Equity

Agriculture reigns as one of the most sustainable industries with constant innovations despite the ever-changing environment of macroeconomic trends, climate variability, disrupted supply chains, and more. For U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Member Ron Rainey who was raised on his father's small cattle farm and timber business, his interest in the economics of agriculture has increasingly grown with the changing tides of the sector.

In support of Section 1006 of the American Rescue Plan and USDA’s commitment to advance equitable access to USDA program and services, the Office of Customer Experience, or OCX, spent the past year working to improve the support provided to USDA’s community-based partners who work to connect economically distressed and/or underserved communities with USDA programs and services, specifically American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment Program (ARPTAI) cooperators. The culmination of this work is USDA CARES, an initiative dedicated to Create, Assist, Rebuild, Empower and Strengthen our communities and customer relationships. USDA CARES is comprised of a series of resources that directly address cooperators’ needs.

In Alaska, where most food is imported, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping local Alaskans and Alaska Natives grow their own fresh food. As a 2022 recipient of a USDA 2501 grant, the Kodiak Archipelago Leadership Institute (KALI) is expanding access to USDA programs and connecting farmers to USDA resources and technical assistance.

This summer 64 students who were selected for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Internship Program gained real world experience at USDA agencies and offices across the United States. The TMCF Internship Program is one of many that enable USDA to recruit a diverse workforce while helping students gain the valuable knowledge and skills needed for employment with one of USDA’s agencies and offices.

In celebration of National Farmers Market Week (August 6-12), and to further the awareness of farmers markets’ contributions to healthy food access, AMS is highlighting a cooperative agreement partnership with the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) that set out to develop and pilot on-campus farmers markets at three 1890 land grant universities and Vegetable Education (VegU) programs at three farmers markets. Team members from USDA’s Farmers Market Team, AMS’ Local & Regional Foods Division, and FMC are currently working with schools in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia for the pilot projects and farmers markets in Texas, Illinois, and Kentucky to establish VegU programs.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has advanced equity by listening to the people we serve and learning how we can serve them better by removing barriers to our programs and services. USDA offices and agencies have developed key actions to comprehensively incorporate equity into the Department’s services, which touch every American’s life.

Summer is a beautiful time to travel the country and visit with partners, and I am delighted, humbled and honored to have visited the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe last month. It was inspiring and impressive to see how the tribes are dreaming big in terms of food sovereignty - delivering healthy, fresh, locally sourced, and traditional foods to their members in their communities through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a new internship program for students from migrant and farmworker backgrounds this summer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) selected 100 students for this year’s USDA/1890 National Scholars Program out of a record number of applications received through the new online application process. The new online portal is part of USDA’s efforts to improve accessibility to USDA programs, increase equity and inclusion, and build the USDA workforce.

United States veterans have endured extreme hardships to protect our country and its values, often by putting their lives on the line. But when their service is complete, many find reentering civilian life to be challenging.