SF 2315

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 04/06/2017 02:07pm

A bill for an act
relating to agriculture; establishing an urban agriculture development pilot program;
appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin URBAN AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT PILOT PROGRAM.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner shall establish and administer an
urban agriculture development pilot program to provide competitive grants to eligible cities;
Native American tribal communities; and individuals, nonprofit organizations, and
cooperatives located in eligible cities.
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new text begin (b) For purposes of this section, "urban agriculture" means producing plants, poultry,
livestock, compost, or other agricultural products on public or private property within city
limits or in a peri-urban area including but not limited to residential land farmed by the
property's stewards and caretakers for market, community, or personal use.
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new text begin (c) For purposes of this section, "eligible city" means:
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new text begin (1) a city with a population over 10,000; or
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new text begin (2) a city where at least ten percent of the population is comprised of communities of
color or Native American tribal communities living at or below 200 percent of the poverty
threshold as determined by the United States Census Bureau.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Competitive grants. new text end

new text begin Grant applications must be submitted to the commissioner
in the form prescribed by the commissioner. For each grant, the commissioner may award
up to 25 percent of total funds appropriated or otherwise available to the commissioner to
award grants under this section during the fiscal year. The commissioner must award
competitive grants based on the applicant's commitment to:
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new text begin (1) increase urban agriculture production capacity;
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new text begin (2) create living-wage jobs;
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new text begin (3) increase fresh food access, including access to affordable organic foods, to improve
both local and regional food security;
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new text begin (4) reduce or eliminate health disparities related to food access;
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new text begin (5) promote value-added agricultural production;
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new text begin (6) provide entrepreneurial opportunities;
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new text begin (7) enhance community education;
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new text begin (8) involve youth;
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new text begin (9) promote racial equity by engaging and increasing food access for low-income
communities, communities of color, and Native American tribal communities;
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new text begin (10) provide healthy food, including fresh, culturally appropriate foods, to food shelves
and similar charitable organizations;
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new text begin (11) extend the growing season;
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new text begin (12) develop or enhance farm-to-school channels;
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new text begin (13) reduce waste or make more efficient use of energy, water, nutrients, or other inputs;
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new text begin (14) provide environmental benefits including but not limited to clean water, healthy
soils, carbon sequestration, and pollinator habitat;
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new text begin (15) promote organic and sustainable agriculture;
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new text begin (16) create food hubs and other collaborative infrastructure for urban agriculture including
shared storage facilities, processing equipment, and product marketing;
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new text begin (17) increase food justice;
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new text begin (18) protect the tenure of urban farmers, if the grantee is not the owner of the land but
has a lease agreement;
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new text begin (19) expand the supply of urban agricultural land available for permanent use;
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new text begin (20) obtain or provide matching funds;
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new text begin (21) develop or strengthen partnerships and other collaborations; and
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new text begin (22) contribute to geographic diversity among grant recipients.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Repayment required. new text end

new text begin (a) For a period of five years after receiving a grant
under this section, a city must repay to the commissioner an amount equal to each grant
received under this section plus interest if the city terminates a lease or adopts, amends, or
repeals an ordinance or a resolution resulting in an individual, nonprofit organization, or
cooperative losing the ability to continue farming the same parcel of land.
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new text begin (b) Repayment is not required under paragraph (a) if:
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new text begin (1) the activities of the individual, nonprofit organization, or cooperative constituted a
public nuisance;
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new text begin (2) the individual, nonprofit organization, or cooperative did not farm the parcel in two
of the prior three years; or
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new text begin (3) the land is used for affordable housing development.
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new text begin (c) If, for a period of five years after receiving a grant under this section, a city uses the
parcel for affordable housing, the city must provide replacement land comparable in location,
farming qualities, size, and soil quality.
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new text begin (d) An individual, nonprofit organization, cooperative, or Native American tribal
community must repay to the commissioner an amount equal to each grant received under
this section plus interest if the individual, nonprofit organization, cooperative, or Native
American tribal community sells or leases the land used for urban farming for nonagricultural
development that is not affordable housing development within five years of receiving a
grant.
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new text begin (e) For purposes of this subdivision, "affordable housing development" has the meaning
given in Minnesota Statutes, section 462.355, subdivision 3.
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new text begin (f) The commissioner must compute interest as provided in Minnesota Statutes, section
270C.40.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Annual report required. new text end

new text begin No later than January 15 each year, the commissioner
must report program outcomes and recommendations to the legislative committees and
divisions with jurisdiction over agriculture policy and finance. Reported program outcomes
must include but are not limited to jobs created, wages generated, the number of people
trained, the amount of human and organizational capacity building facilitated, and the
quantity of agricultural products produced.
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new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Expiration. new text end

new text begin This section expires June 30, 2019.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
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new text begin $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2018 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of agriculture for purposes of section 1 and is available until June 30, 2019. Between July
1, 2017, and December 31, 2017, $1,500,000 of this appropriation is reserved for grants to
serve, engage, and benefit communities of color and Native American tribal communities.
Between January 1, 2018, and June 30, 2019, the commissioner of agriculture must award
remaining funds to any eligible applicant.
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