PROVIDENCE – The R.I Department of Environmental Management reminded local farm and food businesses Thursday that $270,000 in funding is available to support local products and small businesses.
The funds come from the state Local Agriculture and Seafood Act and Farm Viability grant program.
LASA funds will be available up to $20,000 for local agriculture, aquaculture and seafood industries. The DEM said that the program is open to new and small farmers, fishers, food producers and nonprofits. The program will award up to $120,000 this round.
The Farm Viability grants range from $10,000 to $50,000 each, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block grant program. There is a total of $150,000 available for Rhode Island participants this round.
Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, tree nuts and nursery crops. To be eligible for the grant, entities must be engaged in research, marketing, food safety or security, plant health, buy-local initiatives and/or development cooperatives. The grant funding will take place over two years.
More details on the programs may be found on the DEM website.
