Participating Agency Service Agreement (PASA) program

Participating Agency Service Agreement (PASA) program is sponsored by USDA and USAID. This program, a decade-long collaboration, aims to bolster agriculture capacity in Tanzania by strengthening agricultural systems, embracing climate-smart practices, and facilitating data collection and analysis to enhance food security.

### **USDA-FSA Grant & Cooperative Agreement Program Descriptions** **Disaster Assistance Outreach, Education and Technical Assistance** Awarded partner organizations will provide outreach, education, and technical assistance for FSA disaster assistance programs to help farmers and ranchers prepare and recover from eligible disasters and unplanned events.

**Distressed Borrowers Assistance Program** FSA has partnered with trusted community organizations and agricultural experts to launch the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network. The network provides technical assistance to address the unique challenges faced by financially distressed producers.

**Conservation Reserve Program – Transition Incentive Program (CRP-TIP) Outreach and Technical Assistance** Cooperators provide outreach and technical assistance to producers to promote awareness and understanding of theConservation Reserve Program-Transition Incentive Program (CRP-TIP)among agricultural communities.

**Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Outreach and Technical Assistance** FSA works with partners to provide outreach and technical assistance on theEmergency Relief Program(a Farm Service Agency disaster assistance program) to producers, with a targeted focus on communities where outreach efforts have not been effective in the past and where participation in FSA programs has been historically lower.

**Heirs’ Property Outreach, Education and Technical Assistance** FSA’s partners provide training and education on heirs’ property and succession planning toHeirs’ Property Landowners | Farmers. gov, as well as conduct outreach and provide technical assistance on theHeirs' Property Relending Program (HPRP) | Farmers.

govto ensure eligible heirs learn about the program, receive programmatic and general support when applying to HPRP re-lenders. **Increasing Land Access (ILA)** The Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program (usda. gov)funds grants and cooperative agreements for projects that help move underserved producers from thriving to surviving by increasing land, capital and market access.

**FSA Farm Loans Technical Assistance Provider Network** FSA is partnering with the Extension Risk Management Education Centers and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture to establish a Farm Loans Technical Assistance Provider Network. This network will be made of agricultural service providers that can provide high quality technical assistance to help producers accessing FSA farm loan programs.

USDA has partnered with tax experts from across the country to connect producers to information and resources related to USDA program payments, asset protection, and the important relationships between federal income taxes and USDA farm programs. Tax Information for Farmers and Ranchers | Farmers.

gov **Urban Agriculture Outreach, Education, and Technical Assistance** This cooperative agreement program supports outreach, research, and technical assistance to improve the coordination and effectiveness of Federal programs, services, and actions affecting urban areas. FSA is partnering with organizations in cities with a pilot FSA urban county office.

Our partners are working to assist urban producers in participating in FSA programs and urban county committees and improving the sustainability and long-term viability of urban farming operations.

## **Available Opportunities** **FSA Authority to Enter into Grants and Cooperative Agreements** FSA’s authority to enter into grants and cooperative agreements includes the: * American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Section 1001, as amended, authorizes USDA to make grants and agreements to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency.

* American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Section 1006, as amended by the Inflation Reduction Act, Section 22007, included provisions for USDA to ensure that underserved producers have resources, tools, programs, and technical support they need to succeed by creating the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program (ILA) and the Urban Agriculture Cooperative Agreement Program * Agricultural Act of 2014, Section 1614(c)(3), with qualified universities or university-based organizations to develop online tools and with State extension services to educate farmers and ranchers; and * Rural Development Act of 1972, Section 607(b)(4), as amended, with non-governmental organizations or educational institutions related to outreach and technical assistance.

* There may be additional authorities that are identified for specific programs. ## **Federal Regulations on Grants and Cooperative Agreements** These are convenient links to federal grant and cooperative agreement-related information: * Title 2 of Code of Federal Regulations, referred to as 2 CFR is the federal regulation governing federal grants and cooperative agreements.

* USDA specific CFR (2 CFR part 400) is found at Title 2, Subtitle B, Chapter IV, Part 400. * Departmental Regulation No. 2255-001, Indirect Cost Rates Applicable to USDA Federal Awards * USDA Civil Rights Non-Discrimination Statement * Electronic Code of Federal Regulations