This week, Secretary Russell Redding will highlight projects all across the Commonwealth that work to expand economic opportunities and meet the specific local challenges to providing fresh food in urban communities with the support from Shapiro Administration initiatives and investments.
Yesterday, Governor Josh Shapiro signed the 2026-'27 Budget, which includes funding for Ag Innovation Grants for the third straight year. The first round of Ag Innovation Grants is already at work in rural and urban communities alike to build the future of farming and support the noble work of feeding Pennsylvanians.
Erie, PA – Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, kicked off the Shapiro Administration’s 2026 Urban Agriculture Tour today in Erie at Minority Community Investment Coalition (MCIC). A $130,000 Pennsylvania Agricultural Innovation Grant is supporting MCIC’s high-tech greenhouse project to boost local food production and alleviate effects of urban poverty during a time when federal food assistance cuts are increasingly challenging Pennsylvania’s efforts to combat food insecurity.
"Every year, the Urban Agriculture Tour is an eye-opening look at how increasing access to fresh food is improving lives in cities across Pennsylvania, “Secretary Redding said. “But it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. The Shapiro Administration is committed to supporting partnerships with innovative problem-solvers like MCIC and Grow Erie who know their communities inside and out. This approach to public investment helps communities tackle the impacts of poverty and hunger with solutions that fit their community.”
MCIC’s funded project is using aquaponics and hydroponics in partnership with Grow Erie. Together, they are transforming a vacant lot in Erie’s poorest zip code into an oasis of sustainable income and job opportunities, and a source of locally grown food in a USDA-designated food desert.
Today’s tour stops also included Groundwork Erie’s 4th Street Community Farm, where a 2025-26 Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant of $2,214 is supporting greenhouse irrigation and ventilation, increasing fresh food availability for the surrounding neighborhood. The farm’s pay-what-you-can market supplies fresh food to low-income residents, and the farm provides hands-on career training for area youth.
Secretary Redding also visited Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network’s Farm and Little Italy Farmers Market, the only local market offering a dollar-to-dollar match for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, as well as accepting Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers offered through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. These initiatives provide critical support to vulnerable seniors and families with children at a time when federal food assistance cuts have led to approximately 213,000 fewer Pennsylvanians receiving SNAP benefits.
Throughout this week, Secretary Redding and other Shapiro Administration leaders will cross the state, meeting dynamic Pennsylvanians working to increase fresh food access in areas where it is scarce; break down racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic barriers; and overcome historical inequities to grow not just food, but opportunities for their urban neighborhoods to thrive.
The tour will stop in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Williamsport and Shamokin on Wednesday, Philadelphia on Thursday, and Lancaster on Friday. Stops are outlined here.
Supporting Agricultural Innovation and Fresh Food Access in Pennsylvania’s Urban Communities
Last February, Governor Josh Shapiro announced the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation grants, a $10 million investment in 88 ag businesses in 46 Pennsylvania counties to fund state-of-the-art agricultural technologies, like those being used by MCIC and Grow Erie, that are helping to increase food production by providing sustainable solutions to conserve water and soil, produce clean, renewable energy, or increase efficiency and profits.
In April 2026, the Shapiro Administration announced a $500,000 investment in Pennsylvania Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grants in 13 counties to help address longstanding challenges in city neighborhoods statewide. Since 2019, Pennsylvania has invested more than $3.7 million through the program in the infrastructure urban agriculture needs to thrive, and in removing the barriers unique to producing food in city environments. In total, 180 projects in cities across Pennsylvania are expanding fresh food access in locations often served by a single convenience store.
Funded projects include purchases such as greenhouses, roof-top and school gardens, irrigation systems, storage, soil improvement, and tools that expand the reach of organizations that feed economic, community, and personal growth through agriculture.
The program, part of the historic PA Farm Bill, funds microgrants of $2,500 in matching funds for one-time projects or grants to single entities, as well as collaboration grants. Collaboration grants provide up to $50,000 in matching funds for cooperative or regional efforts to share resources, support community development, and combine products of small farmers, building collective power to supply fresh food in underserved neighborhoods.
The Fresh Food Financing Initiative is another Shapiro Administration investment working to expand access to fresh, affordable food across Pennsylvania to be highlighted this week. Since 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro has secured $6 million for the program and invested $3.4 million into strengthening local markets for fresh, locally sourced food across 23 counties. Applications for $2 million in funding are under review for the program, which reimburses producers and retailers for new or expanded grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and other food enterprises. The program prioritizes businesses located in food deserts — areas designated by the USDA as having limited access to fresh food — are given priority consideration, as well as women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses.
Supporting Farmers and Making Critical Investments in the Future of Pennsylvania Agriculture and Food Access
Pennsylvania’s agriculture sector is the backbone of the Commonwealth, with more than 48,800 farms contributing over $132 billion a year to the economy and supporting nearly 600,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. Governor Shapiro has prioritized strengthening both agriculture and food security — helping farmers, families, and communities thrive. The 2026-27 budget that Governor Shapiro signed yesterday continues this work with:
- $10 million to create Fruit Grower Freeze Impact Grants, supporting farmers who were impacted by this year’s devastating spring freeze — in addition to USDA streamlined assistance secured after the Shapiro Administration called for federal support in May.
- $5 million from the existing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) fund to expand education for farmers working to combat the spread of HPAI.
- Maintains $10 million for the Agricultural Innovation Grant Program to continue driving innovation in Pennsylvania agriculture.
- $13.8 million to fully fund the Pennsylvania Farm Bill to support business planning, infrastructure, and workforce development.
Read more about investments to keep Pennsylvania agriculture competitive and thriving in the 2026-27 Budget and continued support for Pennsylvania farmers at pa.gov/governor.
Learn how Governor Shapiro’s Economic Development Strategy recognizes agriculture as key to our future economic success.
Photos of this week’s tour will be on the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s FlickR gallery.
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