South Carolina LFPA Plus Executive Summary

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) is requesting funding through a Cooperative Agreement with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Plus (LFPA Plus) program to facilitate the continued purchase and distribution of local foods within the state. SCDA is working with a network of aggregators, distributors, and farmers to purchase local foods from rural and socially disadvantaged farmers, as well as to distribute local foods to underserved areas. Additionally, SCDA has established a planning committee comprised of community stakeholders to advise regarding the program. Expected outcomes from this project include the continued and expanded purchase of foods from at least 50 new farmers under LFPA Plus, including at least 30 new socially disadvantaged farmers under LFPA Plus, as well as distribution to additional areas of need. Additionally, we expect to facilitate further market development for farmers that will be sustained beyond the funding period.