The Missouri Department of Agriculture is making urban agriculture grants available to more parts of the state this year.
Applications for the Urban Agriculture Cost-Share Grant Program opened Thursday, according to a department news release. The program offers up to $10,000 for small agribusinesses in urban areas to grow, develop internal infrastructure, provide training or, in some way, contribute to economic growth.
Grant recipients are reimbursed for 75 percent of project expenses.
The grants are open to individuals, groups, businesses and organizations focused on agriculture in urban areas, as defined by the 2020 census. MDA has identified 80 cities and municipalities that qualify this year. Last year, nine were eligible.
Applicants in Jefferson City are once again eligible this year while applicants from Eldon, Fulton, Holts Summit and Osage Beach qualify for the first time.
Christi Miller, a spokesperson for MDA, said more parts of the state became eligible for the funding after the U.S. Census Bureau changed how it defines urban areas.
“It certainly does make more people and more agribusinesses eligible,” she said, “so I would certainly not be surprised if we had an uptick in applications from other locations.”
The program has less funding than last year, however. Lawmakers appropriated $50,000 for it this year and $100,000 last year. Maximum grant amounts were also reduced by half, from $20,000 last year to $10,000 this year.
The grant funded six projects last year, including developments at Springfield Community Gardens and the University of Central Missouri’s Innovation Campus in Lee’s Summit. Funding also went to individual farms focused on agriculture education in St. Louis and Kansas City. Miller said she’s expecting a similar outcome this year as projects can request less than the $10,000 cap. She said all funds should be distributed during the upcoming award cycle.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture will prioritize projects that demonstrate an economic benefit and potential for ongoing revenue generation or job creation, according to the news release. It lists creating small agribusinesses, new production infrastructure or direct distribution venues as examples of potential projects, as well as training an agricultural workforce, introducing new crops or products to an area and increasing the use or value of a product.
Projects that develop business or marketing plans, feasibility studies or community gardens could also receive funding.
“With urban agriculture, as we’ve learned, we can grow a lot of food on some really small spaces and there are some really good projects in towns of all sizes,” Miller said. “I think we can see some real neat projects here that can impact people.”
“This is not a funding opportunity that must address food insecurity but it can address food insecurity,” she continued. “So I think we’ll clearly see some programs that can have an impact on folks who are food insecure, and I think we’ll see some other opportunities too for agribusinesses that are located in an urbanized area.”
Applications, available online at agriculture.mo.gov/abd/financial/urban.php, are due Sept. 15 and awards are expected to be announced in mid-October. Recipients must spend what they expect to be reimbursed by the end of February 2024, complete the project and submit a final report by the end of April and complete an inspection by the end of May.
Applications can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s P.O. Box 630 in Jefferson City.