The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Biden administration’s Build Back Better initiative.

“The new effort will strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left behind, and support good paying jobs throughout the supply chain.” USDA said in a press release. “Through the Build Back Better initiative, USDA will help to ensure the food system of the future is fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient; supports health with access to healthy, affordable food; ensures growers and workers receive a greater share of the food dollar; and advances equity as well as climate resilience and mitigation.”

USDA noted that the funding will include a mix of grants, loans, and “innovative financing mechanisms” to focus on four categories: food production, food processing, food distribution and aggregation, and markets and consumers.

“Today’s announcement supports the Biden Administration’s broader work on strengthening the resilience of critical supply chains as directed by Executive Order (EO) 14017 America’s Supply Chains,” USDA said. Funding is provided by the American Rescue Plan Act and earlier pandemic assistance such as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

President Joe Biden on February 24, 2021 signed EO 14017, which directed various departments to assess vulnerabilities in, and to strengthen the resilience of, critical supply chains. These include American manufacturing of vaccines, medical supplies, semiconductor chips, rare earth element mining and processing, as well as the nation’s cybersecurity infrastructure and food supply.

USDA also noted that Secretary Tom Vilsack was named a co-chair of the Administration’s new Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.

The White House this week released its findings from a 100-day review of the administration’s efforts to fulfill EO 14017. Those findings note the $4 billion food supply chain announcement.