USDA Establishing New Urban Service Center in Phoenix

PHOENIX, Arizona, July 26, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is opening 17 new Urban Service Centers in the next year including one in Phoenix  and investing in new partnerships to support urban agriculture.  

“Providing urban agricultural producers with the same level of support as all farmers and ranchers is key to equitable USDA assistance,” said Ginger Torres, Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director in Arizona. “Through local level partnerships, USDA will learn how to expand our networks, infrastructure and services to urban producers as they strengthen resilient local food systems and nutrition access for all communities.”   

Urban Service Centers  

The Urban Service Centers will be staffed by FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees and will offer farm loan, conservation, disaster assistance and risk management programs. USDA works with agricultural producers through a network of more than 2,300 Service Centers nationwide and the new Urban Service Centers will strengthen services to urban agricultural producers. 

Urban Service Centers are also home to Urban County Committees, which help with the local administration of FSA programs. FSA is accepting nominations until August 1, 2023, for county committee members for elections that will occur later this year.   

The future location of the Urban Service Center will be located at 4341 E. Broadway Rd. Phoenix Arizona 85040 Team members will include Alyssa Crijns, FSA Program Technician.

Support for Urban Agriculture 

To help strengthen Urban Service Centers and Urban County Committees, USDA is investing American Rescue Plan funds into partnerships with community-based organizations. This is part of USDA’s broad support for urban agriculture and innovative production.  

FSA has awarded cooperative agreements to organizations located in cities where USDA is opening Urban Service Centers or will have an urban county committee, including University of Arizona Cooperative Extension in Phoenix Through outreach, engagement, education, research and technical assistance, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension and other community-based organizations and stakeholders, will work to improve the coordination and effectiveness of USDA programs and services for urban and innovative producers and help mitigate economic disruptions by funding projects designed to increase equity in urban food systems.  

More Information  

The new cooperative agreements and Urban Service Center is part of USDA’s broader USDA investment in urban agriculture in Phoenix. Other efforts include:   

• Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production competitive grants, including one to Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona as a rejuvenation tool for South Phoenix by creating a robust urban farming industry, healthier residents, and a flourishing economic outlook. 

• Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) cooperative agreements, including one to Food Waste Pilot Program in Phoenix Multi-Family Complexes to roll out composting to two selected multi-family complexes and offer a learning opportunity for how to successfully market and educate residents on composting correctly.

• Partnering with Tiger Mountain Foundation to grow the People’s Garden initiative.  

To learn more about Urban Service Centers, download our fact sheet or visit our Urban Service Center webpage. Visit farmers.gov/urban for more information on programs and services for urban producers.  for more information on programs and services for urban producers. 

This Urban Service Center in Phoenix was announced last week by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small as part of a significant investment in urban agriculture. The announcement included a total of 10 new urban county committees and 17 new Urban Service Centers. Locations with new Urban Service Centers include: 

·         Albuquerque, N.M. 

·         Atlanta, Ga. 

·         Chicago, Ill. 

·         Cleveland, Ohio 

·         Dallas, Texas 

·         Detroit, Mich. 

·         Grand Rapids, Mich. 

·         Los Angeles, Calif. 

·         Oakland, Calif. 

·         Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. 

·         New Orleans, La. 

·         New York, N.Y. 

·         Philadelphia, Pa. 

·         Portland, Ore. 

·         Richmond, Va. 

·         St. Louis, Mo.   

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.