The USDA offers a variety of resources designed to support urban farmers in every stage of their journey. From grants to technical assistance, these programs can help you get started, expand your farm, and adopt sustainable practices. In this section, you’ll find an overview of the most relevant USDA resources, along with tips on how to access the support you need.
The USDA currently has 17 Urban Service Center locations across the United States. The Urban Service Centers are staffed by FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees and offer farm loan, conservation, disaster assistance and risk management programs. Click below for the locations and contact information for each Urban Service Center location. Some of these Urban Service Centers may not be fully functional. Please contact your local office to learn more.
If you don't have an Urban Service Center in your area, that's okay! Your local USDA Service Center is always there to answer any questions you may have.
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance with conservation practices for urban famers.
The USDA’s Urban Agriculture grants fund projects that improve food access, education, and support for urban farms.
The People’s Garden community connects gardens across the country that produce local food, practice sustainability, and bring people together.
Here are a few FSA programs that may be relevant to you as an urban producer:
Farmers.gov has tons of helpful information for urban farmers as well. Check out their page below!
Many FSA and USDA programs require producers to file crop acreage reports that document crop growth and intended use on your farm or ranch. Since not all crops are created equal, FSA has created an easy way for producers of specialty crops to fill out these reports! Check out the full guidance below:
FSA now has the ability to accept crop acreage as small as 0.00001 acres, which is equivalent to 6 square inches.
Similarly, multiplying the total square footage of your crops by .0000229568 will yield your acreage. Check our handy calculator below to determine your acreage based on total square footage!
When filling out your Report of Acreage - FSA - 578, you will enter your acreage in Box 20: Total Operator Report for each crop. Additional guidance on how to fill out the rest of the acreage report can be found here.
FSA Educational Hub visitors have access to an exclusive 30-day free trial of FarmRaise Tracks accounting software!
