The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Minnesota $200 million to cut climate pollution from our state’s food systems through the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. Led by the MPCA in collaboration with other state agencies, local governments, and Tribal Nations, the climate-smart food systems initiative will distribute this investment through multiple programs through September 2029.
Climate-smart food systems webinar
MPCA held a webinar in October 2024 to share information about how this initiative aims to reduce climate pollution, advance economic opportunity, fight hunger, and support the health and wellbeing of all Minnesotans and future generations.
Overview
Minnesota’s climate-smart food systems initiative will fill critical investment gaps and accelerate momentum toward a more equitable, climate-smart food system through the following project areas. RFPs will be posted under each project area as they open.
Peatland restoration, $20 million
The Department of Natural Resources and the Board of Water and Soil Resources will facilitate programs to protect and restore more than 10,000 acres of peatlands in Minnesota, which absorb and store climate pollution. Restoration projects will include DNR lands, private and other non-state lands, and partnerships with Tribal Nations.
Climate-friendly agricultural practices, $20 million
The Department of Agriculture will expand three successful initiatives: the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, the Soil Health Financial Assistance Program, and the Continuous Living Cover Market Development Program. These programs support farmers adopting climate-friendly agriculture practices, such as use of controlled-release fertilizers, transition from row crops to perennials, and no-till farming.
- Closed (Aug. 29, 2025): Soil Health Financial Assistance Program grants
- Closed (July 9, 2025): Developing markets for continuous living cover (CLC) crops and cropping systems
Industrial innovation in food systems, $60 million
The MPCA will support investments in food and organic material processing sites to cut climate pollution, improve efficiency, and reduce waste. This program will include two competitive grant opportunities: one for technical assistance and planning, and one for project implementation.
Cleaner refrigerants, $10 million
The MPCA will provide grants to small businesses, supermarkets, schools, hospitals, food banks, corner stores, and similar organizations making it possible for smaller entities to invest in cooling equipment that reduces climate pollution. This program will include two competitive grant opportunities: one for low global warming potential refrigerants, and one for ultra-low global warming potential refrigerants.
Vehicle and equipment replacement, $20 million
The MPCA and Department of Agriculture will implement new programs to switch to cleaner fuels in vehicles and equipment we use to grow and transport our food. The MPCA’s vehicle replacement program will replace food system-related vehicles with those powered by electricity or advanced clean fuels. The Department of Agriculture program will support electrification of agricultural equipment.
Prevention of wasted food and organics management, $33 million
The MPCA will administer four programs to keep valuable nutrients in circulation to feed people, livestock, and soil and prevent significant methane emissions. The prevention of wasted food and food rescue program will fund projects that prevent wasted food from being generated, prevent food from going to waste, or rescue edible food from disposal and redirect it for human consumption. The organic management infrastructure grants program will expand infrastructure capacity for composting organic materials with a focus on wasted food and food scraps. The organics management revolving loan program will provide loans for composting facilities and programs. The food-to-livestock grant program will divert food scraps from institutions to farms for feeding livestock.
Food sovereignty and vibrant local food economies, $35 million
The MPCA and Minnesota Department of Health will establish regional food networks statewide to improve food security, expand local food economies, strengthen food sovereignty, and reduce climate pollution in Tribal and local food systems. Local food systems grants will be available to support community-driven strategies for decarbonization of local food systems across the state. Tribal food sovereignty funds will be available to support planning and implementation of projects within Tribal Nations.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 66.046 to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the Environmental Protection Agency endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document, as well as any images, video, text, or other content created by generative artificial intelligence tools, nor does any such content necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency.