South Carolina Partnership Helping Small Farmers Achieve GAP Certification

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness Center for Research and Entrepreneurship (ACRE) is helping South Carolina farmers achieve Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, thanks to a $100,000 grant from Duke Energy. ACRE is partnering with the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition, Pick 42 Foundation, and Bonita Global LLC to help growers prepare for a GAP audit and cover the costs of certification. The program is targeting small, minority-owned farms in South Carolina. Half of Duke Energy’s grant is being used for the GAP assistance program, while the other $50,000 will provide small business development grants to agricultural producers in the region served by Duke Energy.