$783K Awarded to Support Urban Agriculture and Farmers via Inland Empire Resource Conservation District

This week, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Farm to Fork announced $11.67 million in funding awards through their Urban Agriculture Program focused on urban and disadvantaged communities throughout the state. More than $68 million was requested in funding through this highly competitive program. Among the successful applicants was the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District (IERCD), a special district serving parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties and ultimately awarded $783,935 for their proposal to support urban agriculture projects within their service area. Through this regional block grant, the IERCD will provide technical assistance to partners and administer sub awards between $5,000 – $60,000 for urban agriculture projects in the Inland Empire. These sub awards can be used to fund project infrastructure, equipment purchase, technical assistance, workforce development, and community engagement. The IERCD is a public agency headquartered in the City of Redlands but serving nearly 1,300 square miles of southwest San Bernardino and northwest Riverside counties. This State investment is projected to benefit the IERCD’s service area through helping to address some of the barriers faced by agricultural practitioners and stakeholders