Climate-Smart Commodities Grant Program
ANCA was recently awarded a $558,000 federal grant to support climate-smart agroforestry projects on small farms in northern New York. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded our Local Food System Program a Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grant to help farmers diversify their operations while implementing farming practices that improve land, water and air quality across the region.
The pilot project will provide customized technical assistance to participating farms and monitor economic and environmental benefits of utilizing agroforestry practices like silvopasture — a technique that integrates livestock, forage crops and trees on the same land.
About Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities
USDA is committed to supporting a diverse range of farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. This effort will expand markets for America’s climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production, and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers.
USDA is investing more than $3.1 billion for 141 projects through this effort and all the projects require meaningful involvement of small and underserved producers.
About ANCA’s Local Food System Program and Our Project
Our Local Food System Program helps farmers and food businesses access financing and technical assistance, supports supply chain development, and fosters connections between producers and consumers.
Our project, Piloting Agroforestry in the Adirondack North Country, is a partnership with Interlace Commons, GreatRange, and the Canton Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Interlace Commons and ANCA will provide producers with no-cost technical assistance for agroforestry planning and implementation, including plant materials. ANCA, GreatRange, and Canton SBDC will work with producers to develop the Adk Climate-Smart standard and brand that producers can use to differentiate their products.
Targeted Producers
Producers interested in our program must be located in Essex County, NY, preferably in the Champlain Valley. Producers must meet USDA criteria for small farms and be registered with the Farm Service Agency. We give preference to women-owned farms. For information please email: localfoodsystems@adirondack.org.
Our Partners
Banner photo: Dairy cows graze at North Country Creamery in Keeseville, N.Y.