In late July, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced set four cross-cutting strategic priorities it is using to guide investments in farmers and ranchers, small businesses and families in Puerto Rico.
The four priorities are:
- Creating more, better, and new market opportunities
- Addressing climate change via climate-smart agriculture, forestry, and clean energy
- Advancing equity, opportunity, and rural prosperity
- Tackling food and nutrition insecurity
“Under Secretary Vilsack’s leadership and the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is making historic investments so that all Americans have the opportunity and tools to build a good life in the communities they love,” says the statement.
Creating market opportunities
Puerto Rico has received $8 million through the Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program, over $18 million through the Local Food Purchase Agreement Program, and over $4 million through the Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program. These USDA programs provide grant funding for programs that help farmers in underserved areas get their goods to market.
For example, the Local Food Purchase Agreement Program supports nonprofits in buying from local producers who may not have the capacity to gain contracts with large supermarkets. Getting a contract with a Walmart or Amigo market requires high volume, strong logistics, and competitive pricing. Small family farms can’t always meet those requirements. The noncompetitive contracts under the LFPAP tap local farmers to produce the fruit in 250,000 fruit boxes to be distributed to needy families in Puerto Rico, benefitting both the end recipients and the farmers.
Addressing climate change
The Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program will fund four projects in Puerto Rico. These projects are intended to provide the funds to change working farms to more sustainable methods, to market the crops and products they make, and to promote those goods.
One of the organizations participating in this program is Victus Puerto Rico, a non-profit providing legal, professional, and educational services for Puerto Rico farmers. Their project works with dairy farmers, specialty crops, fruits, and vegetables, and forestry. Another is Caribbean Regenerative Community Development, Inc., which is planting trees in urban areas to battle flooding and extreme heat. Along with the National Association of Conservation Districts and the Cooperative League of the United States of America, these projects will work with 40 climate-supportive practices and 13 commodities.
Advancing rural prosperity
Puerto Rico has received nearly $1.3 billion in Rural Development funding in the past three years. These funds have been used for investments in telecommunications infrastructure, water and environmental programs, and direct aid to farmers in financial straits.
The USDA Rural Development program provides grants and loans for businesses in rural communities as well as community development and infrastructure support of various kinds.
With more than half of Puerto Rico’s population and about half the Island’s economic activity sited in San Juan, the rural areas of Puerto Rico face financial distress. Rebuilding from natural disasters is still needed in the rural areas, and providing housing and services for the aging population can be challenging. The USDA funding makes a difference.
Tackling food insecurity
Recent research estimates that 40% of the population of Puerto Rico faces food insecurity. The USDA is a primary supporter of nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico, providing school lunches, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) funding and limited funding under Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) even though, as a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is left out of the more generous federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“USDA continues to support a successful transition from NAP to SNAP once Congress opens up this pathway,” the USDA publication explains. About 1.3 billion people in Puerto Rico, where the average income is much lower than in the states, benefit from this nutritional assistance.
The USDA points out that these funds not only provide food for those who need it, but also support agriculture and other businesses on the Island.
