University of Rhode Island Receives $510,978 in USDA Grants

Funding Will Support Agriculture and Rural Community Development

Washington, D.C. – Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Jim Langevin today announced that the University of Rhode Island will receive $510,978 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) program. 

NIFA is awarding nearly $14 million nationwide to programs that support rural community development, sustainable farming and economic growth through agriculture.

“I am pleased URI is receiving this federal funding to help share their expertise and further their efforts in support of our agricultural economy,” said Senator Reed. “We need to invest in positive community economic development strategies and protect Rhode Island’s rural areas and open spaces. This NIFA grant will allow URI to work with local communities to develop strategies for sustainable farming and land conservation.”

“Rhode Island farms are an important part of our natural landscape and our economy. Preserving the land and natural resources they depend on is a smart investment for our state,” said Senator Whitehouse. “I’m glad to see these federal funds come to URI to benefit our farming community, and thanks to Jim Langevin for his good work on agriculture in Rhode Island.”

“The University of Rhode Island is at the epicenter of agriculture in Rhode Island, and their educational programming and research serve as a vital resource for our state’s many farmers,” said Congressman Langevin, who recently formed a Food First Advisory Committee to advise him on issues of importance to the farming industry and overall food economy. 

“Agriculture is an important part of Rhode Island’s economy, and we must support the efforts of farmers not only to be profitable and sustainable, but also in their fight to increase access to local food sources, which can only happen when we preserve farmland. We, as a state and as a nation, must commit to increasing the amount of food we produce and consume locally.”

“These grants will be used to understand people’s preferences for open space so that farm and forest lands can be sustained, and so those lands may continue to provide critical ecosystem services and maintain the rural character of communities in Southern New England,” said Richard Rhodes, associate dean of the URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences. “We appreciate the work of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation in helping to secure these funds.”

The bulk of URI’s award, $463,096, will be used to create community-level incentives to support farm, forest and open space land conservation in the rural-urban fringe. The remaining $47,882 will go towards a water quality economics workshop through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational Program.