nation to launch a farmers’ market as a strategy to advance food access and community health. 

The Poughkeepsie Waterfront Market exclusively features locally grown and locally sourced food. To 

ensure affordability for low-income patrons, the Market participates in the Farmers Market Nutrition 

Program (WIC) and SNAP programs. The Market operates on Monday afternoons in the waterfront 

pavilion of MHCM, which is centrally located within a residential area of Poughkeepsie marked by high 

poverty and that has no grocery store. 2020 has highlighted the fragility of Poughkeepsie’s already 

strained food system. School and restaurant closures, coupled with a shutdown of the public 

transportation system, created a desperate situation for many of the city’s residents. In response to a 

heightened need to connect local families with food, MHCM opened its 2020 farmers market season 

one month early. Now, with increased urgency, MHCM seeks to expand its seasonal farmers’ market 

into a year-round operation by making physical improvements to the pavilion that will allow it to be 

enclosed during winter months, and to provide farmers and agricultural businesses with expanded food 

storage and product preparation capabilities. This one-year, capacity-building grant will fund feasibility 

and planning activities needed to support the Market’s successful shift to a year-round enterprise.

North Carolina

Recipient: Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Pittsboro, NC

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $325,605.00

Match Amount: $82,316.00

Total Project Amount: $407,921.00

Building Resiliency to Changes in Market Conditions 

Farmers will receive technical assistance in four program areas including: 1) market access, 2) local 

produce safety, 3) season extension, and 4) organic production and certification in order to increase

their revenue from local, direct-to-consumer sales. Of the 540 program participants who attend a 

workshop, 150 will receive direct one-on-one technical assistance, 400 will report selling and producing 

locally produced agriculture products, 135 will gain knowledge about new market opportunities, and 

325 will learn about prevention, detection, control, and intervention food safety practices and report an 

increase in their food safety skills and knowledge. This project will result in 180 participants reporting an 

increase in revenue, enabling program participants to hire and or maintain at least 400 farm employees. 

One hundred and twenty-five participants will make significant changes to their operations including 
changes to where and how they sell their farm products (30); obtaining GAP certification (30), 

implementing food safety practices (30), increasing sales from high tunnel production (20), and 

obtaining organic certification (15). We anticipate that at least 86% of participants will meet the criteria 

for historically underserved farmers; 10% will be socially disadvantaged, 47% will be new and beginning 

farmers, 6% will be U.S. Veterans or Active Duty Service Members, and 23% will be limited resource 

farmers.

Recipient: Feast Down East, Inc., Burgaw, NC

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $249,180.00

Match Amount: $64,800.00

Total Project Amount: $313,980.00

The Local Motive Mobile Farmers Market 

The Local Motive Mobile Farmers Market is an ongoing food access project operated by Feast Down East 

(FDE) that sources products from local farmers through the organization’s food hub. Since 2012, FDE has 

distributed affordable, fresh produce to public housing neighborhoods in Wilmington, NC, where access 

to these items is limited by socioeconomic and geographic barriers. Previous FMPP grant funding 

enabled the organization to expand services from three Wilmington Housing Authority (WHA) 

neighborhoods to all 10 locations through the creation of the Local Motive Mobile Farmers Market. 

While the project is well established in the community and has seen growing sales overall, participation 

levels vary significantly across WHA locations. In order to ensure maximum performance and the longterm sustainability of the project, continued funding will provide support for piloting several alternative 

distribution locations that are more likely to result in greater participation and sales. New sites include 

locations that are frequented by low-income residents not living in WHA communities, rural areas 

outside of New Hanover County, and places that allow markets to be held in the evenings and on 

weekends. In addition to alleviating food insecurity, the development of this project will further benefit 

local producers, given that product is sourced from limited-resource farmers via the FDE Food Hub. 

Anticipated outcomes include expanded access to healthy, local food by a more diverse consumer base, 

higher sales and improved project sustainability, and increased income for farm businesses owned by 

limited-resource farmers.

Recipient: Rural Advancement Foundation International, Pittsboro, NC

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $410,606.92

Match Amount: $102,651.73

Total Project Amount: $513,258.65

Alternative Market Technical Assistance for Direct Marketing Farmers 

For farmers who sell directly to buyers, particularly farmers of color, there are barriers to business 

sustainability, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. This project addresses those barriers by 

working with farmers to shift in the marketplace and meet increasing demand; thus, serving both 
farmers and buyers. This project builds upon RAFI–USA’s extensive network of direct sale farmers 

through current and past farm infrastructure award grantees, Farmer of Color Network (FOCN) 

members, and our direct service projects, including SNAP matching at farmers markets. This project will 

be run by a FMPP Project Coordinator, a current staff member, in collaboration with existing RAFI–USA 

direct service staff. The project will 1. Provide individualized technical assistance to direct market 

farmers and farmers markets on business shift and development including online sales platforms and 

alternative market solutions, marketing and social media. 2. Increase the capacities of faith leaders in 

low-access/low-income rural communities and neighboring farmers to partner to increase alternative 

marketplaces and access to locally grown fresh produce. 3. Coordinate collectives of farmers to create 

collaborative food distribution models and provide technical assistance to address market to production 

barriers (i.e. crop succession planning). We will focus on partnerships with farmers of color serving 

communities of color and/or underserved communities that lack resources. By expanding our direct 

service capacity on both the supply and demand sides, RAFI-USA will support the development, 

coordination, and expansion of local and regional producer-to-consumer markets.

Oklahoma

Recipient: Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City, OK

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $216,354.00

Match Amount: $54,521.00

Total Project Amount: $270,875.00

NE OKC Local Flavor Market for Increasing Education & Access to Healthy Foods 

Northeast Oklahoma City is known widely for its negative statistics relating to health, food access, and 

economic outcomes. In 2011, this three-zip code area was defined as a ‘food desert’ by the United 

States Department of Agriculture. Currently, there are no grocery stores, only a few convenience stores, 

and no farmers markets in the area. Recent studies confirm the growing need for fresh food access, and 

the devastating health outcomes experienced by Northeast Oklahoma City residents as a result. Amidst 

these challenges, there is a growing interest within the community in urban food production. There are 

several Northeast Oklahoma City urban farms working to establish themselves as viable farm businesses. 

However, there are limited opportunities available to them for the sale and distribution of their 

products. These beginning farm businesses need a local market for their products. In addition, these 

farm businesses are largely operated by historically underserved populations in need of ongoing risk 

management support. This project addresses the community health outcomes linked to food access 

issues by assessing the viability of establishing a Northeast Oklahoma City farmers market to link local 

producers to Northeast Oklahoma City consumers, and by supporting the capacity and resilience of 

Northeast Oklahoma City beginning farmers by providing risk management education and resources that 

will help them mitigate the challenges faced by many new and beginning farmers.
Oregon

Recipient: Ecotrust, Portland, OR

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $241,317.81

Match Amount: $66,820.00

Total Project Amount: $308,137.81

Growing Food Equity: Farm to Market Success Training Cohorts For Socially Disadvantaged 

Producers 

While there is a strong market for direct sales of specialty crops in Oregon, limited-resource, 

socioeconomically disadvantaged farmers face unique and persistent barriers to establishing viable 

agricultural businesses. Due to limited access to professional networks, technical assistance, and market 

development, these producers need specialized support to access and profit from direct producer-toconsumer channels. To address this need, Ecotrustwill provide 30 North Willamette Valley farmers with 

culturally relevant training, a cohort of peers, right-sized infrastructure, and services that support 

business growth in order to improve farm profitability and long-term viability. Fifteen workshops and 

seminars on topics ranging from whole farm business management to food safety will be delivered, and 

the project will culminate in a promotional campaign to increase awareness of and support for farmers 

in the cohorts among local consumers. To evaluate the success of this project, Ecotrust will measure the 

increase in knowledge and sales among cohort members as a result of the program. In addition to 

Ecotrust, partners on this project include community-based groups, a culturally-relevant farm incubator, 

a land grant university, and the state department of agriculture, each of which lend specific expertise 

and capacities to enable the success of the project and ultimately generate increased farm profitability 

for disadvantaged producers.

Pennsylvania

Recipient: Adams County Farmers Market Association, Inc., Gettysburg, PA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $93,697.00

Match Amount: $135,000.00

Total Project Amount: $228,697.00

Forging a Stronger Market: Capacity-Building to Support Growing Initiatives with the Adams 

County Farmers Market Association 

The proposed project will assist the Adams County Farmers Market Association (ACFMA) in building 

organizational capacity to accomplish five distinct goals: (1) provide critical oversight of surging food 

access initiatives; (2) facilitate a seamless relocation of farmers market operations in 2021/22; (3) 

increase direct-to-consumer marketing by expanding ACFMA’s existing e-commerce initiatives into the 

realm of ‘farm-to-chef’ sales; (4) develop and implement a series of robust fundraising campaigns; and 

(5) invest in Board development and strategic planning to ensure long-term sustainability. The 

overarching directive of this project is to fortify the longevity of ACFMA’s various consumer-to-producer 

initiatives and build an even stronger farmers market that better serves regional growers. Accomplishing 
each of the goals will lend itselfto ACFMA’s overall organizational sustainability and ultimately provide a 

model that other regional farmers market organizations will benefit from. Successful completion of this 

project will help meet the food access needs of an estimated 2,000 income-eligible and/or food insecure 

residents of Adams County, foster the growth of an estimated 45+ regional producers/agribusinesses, 

and solidify the ACFMA’s place as a critical node in the region’s local food network for consumers,

producers, and institutions.

Puerto Rico

Recipient: Universidad Ana G. Mendez, San Juan, PR

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $227,133.00

Match Amount: $56,814.00

Total Project Amount: $283,947.00

Strengthening Agro-Marketing and Agro-tourism in Puerto Rico 

According to the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture, 85 percent of the products consumed on the 

Island are imported. Only 15 percent of fresh food (vegetables, meat and milk) is produced locally. This 

situation increases the vulnerability of the Island and its inability to provide food security, increasing in 

turn, the risk of food shortages during events in which air or sea transportation is affected. This has been 

the situation after the impacts of hurricanes Irma and Maria and the pandemic of COVID-19. In response 

to this situation, the Center for Development of Sustainable Studies (CEDES) of the Universidad Ana G. 

Méndez, Cupey Campus (UAGMC) in Puerto Rico proposes the implementation of a comprehensive 

educational model (online and on-site) through short courses (professional certification), training, 

coaching and mentoring activities to strengthen and increase the urban farming and agro- tourism 

activities across Puerto Rico. The main purpose is to address the need to secure access to food locally. 

This project expects to: (1) improve direct farmer-to-consumer market opportunities through targeted 

Urban Farmers’ Markets; (2) increase the marketing capacity of urban farmers and agro- tourism 

activities through the establishment of a professional certification program to provide outreach and 

marketing training; and (3) increase the access and availability of locally and regionally produced 

agricultural products by providing expert advice, marketing mentoring, and coaching to urban farmers 

(new or beginners).

South Dakota

Recipient: Rosebud Economic Development Corporation, Mission, SD

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $244,670.09

Match Amount: $61,225.35

Total Project Amount: $305,895.44

We Grow Together: Connecting Native Communities with Tribal Producers 

The project will increase the viability of direct-to-consumer markets on the Rosebud Reservation to 

support local tribal producers by increasing access and demand for locally produced foods by tribal 
consumers. The Reservation is a designated food desert. The project will enhance local access to local 

foods through sustainable strategies, including the expansion of the existing market, creation of a 

mobile market to target isolated communities, and the establishment of an aggregate CSA. Each of 

these activities will allow residents to purchase locally grown agriculture products instead of leaving our 

food desert to travel 30+ miles to access high quality, nutritionally dense foods.

Tennessee

Recipient: Union County Farmers Market, Maynardville, TN

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $142,615.00

Match Amount: $35,654.00

Total Project Amount: $178,269.00

Growing the Local Food Movement in Union County Tennessee 

Established in 2011, the Union County Tennessee Farmers Market has provided a location and support 

for local producers to sell direct to consumers. This market provides access to two nearby low-income, 

low-access tracts. The goals of this project are to: (1) increase market opportunities for new and 

beginning farmers; (2) promote local agriculture by growing social platform presence of the Farmers’ 

Market and participating vendors; (3) increase acceptance of SNAP-EBT; (4) increase community 

outreach; and (5) increase vender sales of locally produced food. Our primary focus is marketing with 

expansion of ours and our vendors’ social platforms, primarily Facebook, which will create a lasting and 

growing customer base. Our marketing objectives are: (1) enhance our social space for market 

organizers, customers, vendors, and local communities to engage; (2) use the Facebook Platform of all 

our vendors as a leveraged marketing platform to publish timely information (e.g., available products or 

upcoming events) and to reach and retain customers and vendors; and (3) create a leveraged market 

and vendor web platform to function as a cyber–social hub to connect and engage the local community. 

The anticipated outcomes for this grant are: (1) attracting new market vendors, primarily young and 

beginning farmers; (2) providing market vendors the tools they need to increase sales through improved 

signage, product display, social platform marketing and on-site demonstration entrée and meal 

preparation; (3) offering training for farmers and educational opportunities for consumers; (4) keeping 

farmers’ market shoppers in the community better informed of the market location, times, and available 

products; and (5) establishing a community outreach model using cooking demonstrations and meal 

preparation using local meats, fruits and vegetables.
Texas

Recipient: Texas Center for Local Food, Elgin, TX

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $428,538.00

Match Amount: $107,135.00

Total Project Amount: $535,673.00

Texas Local Food Direct Marketing Network Collaborative: Statewide Peer-to-Peer Training and 

Technical Assistance 

Texas direct market producers and the farmers markets upon which they rely as their primary sales 

channel are struggling to cope with diminishing profit margins due to depressed prices, low-cost foreign 

competitors, and the rapidly changing landscape of high-tech food distribution. Direct market producers 

and farmers markets need sound marketing and customer retention practices. Neither Texas direct 

market producer organizations nor farmers markets have statewide networks or associations in which to 

learn and collaborate. No organization has a comprehensive list or means of communication with direct 

market producers. Producers and markets in rural and disadvantaged communities are often unaware of 

marketing opportunities, trainings, and resources. The Texas Local Food Direct Marketing Network 

Collaborative will be Texas’ first statewide network with the purpose to meet training and technical 

assistance needs of direct market producers and farmers markets. Collaborators will purposefully 

amplify voices of disadvantaged and underserved communities. Network goals are: create a sustainable 

statewide collaborative providing a single source of consistent, reliable, high-quality, peer-to-peer 

training and technical assistance and (ii) develop an online training system accessible via any device both 

asynchronously (on demand) and synchronously (live in real time), with classes available in English and 

Spanish. Outcomes for producers and farmers markets are to increase customers and sales, develop 

new market opportunities, and create jobs leading to economic sustainability of Texas’ local food 

systems. Network collaborator organizations will become stronger as their constituents’ businesses 

thrive, and consumers will benefit from a stronger, resilient, local food economy that meets their 

consumption needs.

Vermont

Recipient: Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Richmond, VT

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $498,618.51

Match Amount: $125,000.00

Total Project Amount: $623,618.51

Supporting Direct Markets as the Backbone of Vermont's Food System 

NOFA-VT believes supporting direct markets is critical to ensuring the viability of farms and a vibrant 

food system in Vermont. USDA research, coupled with our own observations, indicates the increasing 

importance of strengthening direct market channels to the sustainability of farms. In addition, research 

conducted through our 2016 FMPP grant showed that direct relationships are one of the key 

competitive advantages Vermont producers have in the maturing local food marketplace. As such, we 
are committed to continuing our support of direct markets across the state by building upon our 

foundation of providing a holistic suite of business and marketing services for direct market farmers and 

farmers markets and raising awareness about direct sales among consumers. We recognize the need for 

direct marketers to develop critical business and marketing skills to be able to compete in a maturing 

local food marketplace and capitalize on evolving consumer values. We will provide in-depth technical 

assistance, trainings, and resources to direct market farms and farmers markets to strengthen their 

skills. This, coupled with the enhancement of our statewide marketing campaign, will increase the 

visibility and viability of direct markets statewide. The support NOFA-VT will provide to Vermont’s direct 

markets through this project will meet critical needs now, responding to changes in the market due to 

COVID-19, and will support them to maintain increased presence and relevance after the crisis ends.

Virgin Islands

Recipient: Foundation for Community Development, Christiansted, VI

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $414,480.00

Match Amount: $103,620.00

Total Project Amount: $518,100.00

The Virgin Islands Virtual Farmers Market and Farmer Technology Support Program 

The Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition (VIGFC) was founded in 2012 and is the only community-based 

organization of its kind in the Virgin Islands (VI) that works to facilitate long-term change in the VI food 

system by bridging the gap between the VI community, government, private industry, and policy 

makers. The overall goal of the VIGFC is to build a healthy local food economy that supports farmers and 

locally owned food businesses and ensures that healthy food is available and accessible to every 

resident of the VI. The territory is currently in desperate need of strategies that will assist local farmers 

with increasing their production, establishing necessary business infrastructures, and accessing 

markets—all with the focus of putting more local produce in the hands of consumers. The Virgin Islands 

Virtual Farmers Market (VIVFM) and Farmers Technology Support Program (FTSP) will help by creating 

additional direct-to-consumer market pathways that will increase economic opportunities for local 

producers living in the VI. The outcomes of the VIVFM are: (1) to increase the capacity of VI farmers to 

operate successful online business enterprises; (2) to improve farmer knowledge of Food Safety for local 

produce and products; (3) to develop the VIVFM as a New Market opportunity for VI Farmers and 

consumers; (4) to increase online sales for locally grown produce and products; (5) to increase the 

number of VI consumers who have access to and consume locally grown produce; and (6) to increase 

access to local produce for SNAP/WIC beneficiaries living in the VI.
Virginia

Recipient Arcadia Food, Inc., Alexandria, VA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $234,891.00

Match Amount: $61,030.00

Total Project Amount: $295,921.00

Customer Engagement and Outreach to Underserved Communities 

Arcadia Food, Inc. seeks funding to support its mobile market’s efforts to build capacity and expand 

marketing for direct-to- consumer sales. This project will deepen engagement and outreach to lowincome customers via Arcadia’s 10 mobile market stops and provide customer data from 17 markets 

across the District of Columbia to identify and better understand low-income customers’ purchasing 

patterns at DC farmers markets. We will recruit for and manage a customer loyalty program; expand 

direct-to-consumer communications; conduct intentional outreach and engagement with our market 

communities; and develop additional market opportunities outside of our regular market schedule. This 

project will increase the knowledge of how to engage with, and serve, low-income farmers market 

customers. Increased customer engagement will result in an increase of total customers by 50 percent 

and sales increases of 25 percent at the mobile markets, and more revenue for local farmers and 

producers. In addition to these increases, this project will lead toward a greater understanding of 

farmers market customers who utilize food benefit programs; increased market opportunities for local 

farmers and ranchers; and a more robust local agricultural economy in the greater Washington, DC, 

region.

Recipient: Loudoun County Government, Leesburg, VA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $250,000.00

Match Amount: $92,190.00

Total Project Amount: $342,190.00

Loudoun County E-Commerce Agricultural Marketplace Assessment 

Loudoun County, Virginia, has a robust economy and a growing population. The county has a substantial 

rural economy and agricultural network that primarily utilizes the county’s farmers markets and on-farm 

sales. However, these avenues are not enough to adequately satisfy the need for direct farm-toconsumer interfaces in the county. Farmers face obstacles related to high demand, limited visibility, 

logistics, distribution fees, and most recently, COVID-19 when trying to directly reach Loudoun 

consumers. In April 2020, Loudoun County launched the “Loudoun Made, Loudoun Grown Marketplace” 

e- commerce pilot program in order to help farmers better reach their consumer base. The platform's 

launch was accelerated in response to the crisis but is intended as a long-term solution to the lack of 

farm-to-consumer options in the county. The overall goal of this project is to determine the 

effectiveness of the “Loudoun Made, Loudoun Grown Marketplace” through an Impact Analysis Study. 

The study will analyze the current platform and county marketing data, and determine any changes 

needed in order to increase farmer-to-consumer interactions. A final deliverable will recommend 
changes in order to make the platform as effective as possible. The expected outcomes of the project 

include: (1) increased ability of farmers to meet local demand, (2) increased small-farmer visibility, (3) 

bolstered logistical transparency, (4) greater farmer profits, and (5) mitigating farmer financial and 

distribution challenges related to the crisis.

Washington

Recipient: Twin Sisters Market, Deming, WA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $99,820.00

Match Amount: $24,955.00

Total Project Amount: $124,775.00

Twin Sisters Market: Building Capacity to Scale Up 

The Twin Sisters Market was established by a group of local farmers with a mission of providing access 

to local, affordable produce to residents of East Whatcom County, a food desert. The Whatcom County 

Health Department identified low food access and food insecurity as key issues for this region, and the 

Foothills Food Summit identified a mobile farmers market as one of six key strategies to improve 

community access to fresh, healthy food. To address this identified community need, the Twin Sisters 

Market was established as a non-profit, producer-only farmer’s market organization. To launch the 

mobile market concept, Twin Sisters Market has relied heavily on volunteer labor, donated and 

borrowed materials, and local fundraising efforts. This has allowed the farmer-members to prove the 

viability of the market and organizational structure with minimal financial investment. However, in order 

to scale up and be financially sustainable in the long-term, the market needs to invest in organizational 

capacity building and marketing to increase customers and sales. Project goals include creating 

marketing resources to attract new customers, improving the market display and shopping experience 

to retain customers, hiring a market manager to increase the volume and diversity of products available 

for purchase, and implementing data collection procedures and tools to track our impact and adjust our 

business plan as necessary. The expected outcomes will be increased access to locally grown food to 

members of a food desert, increased sales for the participating farmers, and a more financially 

sustainable farmer’s market organization with long-term viability.

Recipient: Upper Columbia RC&D, Spokane, WA

Project Type: Capacity Building

Award Amount: $53,390.00

Match Amount: $17,798.00

Total Project Amount: $71,188.00

Spokane Farm Corridor Expansion Project 

Due to supermarket shortages that arose during the coronavirus pandemic, the need for a supply of 

locally grown food has become clearer. However, farmers markets are costly for farmers who survive on 

notoriously thin margins. An alternative is the farm corridor—a group of farms that band together to 

encourage customers to buy locally produced food directly from farms in a geo-centric area. Corridors 
participate in a shared farm corridor brand, cross promote the other independent farms on the corridor, 

and share knowledge with each other. In 2019, the Spokane Conservation District (SCD), in cooperation 

with six local farms, created the South Spokane Farm Corridor (SSFC). The corridor was successful and in 

2020, grew to 13 farms with all the original farms staying involved. If funded, this project will: (1) expand 

the farm membership and customer traffic to the existing SSFC and (2) create a farm corridor in Spokane 

Valley where such a group does not yet exist. SCD employees currently assist the SSFC with organizing, 

marketing, and technical assistance. The SCD will provide similar services to the Spokane Valley Farm 

Corridor. Staff also run a local farm—Vets on the Farm—which is an SSFC member and will teach 

business and marketing related workshops to the farm corridor. For work such as website development 

and organizing other more specialized workshops related to farm marketing, contractors will be hired. 

The SCD will also conduct surveys to learn details about member farms and farm corridor functionality, 

which will be used in disseminating results and improving the corridors.

Wisconsin

Recipient: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, Madison, WI

Project Type: Community Development, Training, and Technical Assistance

Award Amount: $410,464.00

Match Amount: $106,497.00

Total Project Amount: $516,961.00

Grains to Institutions: Expanding Value Chains and Cultivating Resources for Upper Midwest 

Grain Growers 

Institutional food service programs represent consistent, stable, high-volume markets for direct sales of 

food-grade grain grown throughout the Upper Midwest. However, the unique culinary needs and 

procurement requirements of institutions, combined with limited awareness, partnership, and resources 

for farmers and food service staff, has prevented coordinated development of this direct market 

opportunity to date. Grains are essential components of institutional food service menus, required in 

federally funded nutrition programs, fundamental for human diets, and popular with consumers. By 

building new, direct institutional markets for a variety of grains–including corn, oats, wheat, and rye–

this effort creates multiplies opportunities for Upper Midwest farmers to increase resiliency, 

profitability, and consistent sales while bolstering the grain requirements on local cafeteria menus and 

educating eaters about local grains. This proposal leverages Wisconsin’s long- established farm-toinstitution networks and events–guided by University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Integrated

Agricultural Systems–combined with the content area expertise of Artisan Grain Collaborative to: (1) 

develop Upper Midwest direct sales opportunities from regional grain growers to Wisconsin institutions; 

(2) strengthen the regional food system through categorizing existing direct-to-institution grainshed 

infrastructure and potential developments, including advance strategies to increase mobile on-farm 

value-added grain processing; and (3) publishing robust, publicly available educational tools and 

resources to support grain growers and institutions in successful sales and use of local grains, local grainbased recipes appropriate for institutions, and a variety of technical assistance channels to support 

growers and institutions as they adopt these practices. Project efforts will result in more food-grade 

grain moving off Upper Midwest farms and sold directly onto institutional food service lines and trays 

while enhancing farm viability and meal quality.