During the virtual peer network Zoom meeting last week, members of America’s Conservation Ag Movement met to discuss the acceleration of climate-smart agriculture and the USDA CARES Program. To kick off the meeting, NACD’s Jimmy Emmons and Farm Journal’s Todd Greenwood emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in scaling up climate-smart agriculture practices.
Throughout the meeting, speakers shared insights on empowering minority farmers through conservation and agriculture, with a focus on building trust and providing support for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The conversation highlighted the need for coalition building, stakeholder engagement, and education to overcome barriers to participation and achieve successful outcomes in rural development programs.
After Todd Greenwood explained the roll of conservation agriculture and bridging the gap between minority farmers and USDA programs, Sarah Blaney, the Executive Director at OACD spoke with Willard Tillman about the CARE Program, and the importance of conservation practices and their impact on future generations. They also talked about past discrimination against minority farmers and empowering individuals with knowledge of their rights and participation.
In the conversation, Blaney also discussed the importance of engaging farmers in policy decisions and highlighting their role in providing real-life stories and perspectives.
Established under the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA CARES is a customer service initiative to collaborate with USDA partners, act on what we’ve heard, rebuild trust, empower underserved communities and strengthen partnerships through improved access to resources.
USDA CARES is designed to better connect underserved producers and our partner organizations who serve them, sometimes known as cooperators, with relevant programs and services by increasing access to helpful resources. USDA CARES will include:
- Resources with critical information on USDA programs and services
- Networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities among USDA CARES partners
- Trainings and other learning opportunities for USDA partners
To learn more about USDA CARES, CLICK HERE.
