HONOLULU (KHON2) — Home gardeners will be eligible to receive up to $5,000 because of a $3 million grant that was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, they are now accepting applications for the Micro-Grant program for small-scale agriculture, part of the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program.
MGFSP provides support to small-scale gardens and livestock and herding farms that grow in food insecure areas.
To check what areas are food insecure, you can look at a map here.
According to HDOA, around 177 grants were given in Hawaii last year.
Funding for this grant is provided by the Farm Bill of 2018 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
HDOH said that up to $5,000 can be given to each household but organizations will not be eligible for the grant this year due to the high level of interest.
You can fill out an application form online at the HDOA Market Development Branch website.
Requirements:
- Must be a Hawai`i resident, at least 18 years old and head of the household.
- The household has not received a previous MGFSP grant
A few things that can be funded by this grant are:
- tools
- soil
- seeds
- plants
- animals
- fencing for livestock
A zoom webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 24 to help people with the application process.
For more questions about the application process, you can call HDOA’s Market Development Branch at (808) 973-9595 or email hdoa.md.microgrants@hawaii.gov.
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The deadline to apply for MGFSP is Monday, Sept. 19 at noon.
