City of New Haven Becomes First-Ever Recipients of Two USDA Grants
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Ahead of World Food Day this Friday, today New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture Bryan Hurlburt, New Haven Community Services Administrator Dr. Mehul Dalal and New Haven Food System Policy Director Latha Swamy held a press conference at New Haven City Hall announcing that the City is the first-ever recipient of two newly formed USDA grants.
“Securing this amount of funding from the USDA is a significant step for the small and relatively new Food System Policy Division at the City of New Haven,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “These resources will help further the FSPD’s mission to support and help manifest community-led efforts that envision and create an environmentally sustainable and socially just food system. We look forward to authentically partnering with community members and organizations across the City and state to eliminate long-standing regulatory, resource, and information barriers around urban agriculture and its related activities in New Haven,” he concluded.
The City of New Haven is the first-ever recipient of two grants from the United States Department of Agriculture’s newly-formed Office of Urban Agriculture & Innovative Production. Out of nearly 600 applicants from across the country, New Haven was chosen as 1 of 3 for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Planning Grant. New Haven is fully-funded at $500K. Additionally, the City secured $90K in funding under their Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Projects.
“I am thrilled to join the City of New Haven in celebrating the announcement that they are one of the first-ever recipients of two grants from the USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grant Program. As a leader on the House Appropriations Subcommittee that determines federal agriculture spending and funds this grant program, I am confident the City of New Haven will use the $590,000 in two separate grants to improve our community and support local businesses,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. “I look forward to seeing the benefits of these projects and sharing them with cities across the country,” she concluded.
The grants will assist the work of the City of New Haven’s Food System Policy Division (FSPD). The FSPD’s mission is to support and help manifest community-led efforts that envision and create an environmentally sustainable and socially just food system. The FSPD operates through a food justice framework and across three thematic priorities - health equity, socio-economic justice, and environmental justice. To enact change, the FSPD works on food policy at all levels that impact New Haven residents: from changing practices within organizations and institutions to modifying regulations at the City level, to advocating on legislation at the State and Federal level, to shaping international agendas.
“We are excited to use this support from the USDA to develop the first New Haven Urban Agriculture Master Plan - an effective, responsive, transparent, fair, efficient, user-friendly, and predictable but flexible plan to access land and opportunities in order to support the production and sale of locally grown foods, build community, improve public health and well-being, and provide economic opportunity, particularly in areas that have vacant or underutilized land and low access to food. An inclusive, community-driven process will guide the development of this actionable master plan,” said Food System Policy Director Latha Swamy.
For more info, visit foodpolicy.newhavenct.gov
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