Sec. 402. Local and regional food system enterprise facilitation
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Section 502 of the Rural Development Act of 1972 ( 7 U.S.C. 2662 ) is amended by inserting after subsection
(e)the following new subsection: The Secretary shall establish a local and regional farm and food system enterprise facilitation initiative to increase training and technical assistance for purposes of building sustainable local and regional food systems, the activities of which may include— providing practical, reliable, and timely information to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial development organizations concerning business management, business planning, microenterprise, marketing, and entrepreneurial education and training related to the development of local and regional farm and food system enterprises; providing training and technical assistance to newly operational and growing local and regional farm and food system businesses; establishing networks of entrepreneurial support through partnerships among entrepreneurs, local business communities, all levels of government, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and other sectors; and providing technical assistance for the preparation of grant and loan applications submitted for purposes of carrying out an activity referred to in subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C). In carrying out the initiative established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall establish in the National Institute of Food and Agriculture the position of enterprise facilitator (referred to in this subsection as an enterprise facilitator ) to perform the duties specified in subparagraph (C). In allocating funds made available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to enterprise facilitators located in areas that— have high participation rates for the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq. ); and are rural areas (as defined in section 343(13) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1991(13) )). An enterprise facilitator shall, to the maximum extent practicable— identify and organize local and regional food producers and entrepreneurs into entities that are able to deliver local and regional food into local markets; develop partnerships with local and regional organizations and institutions to train entrepreneurs and facilitate new enterprises, including partnerships eligible for or that have received a grant under paragraph (3); assist local and regional agricultural producers and processors, including new producers and processors, with marketing and distribution of local and regional food products; identify and work to remove barriers to the movement of local and regional food products into the marketplace; work with local expanded food and nutrition education programs, schools and other local institutions, and individuals to assist in the development of food aggregation, processing, distribution, and storage skills in the locality or region involved; provide technical assistance in the preparation of grant and loan applications submitted for purposes of carrying out an activity referred to in paragraph (1); and work with private sources of funding and other Federal and State agencies to acquire funds for such purposes through grants and loans. In carrying out the initiative established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities, on a competitive basis, to provide training or technical assistance for purposes of building sustainable local and regional food systems. An eligible entity under this paragraph is a collaborative State, tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of public or private entities, including a network or partnership of— colleges and universities, including cooperative extension colleges and universities; nonprofit organizations; Federal, State, local, and tribal governmental entities; or any other appropriate entities, as determined by the Secretary. An eligible entity seeking a grant under this paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an application in such time and in such manner and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including information on any project the entity intends to carry out using grant funds. In awarding grants under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give priority to applications submitted by eligible entities that are led by or include non-profit community-based organizations with expertise in providing training or technical assistance to local and regional food producers. In awarding grants under this paragraph, the Secretary shall consider, with respect to a project included in an application submitted under subparagraph (C)— the relevance of the project to the initiative established under paragraph (1); the appropriateness of the design of the project; the likelihood of achieving the objectives of the project; the inclusion of entrepreneurs and community leaders in the project; the availability of enterprise facilitators to assist with the project; adequacy of plans for outreach, evaluation, reporting, and communication; and the national or regional applicability of the findings and outcomes of the project. The term of a grant provided under this paragraph shall be not more than three years. .
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