WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing nearly $1 million in funding for universities and nonprofits to develop risk management training and educational tools aimed to assist historically underserved farmers and ranchers. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is funding nine projects to help producers effectively manage long-term risks and challenges.
The projects offer a broad range of risk management training, including education on Federal crop insurance, wildfire preparedness, financial management, record keeping and risk analysis, among other topics. When determining which entities received funding, RMA considered organizations with a proven track record of success using USDA funds to serve socially disadvantaged producers, urban communities, and women producers, among others.
“Programs developed by these organizations help ensure that farmers know what USDA resources are available to them and how to plan for adverse weather, natural disasters, or volatile markets,” said RMA Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy. “These training opportunities build invaluable skill sets in communities across the country that have historically lacked access to education and resources.”
Projects include:
In previous years, RMA provided annual funding for risk management education projects, supporting more than $126 million worth of projects in historically underserved communities from 2002 to 2018. This year’s investment marks a restart of this effort.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
For more information about RMA, Federal crop insurance, and risk management education initiatives, visit www.rma.usda.gov.
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