The Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund planning grant program is designed to encourage localities to think strategically about how they can better support and integrate agriculture and forestry-based industries into their overall economic development and job-creation efforts. The AFID planning grant program provides matching funds to do one or more of the following:

• Develop a strategic plan for agriculture and/or forestry-based economic development.
• Develop local policies and ordinances that better support agriculture and forestry business, agritourism and other rural enterprises.
• Create new plans, policies or programs that will lead to the preservation of working lands.
• Fund feasibility studies, business plans and other predevelopment work for projects that will have a significant and lasting positive impact on the local agriculture and forestry sector.
• Develop or implement local initiatives supporting agriculture and forestry based businesses, such as those promoting agritourism, local food systems, biomass heat, addressing food deserts, etc.
• Other projects that advance the interests of agriculture and forestry in the locality.

Interested localities should contact the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for more information.

Resources

• AFID Planning Grant Guidelines (pdf)
• AFID Planning Grant Program Application (docx)
• AFID Program Brochure (pdf)