USDA Urban Agriculture Toolkit:

A Brief Overview 

Dr. Ann M. Bartuska

United States Department of Agriculture

Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics 

Washington, DC

May 2016
Toolkit Background

• Created through the USDA Urban 

Agriculture Working Group (UAWG)

• Agencies and offices from across the 

Department including the Forest 

Service, Natural Resource 

Conservation Service, Farm Service 

Agency, and the National Institute of 

Food and Agriculture

• Includes information on funding 

opportunities, technical assistance, 

and informational resources from 

federal, state, and local partners
Eight Topic Areas

• Business Planning

• Land Access

• Soil Quality

• Water Access/Use

• Capital and Financing

• Infrastructure

• Market Development

• Production Strategies 
Business Planning & Risk Management 

1 

2 

The Farmer’s Market Promotion Program supports farmers markets, mobile 

markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, 

agrotourism activities, and other direct producer-to-consumer market 

opportunities. LFPP supports local food projects that are not direct-to-consumer 

(e.g. food hubs, farm to retail/restaurant).

The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) offers grant funds with a 25% match 

to support the development and expansion of local and regional food business 

enterprises to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and 

regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market 

opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets. 

• Approximately $13 million is available to fund applications under the FMPP 

solicitation. The minimum FY 2016 FMPP award per grant is $50,000 and the 

maximum is $500,000. An applicant is limited to one FMPP award in a funding 

year. 

• For more information: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/
Business Planning & Risk Management 

2 

2 

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) provides a risk management safety 

net for all commodities on the farm under one insurance policy and is 

available in all counties nationwide. 

• This insurance plan is tailored for any farm with up to $8.5 million in insured 

revenue, including farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops 

and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, 

specialty, or direct markets. 

• WFRP provides protection against the loss of insured revenue due to an 

unavoidable natural cause of loss that occurs during the insurance period and 

will also provide carryover loss coverage if you are insured the following year. 

• For more information: http://www.rma.usda.gov/policies/wfrp.html 
Business Planning & Risk Management 

3 

2 

NIFA‘s Community Food Project Grants (CFP) intends to solicit applications and 

fund three types of grants. Relevant to this section are the Planning Projects (PP) 

grants. The purpose of a Planning Project (PP) is to complete a plan toward the 

improvement of community food security in keeping with the primary goals of the 

CFP Grants. 

• The primary goals of the CFP include: Meet the food needs of low-income 

individuals through food distribution, community outreach to assist in 

participation in Federally assisted nutrition programs, or improving access to 

food as part of a comprehensive service; Increase the self-reliance of 

communities in providing for the food needs of the communities; Promote 

comprehensive responses to local food access; and meet specific state, local or 

neighborhood food and agricultural needs. 

• For More Information: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/communityfood-projects-cfp-competitive-grants-program 
Accessing Land, Capital, and Financing

USDA’s Farm Service Agency provides a variety 

of loan programs to support farm ownership and 

operation, including microloans of up to $50,000. 

Loans are available to both urban and rural 

producers.

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) also delivers 

commodity, credit, conservation, disaster, and 

emergency assistance programs that help improve 

the stability and strength of the agricultural 

economy. 

This includes Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance 

Program (NAP) which provides financial assistance 

to producers of noninsurable crops when low yields, 

loss of inventory, or prevented planting occur due to 

natural disasters

For more information: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programsand-services/farm-loan-programs/index
Soil Quality

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has compiled a set of 

resources on its Urban Soils webpage. The site includes surveys, links and 

guides including the Urban Soil Primer, an introduction to urban soils for 

homeowners and renters, local planning boards, property managers, 

students, and educators. 

Cooperative Extension Service staff provide practical and research-based 

information in communities of all sizes. Depending on where you are located, 

an Extension agent may be available to provide technical assistance on soil 

and other issues as you develop your urban farm.

Most Extension offices offer free or low-cost soil testing services to farmers, 

gardeners, and landowners.
Soil Quality 

Web Soil Survey (WSS) provides soil data and information produced by 

the National Cooperative Soil Survey led by NRCS and provides access to 

the largest natural resource information system in the world. 

NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95 percent of 

the nation’s counties and anticipates having 100 percent in the near 

future. 

Find the survey here: 

http://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program 

that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers 

to plan and implement conservation practices that improve soil, water, 

plant, animal, air and related natural resources on agricultural land and 

non-industrial private forestland. EQIP may also help producers meet 

environmental regulations. 

• For more information: 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/eq

ip/ 
Infrastructure 

NRCS’ EQIP program 

supports infrastructure 

such as high tunnels and 

efficient irrigation on 

farms, both rural and 

urban, through contracts 

up to a term of 10 years. 

NRCS offers both financial 

and technical assistance. 

For more information on 

EQIP see slide 10. 

FSA’s Farm Storage Facility 

Loan Program support cold 

storage for fruit and 

vegetables, along with wash 

and pack facilities and related 

equipment. FSFL security 

requirements have been 

eased for all types of loans 

between $50,000 and 

$100,000. Now FSFL loans up 

to $100,000 can be secured 

by a promissory note only. 

USDA NIFA’s 

Community Food 

Project Grants cover 

“equipment 

necessary for the 

efficient operation of 

a project” and other 

specific state, local, 

or neighborhood 

food and agricultural 

needs. See Slide 6 for 

more Information. 

For More Information: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/pricesupport/facility-loans/farm-storage/index 
Infrastructure

Rural Development’s Business and 

Industry Loan Guarantee Program 

can support the purchase of land, 

equipment and buildings by 

nonprofits, for-profit businesses, or 

individuals. This program places a 

priority on projects related to local 

food systems, and loan guarantees 

for local food projects can be made in 

urban areas as well as rural areas. 

• For more information: 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/business-industry-loan-guarantees

Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF) provides financial, technical, and 

educational assistance to cities, suburbs, and towns to support urban tree planting and 

management, including urban orchard and urban agroforestry projects. Assistance is 

delivered to communities through state forestry agency partners For More Information: 

http://www.fs.fed.us/ucf/
Infrastructure 

Rural Development’s Rural Energy for American 

Program (REAP) Grants supports on-farm 

sustainable energy projects, including purchasing, 

installing and constructing renewable energy 

systems, making energy efficiency improvements, 

and participating in energy audits.

There are three types of assistance: (1) Grants of 

20,000 or less (2) Unrestricted grants [Up to 

$500,000] and (3) Loan guarantees. The application 

deadline for the grants is May 2, 2016. 

• For more information: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/rural-energy-america-program-renewable-energysystems-energy-efficiency

USDA’ can support equipment purchases, though not brick-and-mortar construction, 

through its Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and Local Food Promotion 

Program (LFPP). See slides 3 and 4 for more information.
Production Strategies 

• USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has developed Virtual Grower software version 3.0. 

Virtual Grower can help greenhouse growers determine heating costs, identify potential heat 

cost savings through different greenhouse designs, predict crop growth, assist in scheduling, 

make real-time predictions of energy use, and see the impact of supplemental lighting on 

plant growth and development. For more information: 

http://www.ars.usda.gov/services/software/download.htm?softwareid=309

• USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides conservation planning and 

technical assistance in consultation with farmers. NRCS works with farmers to develop a 

schedule for implementation of conservation practices to solve a variety of natural resource 

concerns. For more information: 

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/programs/technical/cta/?cid=stel

prdb1049425
The KYF2 Compass Map 

www.usda.gov/kyfcompass 

•Includes data on: 

USDA-funded local food 

projects 

Farmers markets and other 

“context data” gathered by 

USDA agencies 

•Projects and resources from 

9 other federal departments 

•Updated annually