More than $35 million has been granted to five hemp-specific projects under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities” program.
While the projects look promising, the money is just over 1 percent of a total $3.1 billion USDA investment intended to support crops that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon – for which hemp offers an unrivaled solution.
Aimed at expanding markets for commodities produced using sustainable and environmentally-friendly farming, ranching or forestry practices, the federal grant program requires recipients to match on average 50 percent of the USDA’s investment with non-federal funds.
The USDA program aims to “leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production, and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers,” according to USDA.
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