Mandela partners has been operating its in-house produce distribution hub, mandela produce distribution, for the past 11 years, which directly links limited-resource sustainable farmers within 150…

Mandela Partners received a $590,713.90 project grant award from the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program to strengthen markets for its network of BIPOC farmers and increase consumer demand for local agricultural products. Specifically, Mandela Partners will expand its Mandela Community Supported Agriculture Program from two to four access points to provide low-income residents with sustainably grown produce. It will also develop a value-added produce product line for food e-commerce clients and provide food safety technical assistance to strengthen competitiveness among its 28 member farmers in the BIPOC Farmer Network. The three-year award period runs from September 30, 2021 through September 29, 2024 and supports Mandela Partners' existing 11-year operation of its produce distribution hub linking limited-resource sustainable farmers within 150 miles to its healthy retail program locations in West Oakland, California.

Mandela partners has been operating its in-house produce distribution hub, mandela produce distribution, for the past 11 years, which directly links limited-resource sustainable farmers within 150 miles of its west oakland hub to mandela's healthy retail program locations. The distribution hub sources produce from 28 sustainable farmers, known as mandela's bipoc farmer network. The goal of the proposed initiative is to strengthen sales channel opportunities and markets for mandela's bipoc farmer network, and increase urban consumer demand for raw and value-added agricultural products. To do this, mandela partners plans to increase the mandela community supported agriculture (CSA) program from two to four access points to support low access, low-income residents consume sustainably grown fruits and vegetables; develop a value-added produce product line with food e-commerce clients; and provide food safety technical assistance to strengthen competitiveness of farmers.