
Staff Reports | Community Updates
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Southwest Regional Food Business Center announce the launch of the Business Builder Award Program to build the capacity of small and mid-sized farms and food businesses.
Recently, the center began accepting applications in Arizona for grants up to $100,000, according to a press release.
“The Regional Food Business Centers are a cornerstone of USDA’s food system transformation efforts, serving to help farmers, ranchers, and other food businesses access the resources and technical assistance they need to access new markets,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Southwest Center’s Business Builder Subaward program will empower the region’s small and mid-sized farmers and food businesses to launch and expand their operations by establishing new revenue streams and gaining investors. This program is crucial to achieving the vision the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA have of a food system that fosters opportunities for regional food businesses and rural economies.”
In May 2023, USDA awarded $360 million to finalists to establish 12 Regional Food Business Centers to provide essential local and regional food systems coordination, technical assistance and capacity building. These centers assist small and mid-sized producers and food and farm businesses in creating a more resilient, diverse and competitive food system.
“As Local First Arizona works with local and national partners to build the innovative Southwest Regional Food Business Center, we are focusing on our heritage as a robust agricultural state,” Local First Founder and CEO Kimber Lanning said. “Local First is becoming a national model for success at supporting rural and tribal communities, revitalizing our food system through regenerative practices that respond to climate change and growing investment capital in our state to create a more prosperous Arizona.”