Arkansas Department of Agriculture accepting applications for Specialty Crop Block grants

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

These grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance the competitiveness of the Arkansas specialty crop industry. Specialty crops are defined by USDA as fruits, vegetables, horticulture, floriculture, and tree nuts.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture uses a two-phase application process for administering the grant funds. Project concept proposals outlining the project’s goals, tasks, and budget requirements must be submitted by March 1. After all concept proposals are reviewed by an advisory committee, selected projects will be invited to submit detailed project proposals.

Applicants are encouraged to develop projects pertaining to the following issues affecting the specialty crop industry:

• Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops;
• Research projects focused on helping specialty crop growers by improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems, improving pest and disease management, and/or development of new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops;
• Investments in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes;
• Enhancing specialty crop food safety, and/or improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act; and
• Sustainability of specialty crops.