Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the agency’s Urban Agriculture Toolkit.
The toolkit was created by USDA’s Know Your Farmer team to help community leaders create jobs and increase access to healthy food through urban agriculture.
Gardens are grown on repurposed lots, and innovative mobile markets, along with aquaculture operations, are climbing. That has urban food production rapidly growing into a mature business sector in cities across the country.
Resources in the kit include financial assistance for drip irrigation to extend growing seasons and funds supporting direct-to-consumer marketing activities in participating cities.
“USDA’s Urban Agriculture Toolkit compiles guidance from our Know Your Farmer team and many private partners into one comprehensive resource to help small-scale producers manage all aspects of their business,” Vilsack said. “From protecting soil health to marketing to schools and grocery store chains, USDA has tools to meet the needs of this new breed of innovative urban farmer and small business owner.”
Local food sales in the U.S. totaled about $12 billion in 2014. Experts anticipate that value to hit $20 billion by 2019.