The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). Through LFPA, the tribe will seek to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

“USDA is excited to partner with Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.”

With the LFPA funds, the tribe will enable members of the community to build on existing offerings by sourcing local, healthy foods of their preference through a food voucher program developed in partnership with local food producers and harvesters. This will also increase the access of local foods to communities through the distribution of these foods to the Red Cliff Early Childhood Center, Red Cliff Food Distribution Summer Food Program, the Red Cliff Elderly Meal Program and the Bayfield School.

USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program provides up to $900 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements to enable state, territory and tribal governments to support local, regional and underserved producers, and maintain or improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.  Funding for the program comes from the American Rescue Plan and the Commodity Credit Corporation.

AMS looks forward to continuing to sign agreements under this innovative program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious, and unique to their geographic area.

More information about the program is available on AMS’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program webpage.

Original source can be found here.