equity

As a fifth-generation farmer, Shari Rogge-Fidler sees the opportunity ahead for the future generation in agriculture and feels excitement for USDA’s engagement in the industry. It’s what encouraged her role in the Equity Commission on the Agriculture Subcommittee.

November is Native American Heritage Month. This is a time to celebrate Native American history and culture while also exploring the ongoing contributions, achievements, and hardships of Native people in the United States. This month’s theme, Indigenous Foods: The Intersection Between Land, Food, and Culture, highlights a challenge that many Native Americans face—food insecurity. USDA recognizes this and the importance of empowering Native Americans by building back sustainable food systems that strengthen food security and increases their control over Native agriculture and food systems.

Agriculture is a key component of Native peoples’ culture and heritage. Today more and more tribal nations are looking to establish and expand access to global markets. For example, Minnesota’s Red Lake, Inc. – wholly owned by the Red Lake Nation – has begun to join USDA’s agribusiness trade missions (ATM), seeking to establish new partnerships around the world.

One year after the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health held on September 28, 2022, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service continues accelerating progress on the conference’s goals to end hunger, improve healthy eating and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities.

Each opportunity to engage directly with the people we serve through our programs provides moments to learn and reflect. For far too long, decisions about the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, also known as FDPIR, were made for tribes rather than with tribes or even by tribes. But USDA is committed to turning that tide and making the future of FDPIR one marked by listening, understanding and collaboration. Last month’s National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, was the perfect occasion for FNS to discuss recent and upcoming changes to FDPIR with our tribal partners and hear feedback directly from those who would be impacted.

With last month’s announcement of the 2023 Specialty Crop Block Grant awards, the program has reached a milestone of over $1 billion invested into projects to support the U.S. specialty crop industry. Since the program’s inception in 2006, 1890s land-grant universities throughout the country have been using USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funding to address key specialty crop challenges in their states. SCBGP supports these historically Black colleges and universities, and others nationwide, by funding a variety of grant projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

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.