USDA Announced Local Food Purchase Assistance Co-operative Agreement with California

Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary of the United States, announced the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has signed a cooperative agreement with California under the LFPA (Local Food Purchase Assistance Co-operative Agreement Program).

The LFPA is a program authorized through the American Rescue Plan of the US President, which invested 400 million dollars to make food more affordable for more people in the country, and help stabilize agricultural supply chains.

Through LFPA, the California Department of Social Services is seeking to purchase and distribute locally grown, processed, and produced food from underserved producers. This announcement is a part of the administration of Joe Biden, president of the United States, and his priority to produce more high-quality, affordable food, and help lower costs for more people in the United States.

Tom Vilsack said providing access to the new markets for more number of producers and helping more people of the United States experiencing food insecurity is going to take new partnerships, with new innovations, and new and different ways of thinking.

He added that this program provides states, tribes, and the US territories the ability to work in new and creative ways with their local partners, and to establish connections between their producers and underserved communities.

The food purchases made through LFPA will now provide consistent access to regionally and locally sourced food, along with helping to economic stability for producers, farmers, and families, and increased food security.