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agriculture</title></head><body>
<div><font face="Verdana Bold" color="#000000">USDA Unveils New 'Urban
Agriculture Toolkit' for Urban Farmers and Agri-business
Entrepreneurs</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><i><b>USDA Office of
Communications sent this bulletin at 04/29/2016 12:30 PM
EDT</b></i></font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">USDA Office of
Communications</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">Release No. 0099.16<br>
Contact:<br>
Office of Communications (202)720-4623<br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">USDA Unveils New 'Urban
Agriculture Toolkit' for Urban Farmers and Agri-business
Entrepreneurs</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><i>Online Resource Draws on
USDA's and Partners' Experience with Launching and Sustaining Urban
Agriculture Operations Points Producers to Helpful Financial and
Technical Resources</i><br>
<br>
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2016 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
unveiled the</font><font face="Verdana" color="#0045A5"><u> USDA Urban
Agriculture Toolkit</u></font><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">, a
new resource created by USDA's Know Your Farmer team to help
entrepreneurs and community leaders successfully create jobs and
increase access to healthy food through urban agriculture. From
neighborhood gardens grown on repurposed lots, to innovative mobile
markets and intensive hydroponic and aquaculture operations, urban
food production is rapidly growing into a mature business sector in
cities across the country.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
"Urban agriculture helps strengthen the health and social fabric
of communities while creating economic opportunities for farmers and
neighborhoods," Vilsack said. "USDA's Urban Agriculture
Toolkit compiles guidance from our Know Your Farmer team and many
private partners into one comprehensive resource to help small-scale
producers manage all aspects of their business. From protecting soil
health to marketing to schools and grocery store chains, USDA has
tools to meet the needs of this new breed of innovative urban farmer
and small business owner."</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
Industry estimates show U.S. local food sales totaled at least $12
billion in 2014, up from $5 billion in 2008, and experts anticipate
that value to hit $20 billion by 2019. The numbers also show that
these opportunities are helping to drive job growth in agriculture,
increase entrepreneurship and expand food access and
choice.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
USDA's Toolkit is an electronic document that helps urban and small
farms navigate more than 70 helpful resources, including technical
assistance and financing opportunities. It focuses on some of the most
pressing challenges confronting urban producers such as land access,
soil quality, water resources, capital and financing, infrastructure,
market development, production strategies, and applying for federal,
state or private foundation grants. University extension service
partners in Chicago and Indianapolis helped develop cost estimates for
starting urban farms and the toolkit includes information on best
practices and check lists for start-ups and early-stage producers
planning outdoor or indoor operations.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">Some of the USDA resources
featured in the Toolkit include:</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab>*Natural Resources Conservation Service technical and
financial assistance for drip irrigation and seasonal high tunnels to
extend the growing season.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab>*Farm Services Agency microloans that provide up to $50,000
in financing for equipment, working capital or other
expenses.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab>*Food and Nutrition Service assistance to help urban farmers
become authorized to accept SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market
Nutrition Program benefit cards.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab>*Agricultural Marketing Service Farmers Market Promotion
Program grants that support direct-to-consumer marketing activities in
cities, and Local Food Promotion Program grants that support food
hubs, farm-to-retail, and related projects.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab>*National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program support for field
trials in urban settings and urban farm planning and marketing
guides.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
Vilsack made the announcement today during an event opening a new
school community garden at Frederick Douglass High School in
Baltimore. The idea for the Toolkit was originally conceived at a USDA
Urban Agriculture roundtable held nearby in Baltimore last spring. A
key result of that meeting was the creation of USDA's Urban
Agriculture Working Group (UAWG) that has assembled an inventory of
existing department resources and worked to make them more readily
accessible. The UAWG continues to actively engage urban producers
around the country to identify evolving needs and support their
success as a positive socioeconomic force in their
communities.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
Several Baltimore organizations in the vanguard of urban agriculture
have developed resources that are included in the Toolkit as models
for other communities like the City Farm Alliance's Urban Agriculture
How-To Guide, the Community Law Center's Urban Agriculture Law Project
Manual and the Green Pattern Book that helps local leaders map and
identify productive new uses for vacant land.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
During the event, Vilsack also highlighted expansion of a partnership
between USDA and the Corporation for National and Community Service,
the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, increasing the number
of opportunities for young people in Baltimore to serve as AmeriCorps
VISTA Summer Associates, earning valuable professional and life
experience while serving their community. These AmeriCorps members
will serve with the Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) Network to
provide summer opportunities for Baltimore City residents. They will
join the more than 1,400 AmeriCorps members currently serving
institutions and organizations throughout the city, including
Frederick Douglass High School.</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><br>
The Urban Agriculture Toolkit and the UAWG are part of USDA's Know
Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative (KYF2) supporting the Obama
Administration's work to strengthen economic bonds between rural and
urban areas. Launched in 2009, KYF2 breaks down silos and takes stock
of USDA programs that support the growing demand for local and
regional food systems. Visit the KYF2 website at</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#0045A5"><u>www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer</u></font><font
face="Verdana" color="#000000"> to find local and regional food system
resources in your community. Learn more about the $1 billion USDA has
invested in 40,000 projects to develop local market opportunities
at</font><font face="Verdana" color="#0045A5"><u>
https://medium.com/usda-results</u></font><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000"> as USDA celebrates Know your Farmer Month in
April.<br>
#</font><br>
<font face="Verdana" color="#000000"></font></div>
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<div><font face="Geneva" size="-2"
color="#000000"
>********************************************************************<span
></span>*************************************</font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">"We can reduce our
risks by disincentivizing housing development in fire-prone areas,
better managing public land and rethinking the effectiveness of our
current firefighting approach."</font></div>
<div><font face="Bookman Old Style" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Lucida Grande" color="#000000"><b>Incorporating
Anthropogenic Influences into Fire Probability Models: Effects of
Human Activity and Climate Change on Fire Activity in
California</b></font><font face="Verdana" color="#000000"><b><br>
</b>Michael L. Mann, Enric Batllori, Max A. Moritz, Eric K. Waller,
Peter Berck, Alan L. Flint, Lorraine E. Flint, Emmalee
Dolfi</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana" color="#000000">Research Article | published
28 Apr 2016 | PLOS ONE<b> (open access)</b></font></div>
<div><font face="Verdana"
color="#000000">http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153589</font><br
>
<font face="Bookman Old Style" color="#000000"></font></div>
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