Sacramento, CA – With many small farms still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) announced today that the nonprofit is launching a fund to help local farmers recover from and prepare for future crises.
Sacramento’s family farmers struggled through a roller-coaster year and numerous changes to markets, including closures and disrupted demand, labor challenges, and increased input costs, among others. And many are still recuperating from losses experienced in 2020. With a looming statewide drought and conditions set for more wildfires and smoke, CAFF aims to better prepare farmers.
“District 7 is home to some of the most innovative urban farmers who help get healthy food to our tables,” said Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. “These grants will provide key investments to our small and historically underserved BIPOC farmers, and will support them as the Sacramento Region bounces back from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Sacramento Farmer Resilience Micro-grants program provides small grants to farmers with operations in Sacramento County or West Sacramento to cover the costs of on-farm repairs or to purchase new tools, equipment and other infrastructure for small-scale farmers.
Farm tools and equipment are significant capital investments for all farmers and particularly for small-scale, diversified and historically underserved farmers who often have limited cash flow for major purchases and require a greater variety of costly equipment. The purchase and use of culturally- and scale-appropriate farm tools can ensure that farms remain ecologically and financially prosperous.
“Many Sacramento farmers are still struggling to adapt to the near-constant changes wrought by the pandemic,” said Paul Towers, CAFF’s Executive Director. “With the right tools, farmers can be prepared for whatever comes next, and continue to provide fresh, local fruits and vegetables to our community.”
The fund was launched with seed funding from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and with additional support from American AgCredit. The new fund is part of the larger California Family Farmer Emergency Fund, which has provided direct relief to farmers and farmworkers impacted by crises such as the pandemic and wildfires.
Grants range from $500 to $5000. Applications are due May 31st and awards will be announced by the end of June. The grant review committee is made up of Sacramento regional agricultural leaders and experts.
For more information about the fund or to apply, visit: caff.org/sacramento-farmer-resilience-micro-grants/.
Contact: Evan Wiig, Director of Communications, evan@caff.org or 415-710-5692
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Community Alliance with Family Farmers is a forty-year-old organization dedicated to creating more resilient family farms, communities and ecosystems.