§5925g — Title 7 Agriculture | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary, after talking with the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee, can give competitive grants for research, education, and outreach to help grow urban, indoor, and other new kinds of farming and the ways food is harvested, moved, packed, and sold. Grants can fund things like cleaning up contaminated land, finding better growing and pest-control methods, studying the social and economic reasons farms succeed, checking soil and building suitability, testing energy- and water-saving technologies, improving building materials and structures, developing new crops for markets, and checking urban pollution and food safety. Some grant rules from another USDA program (section 3157) also apply. The Secretary can give priority to projects that involve multiple partners or states/regions with many urban farms, rooftop farms, or indoor facilities. From Commodity Credit Corporation funds, $10,000,000 was provided for fiscal year 2019 (available until spent) and $2,000,000 is provided for each fiscal year 2024 through 2031. In addition, Congress is authorized to appropriate $10,000,000 for each fiscal year 2019 through 2023.

Title 7, §5925g

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In consultation with the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee established under section 6923(b) of this title, the Secretary may make competitive grants to support research, education, and extension activities for the purposes of facilitating the development of urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production, harvesting, transportation, aggregation, packaging, distribution, and markets, including by—

(1)assessing and developing strategies to remediate contaminated sites;

(2)determining and developing the best production management and integrated pest management practices;

(3)identifying and promoting the horticultural, social, and economic factors that contribute to successful urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production;

(4)analyzing the means by which new agricultural sites are determined, including an evaluation of soil quality, condition of a building, or local community needs;

(5)exploring new technologies that minimize energy, lighting systems, water, and other inputs for increased food production;

(6)examining building material efficiencies and structural upgrades for the purpose of optimizing growth of agricultural products;

(7)developing new crop varieties and agricultural products to connect to new markets; or

(8)examining the impacts of crop exposure to urban elements on environmental quality and food safety.

(b)Subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (4), paragraph (7), and paragraph (11)(B) of subsection (b) of section 3157 of this title shall apply with respect to the making of grants under this section.

(c)The Secretary may give priority to grant proposals that involve—

(1)the cooperation of multiple entities; or

(2)States or regions with a high concentration of or significant interest in urban farms, rooftop farms, and indoor production facilities.

(d)(1)Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section—

(A)$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2019, to remain available until expended; and

(B)$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031.

(2)In addition to amounts made available under paragraph (1), there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (d)(1)(B). Pub. L. 119–21 substituted “each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031” for “fiscal year 2024, to remain available until expended”. 2023—Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 118–22 inserted dash after “section”, designated remainder of existing provisions as subpar. (A), and added subpar. (B).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2023 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 118–22 to be applied and administered as if enacted on Sept. 30, 2023, see section 102(g) of Pub. L. 118–22, set out in an Extension of Agricultural Programs note under section 9001 of this title.

§5925g Urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production research, education, and extension initiative