More than $14 million in additional financial support will be invested in ag workforce training. The funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to support training in historically underserved communities. Funding will be made available through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The goal is to help improve the resiliency of the U.S. meat and poultry processing sector.
“These investments provide critical support to our higher education partners to increase rural prosperity and economic sustainability of food systems in underserved agricultural communities,” Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics and USDA’s Chief Scientist, Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young said in a press release. “Food insecurity and food system interruptions have hit underserved communities hardest during the ongoing pandemic. By investing in education and workforce development at these institutions, we are training the workforce of the future to develop long-lasting solutions to these and other critical agricultural issues facing our nation.”
The ag workforce training support will be distributed through NIFA’s Request for Applications process to eligible universities. Eligibility for the funding includes participants in the Resident Instruction Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas and Hispanic-serving institutions. Other eligible entities include Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian institutions, 1994 Land-grant Tribal Colleges, and qualified Centers of Excellence at 1890 Land-grant Universities. Grants for Hispanic-serving institutions will be competitive and applications for the funding opportunity will need to be submitted by August 29.
Program investments made at Land-grant Tribal Colleges and Minority-serving Institutions are intended to bolster the available labor pool. Collectively, the investments will increase the number of well-trained workers and also support the management of small-scale meat or poultry processing plants. Overall, the investment is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Rescue Plan which is intended to strengthen the domestic food supply chain.
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