1. A. In this chapter, the following terms have the meaning indicated.

2. B. Terms Defined.

   1. (1) “Department” means Maryland Department of Agriculture.

   2. (2) “Eligible Cost” means a cost:

      1. (a) To secure real property, limited to 20 percent of the grant amount;
      2. (b) To make capital improvements;
      3. (c) For operating expenses, limited to 15 percent of the amount of the grant; or
      4. (d) That maintains safe, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible practices.

   3. (3) “Farm product” means:

      1. (a) Any agricultural, horticultural, vegetable, or fruit product of the soil, whether raw or canned, frozen, dried, pickled, or otherwise processed;
      2. (b) Livestock, meats, marine food products, poultry, eggs, or dairy products;
      3. (c) Wool, hides, feathers, nuts, or honey; and
      4. (d) Every product of farm, forest, orchard, garden, or water.

   4. (4) “Healthy Food Priority Area” means a census tract in which:

      1. (a) At least 25 percent of the residents qualify as low-income according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau survey; or
      2. (b) Accessibility to supermarkets, grocery stores, or other sources of healthy affordable food, including fresh fruits and vegetables, is limited (which may be determined using measurements and indicators that can be found in the Food Access Research Atlas published by the USDA Economic Research Service).
   5. (5) “Program” means the Urban Agriculture Grant Program.
   6. (6) “Qualified nonprofit organization” means a nonprofit organization that is organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes under §501(c)(3) of the United States Code and operates a farm or community garden in an urban area.

   7. (7) “Safe, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible practices” include those that:

      1. (a) Aim to minimize negative impacts on the environment such as practices that:

         1. (i) Promote soil health;
         2. (ii) Prevent soil erosion; and
         3. (iii) Manage water resources (e.g., utilize efficient irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation);
      2. (b) Ensure fair treatment of workers; and
      3. (c) Support local communities by providing locally produced fruits and vegetables.
   8. (8) “Socially disadvantaged urban farmer” means an urban agricultural producer who is a limited resource farmer (e.g., a farmer who has low household income and low gross farm sales), and may include a beginning farmer who is similarly situated.
   9. (9) “Steward” means the owner of the land or a person who has control and possession of the land through a written lease.
   10. (10) “Urban agricultural producer” means any person that annually sells, or normally would have sold, $1,000 or more of farm products in an urban area.

   11. (11) “Urban area” means an area of the State that is:

       1. (a) Delineated as an urban area by the U.S. Census Bureau; or
       2. (b) Within the boundaries of a municipal corporation.

Authority: Agriculture Article, §§2-2001 et seq.; Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: April 14, 2025 (52:7 Md. R. 325)

Regulation .02B amended effective April 27, 2026 (53:8 Md. R. 356)

Regulation .04B amended effective April 27, 2026 (53:8 Md. R. 356)

Regulation .05A amended effective April 27, 2026 (53:8 Md. R. 356)

Regulation .06A amended effective April 27, 2026 (53:8 Md. R. 356)