Special Initiatives
The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement supports a wide variety of Presidential, Congressional, and Secretarial initiatives including Women in Agriculture, The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Farmworker Coordination.
Women in Agriculture
From the classroom to the farm to the boardroom, women in agriculture are helping to pave the way for a better future. As leaders, it is our responsibility to make sure the next generation of women are educated, encouraged and empowered to take on the challenges of meeting the world's growing food, fuel and fiber needs.
Visit the USDA Women in Agriculture Homepage.
White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders
Led by the Department of Health and Human Services, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AA and NHPI) works to improve the quality of life for AAPI individuals and communities across the nation through increased access to and participation in federal programs. The Initiative seeks to highlight both the tremendous unmet needs in the AA and NHPI community as well as the dynamic community assets that can be leveraged to meet many of those needs. USDA AA and NHPI areas of focus include outreach and engagement, capacity building, and data collection.
Additional Resources
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Presentation: Department of Education
Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Programs (PPTX, 312 KB) -
Presentation: Department of Education
Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian -Serving Institutions (AHHN) Program (PPTX, 7.1 MB) -
Presentation: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Insular Areas and Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Competitive Grants Programs (PPTX, 7.1 MB)
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- Executive Order 14031 on Advancing Equity, Justice, and Opportunity of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (2021)
- 2015 National Institute for Food and Agriculture AAPI Annual Report
Farmworker Coordination
The Farmworker Coordinator identifies challenges faces by farmworkers and coordinates the community’s needs with USDA resources, and training to advance into other agricultural careers. The Coordinator works with community-based organizations to disseminate information that ensures farmworkers have access to USDA programs that may assist farmworkers, including emergency services provided by USDA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. USDA works closely with other Federal departments to better identify and address the needs of farmworker communities.
Agricultural Workers Employed under the H-2A Program | U.S. Department of Labor
Natural disasters can significantly impact communities, especially H-2A workers who may be more vulnerable due to the remote location of their work and housing. Agricultural workers employed under the H-2A program have specific rights and protections during natural disasters and recovery efforts. This guide highlights key information to help you understand your rights.
Workplace Safety – Heat
- OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention campaign educates employers and workers on heat hazards and provides resources to keep workers safe. Services are in multiple languages.
- The National Integrated Heat Health Information System was created by NOAA and CDC as an interagency integrated information system to develop and provide actionable, science-based information to help protect people from heat.
- Prevention of heat stress in workers is important. Employers should provide training to workers so they understand what heat stress is, how it affects their health and safety, and how it can be prevented.
Pesticides
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting protections in place sooner for farmworkers, their families, and the general public near where pesticides are applied.
To read more about how the agency will implement this change, see Implementing Chemical Specific Human Health Spray Drift Analysis into Pesticide Registration Actions, July 2024. Information on the methodology for conducting human health quantitative spray drift analysis can be found in Residential Exposure Assessment Standard Operating Procedures Addenda 1: Consideration of Spray Drift. Both documents can be found at docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0676 on the Regulations.gov page.
Pesticidas:
La Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés) está implementando protecciones más pronto para los trabajadores agrícolas, sus familias y el público en general cerca de donde se aplican los pesticidas.
Para obtener más detalles sobre cómo la agencia implementará este cambio, consulte el documento titulado Implementing Chemical Specific Human Health Spray Drift Analysis into Pesticide Registration Actions [Implementación del análisis de deriva de la fumigación para la salud humana específica de productos químicos en los procedimientos de registro de pesticidas], julio de 2024. La información sobre la metodología para llevar a cabo el análisis cuantitativo de la deriva de la fumigación en la salud humana se puede hallar en el documento Residential Exposure Assessment Standard Procedures Addenda 1: Consideration of Spray Drift [Suplemento 1 de procedimientos estándar de evaluación de la exposición residencial: Consideración de la deriva de fumigación]. Estos documentos en inglés se pueden encontrar en el ID de expediente EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0676 en la página Regulations.gov.
Resources
For more information on these initiatives, please contact us at:
Jaime Wood
Phone: (202) 941-7133
Email: jaime.wood@usda.gov
