Summary:
Farmer’s Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Grant, West Orlando Farm to Community Project, Council Agenda Award Recognition
The City of Orlando has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Farmer’s Market Promotion Program (FMPP) to increase access to local and healthy food options in West Orlando.
The City of Orlando was one of only three projects in Florida to receive funding. The grant will fund three major new initiatives in addition to creating new jobs for neighborhood residents. The grant initiatives include:
1. Creating 10-15 “farmlettes” (aka micro-urban farms) in resident front yards, creating a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program based on the Fleet Farming model.
2. Launching a Farmer’s Market at Orlando City Soccer Club’s new stadium in Parramore which will feature foods locally grown in the area.
3. Teaching neighborhood residents about nutrition and healthy cooking in partnership with Hebni Nutrition.
Much of West Orlando is a food desert, meaning residents do not have access to healthy food options within a mile of their neighborhoods. Bringing a Farmer’s Market and locally sourced food to West Orlando will help provide families with nutritious options and educational opportunities that will help to improve their quality of life.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service awarded a total of 50 Farmer’s Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grants totaling more than $13.4 million to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products. FMPP grants support direct producer-to-consumer marketing projects such as farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs, roadside stands and agritourism. |