FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 17, 2022
ARLINGTON, Va.— The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation is pleased to announce that 42 minority and women farmers, ranchers and entrepreneurs have been selected for the 2022-2023 cohort of the Farm2Food Accelerator program being held in California and Nevada. The selected participants will receive training in marketing, product development, food safety, packaging and pricing over the course of 15 weeks. The online accelerator will be offered in Spanish for the first time since the program’s inception.
“As the Farm2Food Accelerator enters its third year, we celebrate the program’s continual growth and thank both the California Department of Food and Agriculture and Nevada Department of Agriculture for being champions of the program,” NASDA CEO Ted McKinney said. “The NASDA Foundation is proud of its commitment to fostering a safe and sustainable food system through justice, diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Farm2Food Accelerator utilizes a hybrid learning system with online coursework. In addition to the online coursework, the NASDA Foundation offers opportunities for participants to receive one-on-one consulting with product development, pricing strategies and consumer testing. Through this program, the Foundation also provides access to marketing specialists. The participants will showcase their products and knowledge gained at SIAL America to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in March 2023.
Background:
In 2019 the NASDA Foundation was awarded sub-grants through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program administered by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The foundation worked with a team of partners in Oregon and Washington to develop the core curriculum for the Farm2Food Accelerator. This curriculum was later adapted to meet the needs of women farmers in Florida and Nevada. Since the program’s launch, over 60 participants have successfully completed the accelerator.
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The NASDA Foundation is the only educational and research organization that directly serves the nation’s state departments of agriculture. The NASDA Foundation’s mission is to enhance American food and agricultural communities through education, outreach and research. The NASDA Foundation works with states to nourish people and communities while serving as the stewards of the environment and public trust. To learn more about the NASDA Foundation, please visit nasda.org/nasda-foundation/.
