S ales of locally produced foods comprise a small but growing part of U.S. agricultural sales. Estimates vary but they indicate that local food sales total between $4 billion and $12 billion annually. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that local food sales totaled $6.1 billion in 2012, reflecting sales from nearly 164,000 farmers selling locally marketed foods. This represents 8% of U.S. farms and an estimated 1.5% of the value of total U.S. agricultural production. Local and regional food systems generally refer to agricultural production and marketing that occurs within a certain geographic proximity (between farmer and consumer) or that involves certain social or supply chain characteristics in producing food (such as small family farms, urban gardens, or farms using sustainable agriculture practices). A wide range of farm businesses may be considered to be engaged in local foods. These include direct-to-consumer marketing, farmers' markets, farm-to-school programs, community-supported agriculture, community gardens, school gardens, food hubs and market aggregators, kitchen incubators, and mobile slaughter units. Other types of operations include on-farm sales/stores, internet marketing, food cooperatives and buying clubs, pick-your-own or "U-Pick" operations, roadside farm stands, community kitchens, small-scale food processing and decentralized root cellars, and some agritourism or other types of on-farm recreational activities. For more background information, see CRS Report R44390, The Role of Local and Regional Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy . A number of existing federal programs benefiting all U.S. agricultural producers also provide support and assistance for local food systems. These include farm support and grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Examples include USDA's farmers' market programs, rural cooperative grants, and selected child nutrition programs, among myriad other grant and loan programs, as well as USDA's research and cooperative extension service. These programs cover a wide range of USDA programs contained within various titles of the 2014 farm bill ( P.L. 113-79 , Agricultural Act of 2014) and the most recent reauthorization of the child nutrition programs ( P.L. 111-296 ). In addition, the Obama Administration has also implemented departmental initiatives intended to support local food systems, including the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" Initiative, among other USDA activities. Omnibus farm bills enacted in both 2008 and 2014 included a few provisions that directly support local and regional food systems, and reauthorized several programs that benefit all U.S. agricultural producers, including local and regional food producers. The 2008 farm bill ( P.L. 110-246 , Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) contained a few program provisions that directly support local and regional food systems. The 2014 farm bill ( P.L. 113-79 , Agricultural Act of 2014) reauthorized and expanded many of these provisions. In the run-up to the 2014 farm bill, several bills were introduced in Congress broadly addressing local food systems. Some of these bills were comprehensive "marker bills" addressing provisions across multiple farm bill titles and recommending changes that would have provided additional directed support for local and regional food systems. Other introduced legislation addressed specific issues. Some provisions from these bills were incorporated into the enacted 2014 farm bill. Although recent farm bills have authorized some specific programs that directly support local and regional food systems, the local impact of new and existing programs ultimately depends on appropriated funding and the nature of implementation. Provisions supporting local food systems are also contained within certain child nutrition programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which together provide cash, commodity, and other assistance under three major federal laws: the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (originally enacted as the National School Lunch Act in 1946), the Child Nutrition Act (originally enacted in 1966), and Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. §612c). Congress periodically reviews and reauthorizes expiring authorities under these laws. The most recent reauthorization of the child nutrition programs was the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 ( P.L. 111-296 ). Many expect the 114 th Congress to consider child nutrition reauthorization. In the farm bill, an array of farm assistance programs that might be considered to support local food systems are contained within several titles, including conservation (Title II); nutrition (Title IV); farm credit (Title V); research (Title VI); rural development (Title VII); horticulture (Title X); and disaster assistance (Title XI). Programs administered by USDA may be grouped into several broad program categories: marketing and promotion; business assistance and agricultural research; rural and community development; nutrition and education; and farmland conservation. Other legislation introduced in past Congresses has addressed specific issues, including proposals to provide targeted support for non-traditional and beginning farmers, focused at the farm production level, as well as proposals focused on nutrition and enhanced access to food. For more information on previous Congressional proposals, see CRS Report R44390, The Role of Local and Regional Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy . Funding for local and regional foods has increased in recent years and totals roughly $90 million annually in selected grants and loans. Reported total estimates may differ depending on whether estimates include funding for other programs, such as USDA programs that support specialty crops and organic agriculture. Annual funding for grants that support local food systems across five programs include $26.6 million in competitive grants to be equally divided between two grant programs: (1) the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) supports projects for direct farmer-to-consumer marketing projects such as farmers' markets and other businesses; and (2) the Local Food Marketing Promotion Program (LFPP) supports projects that support intermediary supply chain activities for businesses that process, distribute, aggregate, and store locally- or regionally-produced food products; $4.8 million in Community Food Projects Competitive Grants to address basic food access for low-income families and individuals; $1 million in matching Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) grants to state departments of agriculture and state colleges and universities to support research addressing marketing and distribution of U.S. agricultural products; and $6 million in funding for different types of USDA Farm to School grants. USDA also claims that nearly $50 million is available for loans to support local and regional food enterprises under its Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program. In addition, USDA notes that projects funded as part of USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) often also fund local and regional food projects. Available total funding for the SCBGP is expected to reach more than $63 million in FY2014; however, the share attributable to local and regional food systems is not known. Other USDA programs likely also fund local food systems but aggregate spending for local foods is also not reported. In March 2015, USDA reported that in FY2013-FY2014, USDA made over "500 infrastructure investments that create new markets for local food—including food hubs, scale-appropriate processing, and distribution networks—that are connecting farmers and ranchers with new sources of revenue and creating jobs." USDA also reported that since 2012, the Farm to School program has funded 221 projects across the United States, and that schools spent over $385 million on local food purchases during the 2011-2012 school year. USDA also reported more than 5,000 farmers' markets now accept electronic benefits transfer (EBT) technology in order to redeem Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) benefits. SNAP redemption at farmers' markets nationwide totaled $18 million in 2014, up from $4 million in 2009. Although additional funding in support of local and regional food systems is available through other programs, information is not available to determine the share of available total funding for U.S. farm programs used to support local and regional food systems only. In only a few cases statutory requirements governing USDA or other federal programs limit support to local food production exclusively. In most cases, available funding for most programs supporting local food systems is part of funding for programs generally available to all U.S. farming operations and food distribution systems, regardless of size and location from market. For many of these programs, most indications are that the overall share of total funding used to support local food systems is very small. Many existing federal programs benefiting U.S. agricultural producers may also provide support and assistance for local food systems. With few exceptions, these programs are not limited or targeted to local or regional food systems, but are generally available to provide support to all U.S. farms and ranchers. Programs administered by USDA may be grouped into broad categories: marketing and promotion; business assistance and agricultural research; rural and community development; nutrition and education; and farmland conservation. Examples include farmers' market programs, rural cooperative grant and loan programs, and child nutrition programs, as well as other farm support and grant programs administered by USDA and/or other federal agencies. (See listing of selected programs in text box below.) This listing does not include broad-based conservation or research and cooperative extension programs that also provide benefits to a range of agricultural producers, including producers engaged in local food production systems, either directly or indirectly. A summary of selected federal programs supporting local and regional food systems within each of these broader categories is provided in the following text. Table 1 at the end of this report provides a summary of many of the individual federal programs that potentially support local and regional food systems.