An equity commission created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released over 60 recommendations it says will finally bring more fairness to policies affecting farming and rural America.
The department has sprawling oversight of policies affecting not just farming subsidies but widely utilized nutrition assistance programs and rural development projects, such as utilities, broadband and homebuilding.
"Many of the issues and recommendations we identified are not new," wrote the commission's leaders, United Farm Workers President Emeritus Arturo Rodriguez and Ertharin Cousin, former U.S. Ambassador for Food Security and executive director of the U.N. World Food Programme, in thecommission's final report released Thursday. "However, they will require renewed commitment from USDA to improve its customer-facing business processes and address historical inequities whose impacts continue to the present moment."
This final report builds on interim recommendationsthe commission made last year when it released a preliminary set of 32 changes it believed USDA could get a head start on, including making it easier for farmers to qualify for conservation programs and making the language more accessible.
"It's not easy to look at mistakes head on and recognize where we miss the mark, but the Equity Commission is driving that work at USDA," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Torres Small, the first Latina in the position. "Secretary Vilsack and former Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh started the Equity Commission to build a more equitable and fair future for everyone who participates in agriculture. Today is a momentous day as we receive the final report, recognize the crucial efforts of each member of our Equity Commission and Subcommittees, and commit to the work ahead."
What does the commission recommend?
The USDA Equity Commission was born from a Biden executive order in 2022 — and subsequent congressional funding — calling for federal departments to address racial equity and underserved communities. It was originally spearheaded by former USDA Deputy Secretary Bronaugh until her departure last February. She was the first Black woman to hold such a high role in the department.
The group met last fall to vote on 66 recommendations that touch on many of the issues that have placed the department at the forefront of national conversations, such as concerns over Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland and equity access issues for low-interest farming loans. The recommendations range from the care of farmworkers to the implementation of nutrition assistance programs and increasing the development of housing.
Among the commission's newest recommendations include:
- amend a USDA rural housing program's policies to be more open to alternative and innovative forms of housing construction, like 3D printed and modular;
- eliminate the current "one-and-done" funding stipulation that disqualifies rural communities from receiving access to more broadband expansion grants and low interest loans to support broadband — and allow additional USDA funding for communities where broadband does not currently meet the federally established standard;
- conduct outreach and support small businesses, especially those owned by underrepresented communities in becoming approved SNAP vendors and maintaining eligibility — and support innovative approaches to improving access in food/SNAP access deserts and promoting local food systems;
Click here to read more weku.org
Photo Credit: usda
Categories: Kentucky, Government & Policy