The Agricultural Reinvestment Fund is off to its 19th year in providing cost-share grants to 25 farmer-led projects in North Carolina. Each year, this competitive grant program selects a handful of farmers who have great project ideas that focus on innovation, enterprise development, and growing a successful, sustainable family farm business.
Originally called the Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund when it was initiated in 1997, the Agricultural Reinvestment Fund has helped over 500 farmers and collaborative groups of farmers transition from tobacco and other traditional commodities to other sustainable and profitable enterprises. The program has helped beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers in historically tobacco dependent communities scale up their operations to become more economically viable. It’s also enabled them to demonstrate new ideas for farm profitability to other farmers in their community.
The Rural Advancement Foundation International is proud of its long-standing relationship with the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, which graciously supports this cost-share grant program.
Click here to learn about this year’s Agricultural Reinvestment Fund projects and stay tuned for more stories and updates from the field!
More pictures from the awards ceremony:
