Purchase and distribute local food targeting purchases from socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers

The vermont agency of agriculture, food and markets will maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency by partnering with organizations to purchase and distribute local food to underserved communities. The vermont agency of agriculture, food and markets has identified six nonprofit partners, abenaki helping abenaki, the center for an agricultural economy, capstone community action, the vermont foodbank, the intervale center and the vermont land trust, for this project and will select additional partners through a competitive request for proposals. These partners were identified through extensive outreach and chosen for their relationships with socially disadvantaged producers and their service to underserved communities. Each organization will use local food purchase assistance funds to expand procurement relationships with local farmers and producers with an emphasis on socially disadvantaged food producers. Food purchased using local food purchase assistance funds will be directed to underserved communities throughout the state. The competitive request for proposals will be open to all vermont farm and food businesses as well as nonprofit organizations and will embed the goals of the local food purchase assistance program within the application, scoring, and review process. Local food purchase assistance funds will be awarded to successful applicants based on their ability to support socially disadvantaged food producers and underserved communities. Quarterly performance reports will be submitted to capture the number of producers, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, distribution sites, and underserved locations as well as funds expended for each category. Annual reports will provide percentages of new marketing opportunities and purchases distributed beyond current food distribution networks. The vermont agency of agriculture, food and markets estimates that over 900 people, the majority of which are from underserved communities, will benefit from food purchased and distributed using local food purchase assistance funds. The local food purchase assistance funding requested by vermont agency of agriculture, food and markets will also have important benefits for local farmers and food producers, especially those that identify as part of a socially disadvantaged group. IT is estimated that 68 local food producers will benefit from purchases made using local food purchase assistance funds and that 46 of those producers qualify as socially disadvantaged based on the definition provided in the request for proposals. The recipient plans to subaward funds to six nonprofit partners and will subaward to additional partners through a competitive request for proposals.