Founded in 2004 to serve African immigrants and refugees, the African Alliance of Rhode Island (AARI) offers a variety of community health, nutrition, food security, urban agriculture, and other programs and services to low-income families of all nationalities and ethnicities in some of Providence’s poorest neighborhoods. Since 2009, AARI has focused on urban agriculture projects that help low-income families increase food security and earn income. From 2015-17, AARI received support and funds from) Rhode Island’s Local Agriculture and Sea Act (LASA) program to expand its growing space and build greenhouses, and from Paul used his work with the Viability Program to secure grants for farm infrastructure, including funding from the VAPG, and a conventional bank loan to purchase land. USDA’s Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) to conduct market feasibility studies for value-added products. Today AARI growers supply a variety of African vegetables along with New England staples to their farmer’s market customers. (You can learn more about AARI in this NESAWG feature.)

Maine’s artisanal cheesemaking industry is one of the fastest growing in the country. One of the leaders in this field is Fuzzy Udder Creamery, owned by Jessie Dowling, in Whitefield. In 2016, Fuzzy Udder was selected to receive a VAPG grant to cover costs of producing and marketing artisan cheeses from goat and sheep milk, and to use as working capital to increase the farm’s market channels and customer base. Allowed her to stay in business for the next three years, upgrades to the water system and build a new walk in cooler which have increased capacity to make more cheese. Reimbursing payroll (no way to make money in farmstead cheese right now). Alluding to dairy crisis. VAPG grant is a start, but government needs to subsidize small farmers. 

Read more in How State and Federal Programs Support Farmers, Fishermen, Food Entrepreneurs and Consumers in the Northeast.