The Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) to develop and submit a state proposal to the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) in response to the 2023 SCBGP Request for Applications (RFA) from the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS).
Donor Name: Arkansas Department of Agriculture
State: Arkansas
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/01/2023
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
These grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance the competitiveness of the Arkansas specialty crop industry. Specialty crops are defined by USDA as fruits, vegetables, horticulture, floriculture, and tree nuts.
The Department’s proposal will consist of selected projects that will significantly and positively impact the competitiveness of Arkansas’s specialty crops.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) assists state departments of agriculture in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in solely enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. grown specialty crops. Specialty crops are fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)
Funding Priority/Focus Areas
The following have been identified as funding priorities for the SCBGP for Arkansas:
- Enhancing food safety
- Improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act
- Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes
- Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops
- Pest and disease control
- Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops
- Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems
- Sustainability
Funding Information
The Department will accept project proposals that request a minimum of $20,000. Note: Awarding of this grant is contingent upon funding from the USDA.
Project Period
All projects granted funding can start no earlier than October 1, 2023 and must end no later than September 20, 2025.
USDA Outcome Measure(s) are applicable for the project
- Outcome 1: Increasing Consumption and Consumer Purchasing of Specialty Crops
- Outcome 2: Increasing Access to Specialty Crops and Expanding Specialty Crop Production and Distribution
- Outcome 3: Increase Food Safety Knowledge and Processes
- Outcome 4: Improve Pest and Disease Control Processes
- Outcome 5: Develop New Seed Varieties and Specialty Crops
- Outcome 6: Expand Specialty Crop Research and Development
- Outcome 7: Improve Environmental Sustainability of Specialty Crops
Eligibility Criteria
Project proposals will be accepted from Arkansas’s state and local government entities, colleges and universities, 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, producer associations, industry or community-based groups, and other specialty crop organizations.
Single organizations, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate as project partners but are not eligible to apply as the lead of the project. Applications for grant funds should describe how the project potentially affects and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public rather than a single organization, institution, or individual. Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that solely benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual. In addition, recipients and subrecipients cannot use grant funds to compete unfairly with private companies that provide equivalent products or services.
For more information, visit Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
