The United States Department of Agriculture announced it will invest $121 million to further research that aims to find solutions to challenges that affect specialty crop and organic agriculture producers.
The investment is part of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) $82.3 million in grant funding through the Agricultural Marketing Service, a part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Specialty Crop Research Initiative, and awarded through USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program.
"We know specialty and organic crops add nutrition to our diets and value to sustainable agriculture systems," Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA chief scientist and undersecretary for research, education, and economics, said. "These crops also play a vital role in preserving cultural heritage and enhancing economic opportunities across local, regional, and global food systems, making them great competitive funding investments that target some of the most difficult challenges facing specialty crop and organic producers nationwide."
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