This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Advocacy and Outreach to increase the access of small farmers who grow specialty crops in Puerto Rico to loans under several USDA programs. (Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.) The programs covered by the bill include microloan programs, programs for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, programs for beginning farmers, and the emergency loan program.
The USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach must also carry out a training program to teach best farming practices to small farmers in Puerto Rico.
The Department of the Interior must develop a program to allow small farmers to farm on federal land in Puerto Rico if: (1) the land is not environmentally sensitive, (2) farming on the land will not harm endangered native species or natural habitats, and (3) the land is suitable for farming.
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