Rural Development is committed to supporting the development of local and regional food systems. With growing demand for local food, rural communities stand to prosper from the creation and expansion of infrastructure, business services, and supply chain development needed to respond to this demand. With funding for infrastructure, business development, and technical assistance, Rural Development is well suited to support the growth of local and regional food systems throughout the country.
Rural Development has developed a suite of technical assistance resources, including “how-to” guidance reports, trainings, webinars, and research analysis to support the efforts of food businesses, service providers, funders, planners, and other stakeholders to develop robust and resilient local and regional food systems. Select the Resources Tab to learn more about technical assistance and financial resources.
Along with these resources, Rural Development is managing the Food LINC initiative. Food LINC, which stands for Leveraging Investment for Network Coordination, is a three-year initiative spearheaded by USDA and its philanthropic partners to support full time “value chain coordinators” who will provide local food sector coordination services–linking producers and buyers in a regional geography. Select the Resources Tab to learn more about Food LINC