The Trump Administration’s federal funding freeze has left farmers in a state of financial uncertainty. That’s because many growers, including in Kansas City’s urban core, rely on grants from the United States Department of Agriculture to get by.
The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, which serves residents from Prospect Avenue to the Paseo between 31st and 47th streets, is a non-profit that receive federal funds to fight food insecurity in the community. According to the organization's website, over 77% of Ivanhoe residents identify as Black.
Last month, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council was informed its three-year, $165,000 grant to expand its farmers market was revoked by the Trump Administrationp. Alana Henry, executive director of the neighborhood association, says the loss in funding doesn't just impact Ivanhoe residents.
"I think it's tragic for the local food system, and I also think it's tragic for the many, many organizations that are doing the hard work of supporting communities, disinvested communities like mine, and helping improve quality of life," she says.
Another one of those organizations is the KC Farm School on Gibbs Road in Wyandotte County. The school hosts its own farmers market and serves as a training ground for the next generation of regenerative farmers.
Lydia Nebel, the school's farm director, says KC Farm School gets half of its funding directly from grants administered by the USDA. Nebel recently received notice that one of their grants will be on hold until further notice.
"So we are in a waiting game, and now we are spending our reserve funds to pay for these things that we were promised funding for because a lot of the grants, most all of them, are reimbursement grants," she explains.
The Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council and the KC Farm School on Gibbs Road are just two local food organizations that have been hit by the USDA funding freeze. While they're left in a place they didn't ever want to be in, Henry is hopeful Kansas City will rally around its farmers.
"Community is where it started for us," says Henry. "Community is ultimately what's going to get us through the challenges of the right now and the uncertainty of the future."
- Alana Henry, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council executive director
- Lydia Nebel, KC Farm School on Gibbs Road farm director
