The Department of Agriculture (D.O.A.) is inviting farmers interested in sustainable agriculture development in the U.S. Virgin Islands to town hall meetings to discuss and solicit project ideas from the farming community.
The project ideas that are selected will be incorporated into the USVI State Plan to secure funding for the FY2018 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, D.O.A. said. The U.S. Virgin Islands is eligible to apply for an estimated allocation of $240,527.67.
On St. Croix, the meeting will be held on Thursday from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Theatre room EVC 401.
On St. Thomas, the meeting will be held on Monday, May 14 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the UVI T-101 Room, located on the upper part of the campus near the library.
The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) assists state departments of agriculture in all 50 states including American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Specialty crops are fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). A state department of agriculture is the agency, commission or department of a state government responsible for agriculture within the state.
For more information about the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, please visit the following website at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/print/services/grants/scbgp or contact Billy Abraham, Director of Marketing at 340-643-1245 or 340-778-0997 and e-mail: [email protected]
