Initiatives

In January 2021, day one of the Biden-Harris Administration, the President issued Executive Order 13985 that charged the Federal Government, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with advancing equity for all, and making the necessary changes to ensure underserved communities are properly supported. Since then, USDA has taken action to understand where barriers to accessing its programs and services exist, identifying opportunities to advance equity and opportunity in agriculture, and changing its programs to remove barriers to access. With this bold and comprehensive action, USDA has committed to closing the racial wealth gap and addressing the department’s longstanding inequities in agriculture.

The National Women in Agriculture Association (NWIAA) headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla. has operated for 16 years, grown to 60 chapters, and has big goals to help underserved communities succeed in agriculture.

Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN) President Starry Krueger is working to keep people on their traditional lands, and to keep the land grounded in agriculture.

I am the director of agriculture programs at the University of Arizona Yuma (UAZ Yuma), a regional Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) that offers tailored degree programs that meet regional workforce's needs. The student population is approximately 70% Hispanic and first generation.

Dr. Kristal Southern can remember being certain of two things as a child. “By the age of 4, I knew I wanted to be a vet,” she said. “And by age 13, I knew I wanted to attend a historically black college or university.”

The United States Department of Agriculture Digital Service (USDA DS) is a program designed to cultivate and grow a community of multidisciplinary teams to create human-centered solutions that deliver simple, seamless, and secure technology and customer experiences across USDA. USDA DS seeks to attract diverse, talented senior technologists, and strategists to further the wide-ranging missions of USDA mission areas, agencies, and staff offices.

True sustainability in the agriculture industry starts with equity. When we take steps to recognize the challenges members in our community face around issues of equity – when we are committed to providing all farmers and farmworkers an equal chance of success and prosperity—we are building a community that is stronger, a community that is more resilient, and a community where all groups are valued and affirmed.

As an associate professor of beef cattle nutrition and metabolism at Texas Tech University’s Davis College, Dr. Jhones Sarturi combines his teaching and research responsibilities with public service. For over ten years, he has taught a course on cattle feeds and feeding that combines classroom instruction with field-based learning that directly benefits agricultural producers.

Rural communities are the backbone of American life, providing fuel, food and fiber. As a partner, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) understands how critical rural America is to providing the everyday essentials our country depends on. As a result, we invest accordingly.

Alan Cruz is a senior at University of Arizona in Yuma studying agricultural systems management. He was recently named a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Future Leader in Agriculture and will be attending USDA’s 100th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C., held February 15-16, 2024.