AfriThrive in Silver Spring was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of Maryland specialty crops.
AfriThrive received $30,237.84 to support immigrant and refugee beginner farmers across three counties to cultivate, preserve and increase demand for African specialty crops.
AfriThrive will use the money to provide culturally sensitive technical assistance to build the capacity of African specialty crop growers and develop strategic partnerships and networks for growth and sustainability of African specialty crops.
AfriThrive started in 2013 as a community resource for a small group of African immigrants concerned about their economic situation and the plight of their relatives in Africa.
The state Department of Agriculture awarded a total of $400,000 in grant funds through its specialty crop block grant program.
“Maryland’s specialty crops are an increasingly critical part of our state’s agriculture industry as more farmers begin to diversify their operations and enter new niche markets,” said Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks in a news release.
Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Maryland’s Best will receive $134,976 to increase sales and consumer demand for Maryland-grown specialty crops through targeted advertising, strategic consumer and wholesale promotions, networking events, and direct partnerships with Maryland specialty crop producer associations.
Maryland Wineries Association will receive $35,086 to partner with University of Maryland, College Park to support UMD’s cultivar research, host annual tastings to understand the grapes’ characteristics, and update the MWA website to host resources, and disseminate research results, for vineyard managers and winery owners, some of which are located in Montgomery County.
Maryland specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, honey, hops, grapes, maple syrup, Christmas trees and nursery crops.
Photo from AfriThrive’s Facebook page
