Thursday, Nov 3 2011 3:35PM
The committee was formed to address the fact that some farmers, including Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans, may not have enjoyed an equal level of access to department programs in the past.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Minority Farmer Advisory Committee is holding a meeting to discuss recommendations to improve minority participation in the department's programs and services.
This meeting will follow up on the committee's first meeting in August, where its members began discussing the issues. Now, they are preparing to advise Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on ways the department can better serve minority and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
The committee was formed to address the fact that some farmers, including Hispanics, African Americans and Native Americans, may not have enjoyed an equal level of access to department programs in the past. Rural community assistance,
economic community development and other programs can have a significant impact on local economies.
In response to this, the USDA has taken steps to resolve outstanding civil rights complaints, some of which are decades old. This is in line with previous efforts to facilitate broader outreach efforts to Native Americans in particular, such as when Secretary Vilsack established the position of Senior Advisor on Tribal Relations for the Office of Tribal Relations to ensure their needs and circumstances are not overlooked.
For further reference, check out this source:
U.S. Department of Agriculture