From our partner, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition:

Those looking for an accessible rundown on federal sustainable farming and food systems programs have a new, printed resource available to them!  The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) recently published a comprehensive printed guide to federal sustainable agriculture, forestry, entrepreneurship, conservation, food systems, and community development programs.  NSAC, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program all collaborated on the publication with MFAI.

Building Sustainable Places 2014 Guide

Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities is an 86-page resource full of one to two page informative overviews of the many federal programs available for farmers, entrepreneurs, conservationists, nonprofits, and other stakeholders in the sustainable agriculture community.  The program fact sheets – 63 in all – include information on program basics, examples of past projects, eligibility criteria, financial information, and websites where readers can find additional information.

“We introduce the programs that can be useful to your work, including some you might not otherwise have thought to pursue,” the Guide reads.  “It is not the definitive guide to any program, but an introduction.”

The guide’s sixth printing was updated to reflect changes made in the 2014 Farm Bill, including information on newly-established programs such as Farm Microloans, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program (FINI), as well as changes in funding and implementation for existing programs.

Financial support for the Guide came from USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, The McKnight Foundation, Farm Aid, and the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation.

This printed guide adds to the list of resources NSAC has been involved in publishing on federal farm and food programs.  Earlier this month, NSAC announced the launch of its online Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs, a digital resource on NSAC’s website that provides updated program information to farmers, private and public organizations, and other stakeholders.

Digital copies of Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities are available for free on NSAC’s Publications page or can be downloaded here.  Those interested in ordering a printed copy can do so on the ATTRA/National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website or by calling ATTRA at 1-800-346-9140.