Specifications include, but are not limited to: The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (“RFSI”) is to assist U.S. states and territories (“States”) to build resilience in the middle-of-thesupply-chain and strengthen local and regional food systems by creating new revenue streams for their state’s producers. USDA has awarded states funding, and states are to make subawards in the form of Infrastructure Grants and Simplified Equipment-Only Grants to middle-of-the-supply businesses to create more diverse local and regional market options and create more economic opportunities for communities, allowing them to retain more of the value chain dollar. RFSI investments aim to create a food systems infrastructure to support competitive and profitable market access for domestic farm products. The program also aims to: • Support development of value‐added products available to consumers; • Support proposals that provide fair prices, fair wages and new and safe job opportunities that keep profits in rural communities; and • Increase diversity in processing options in terms of business model approaches, geography, and availability to underserved communities.
