Equity

On June 13-15, USDA Equity Commission members and I participated in the 18^th annual Annual Minority Farmers and Land Owners Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. The annual conference is an event that brings farmers, landowners, and ranchers together with agriculture industry experts, assisting on making informed decisions regarding farm enterprises and retention of land.

Being named a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) E. Kika De La Garza (EKDLG) Fellow means something different to each fellow. For Dr. Maureen Victoria, visiting assistant professor at Sam Houston State University’s School of Agricultural Sciences in Huntsville, Texas, it represented confidence, knowledge and inspiration. “It was life-changing,” she said. “It was probably one of the best weeks of my life.”

Growing up in Albany, Georgia, Bryan Hallman was surrounded by agriculture but had little exposure to the industry at school. He realized he was interested in pursuing a career in agriculture during his senior year of high school when a teacher told him about the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholars Program.

Did you know that women are responsible for roughly half of the world’s food production? The United Nations’ designation of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer gives the global community a chance to highlight that fact and celebrate the incredibly important role women play in ensuring global food security. At the same time, it’s an unprecedented opportunity to underscore – and to address – the myriad social and economic challenges that women in agriculture face worldwide.

The Taos County Economic Development Corporation (TCEDC) has been serving the members of Taos County and northern New Mexico for over 35 years. The organization supports the food, land, water and cultures of the people of Northern New Mexico by practicing regenerative agriculture and spreading knowledge of sustainable farming.

For many communities, the SNAP-Education program provides much more than basic nutrition guidance. In Kāneʻohe (in Honolulu), Hawaii, the SNAP-Ed funded Luluku Farms’ Aloha ʻĀina Agri-Cultural Restoration project uses the ʻĀina (land) to preserve traditional crops so the community can achieve self-sustainability, while providing keiki (kids) opportunities to learn about their cultural and traditional practices — as well as nutrition education. The notion of fertile land that Aloha ʻĀina symbolizes promotes community engagement, bolsters cultural preservation, and improves nutrition security by increasing community access to culturally appropriate foods.

Four years ago, Jordan McMahon wasn’t sure if he would go to college. Today, he is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholar and published researcher. He recently graduated from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and will be pursuing a master’s degree, eventual Ph.D., and a career in agriculture.

With a long family history of farming in rural communities, Nils Christoffersen, a member of USDA’s Equity Commission Rural Community Economic Development Subcommittee, was inspired to learn about the challenges impacting rural America. Christoffersen’s desire to bring attention to the needs, opportunities, and challenges faced by rural and Tribal communities grew from participating in farming and enjoying the experiences of farm life. This led him to the Equity Commission where he helped develop recommendations that were brought forward to help improve outcomes for USDA customers in rural areas.

Springfield Community Gardens (SCG) in Springfield, Missouri has been successfully operating and growing since 2010 with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2501 Program.

This summer 14 students (PDF, 1.4 MB) from agricultural migrant and farmworker backgrounds will take part in paid 10-week internships with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.