(NewsDakota.com/USDA) – USDA is investing $9.5 million to support the scale-up of sustainable bioproduct manufacturing in the U.S.

Three projects are getting funded through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Bioproduct Pilot Program. The program presents an opportunity to spur economic activity in the nation’s rural areas while lowering commercialization risks associated with bringing biobased products to market.

“Adopting a more circular economy ensures that wealth and other economic benefits in the form of jobs and other opportunities are created, and stay, in rural communities,” says Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We must support and incentivize practices like these because that’s what consumers want, and what farmers and our planet need.” The Pilot Program’s exploration into bioproducts accelerates USDA’s efforts to develop circular bio-economies, where agricultural resources are harvested, consumed, and regenerated in a sustainable manner.

NIFA says each of the recommended projects can help bridge the gap between invention and the marketplace.