USDA to Open New Urban Service Center in Philadelphia
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is opening a new Urban Service Center in Philadelphia as part of a broader effort to support urban agriculture in Pennsylvania.
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, August 14, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is opening a new Urban Service Center in Philadelphia as part of a broader effort to support urban agriculture in Pennsylvania.
“Every producer deserves USDA support in their own community, whether that community is urban or rural,” Said Denise Coleman, NRCS State Conservationist in Pennsylvania, “We encourage people in urban communities to connect with us at our new Urban Service Center.
Urban Service Centers
The Urban Service Center in Philadelphia is one of 17 across the country. The Urban Service Centers will be staffed by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) 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 producers.
The Philadelphia Urban USDA Service Center is located at the Leon H. Sullivan Human Services Center at 1415 North Broad Street, First Floor, Suite 118, Philadelphia, PA 19122-3325 and will open the week of August 21, 2023.
More Information
The new Urban Service Center in Philadelphia is part of USDA’s broader USDA investment in urban agriculture in Pennsylvania. Other efforts include:
- Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production competitive grants, including one to the School District of the City of Erie to expand their Farm to School program and accelerate the food sovereignty work of Groundwork Erie.
- Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) cooperative agreements, including one to the City of Philadelphia to launch the first of an envisioned coordinated system of small-scale urban food waste composting sites on city properties and hire a sustainability specialist.
- Funding to four community garden projects within the Philadelphia metropolitan area under the People’s Garden Initiative (PGI).
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.