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Department of Agriculture: Difference between revisions
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The '''United States Department of Agriculture''' ('''USDA''') is an [[United States federal executive departments|executive department]] of the [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal government]] that aims to meet the needs of | The '''United States Department of Agriculture''' ('''USDA''') is an [[United States federal executive departments|executive department]] of the [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal government]] that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture, who reports directly to the [[president of the United States]] and is a member of the president's [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]]. | ||
Approximately 71% of the USDA's $213 billion budget goes towards nutrition assistance programs administered by the [[Food and Nutrition Service]] (FNS). The largest component of the FNS budget is the [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]] (formerly known as the 'Food Stamp' program), which is the cornerstone of USDA's nutrition assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HISTORY%20OF%20FNS.pdf |title=History of FNS |website=usda.gov |access-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912141202/http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HISTORY%20OF%20FNS.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-12 }}</ref> The [[United States Forest Service]] is the largest agency within the department, which administers | Approximately 71% of the USDA's $213 billion budget goes towards nutrition assistance programs administered by the [[Food and Nutrition Service]] (FNS). The largest component of the FNS budget is the [[Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]] (formerly known as the 'Food Stamp' program), which is the cornerstone of USDA's nutrition assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HISTORY%20OF%20FNS.pdf |title=History of FNS |website=usda.gov |access-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912141202/http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/HISTORY%20OF%20FNS.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-12 }}</ref> The [[United States Forest Service]] is the largest agency within the department, which administers national forests and national grasslands that together comprise about 25% of [[federal lands]]. | ||
==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
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===Full list=== | ===Full list=== | ||
# Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) | # [[Agricultural Marketing Service]] (AMS) | ||
# Agricultural Research Service (ARS) | # [[Agricultural Research Service]] (ARS) | ||
# Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) | # [[Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service]] (APHIS) | ||
# Economic Research Service (ERS) | # [[Economic Research Service]] (ERS) | ||
# Farm Service Agency (FSA) | # [[Farm Service Agency]] (FSA) | ||
# Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) | # [[Food and Nutrition Service]] (FNS) | ||
# Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) | # [[Food Safety and Inspection Service]] (FSIS) | ||
# Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) | # [[Foreign Agricultural Service]] (FAS) | ||
# Forest Service (FS) | # [[Forest Service]] (FS) | ||
# National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) | # [[National Agricultural Statistics Service]] (NASS) | ||
# National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) | # [[National Institute of Food and Agriculture]] (NIFA) | ||
# Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | # [[Natural Resources Conservation Service]] (NRCS) | ||
# Risk Management Agency (RMA) | # [[Risk Management Agency]] (RMA) | ||
# Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) | # [[Rural Business-Cooperative Service]] (RBS) | ||
# Rural Housing Service (RHS) | # [[Rural Housing Service]] (RHS) | ||
# Rural Utilities Service (RUS) | # [[Rural Utilities Service]] (RUS) | ||
# Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) [Note: Merged into AMS in some contexts] | # [[Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration]] (GIPSA) [Note: Merged into AMS in some contexts] | ||
# Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) | # [[Office of the Chief Economist]] (OCE) | ||
# Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) | # [[Office of the Chief Financial Officer (Department of Agriculture)|Office of the Chief Financial Officer]] (OCFO) | ||
# Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) | # [[Office of the Chief Information Officer (Department of Agriculture)|Office of the Chief Information Officer]] (OCIO) | ||
# Office of Communications (OC) | # [[Office of Communications (Department of Agriculture)|Office of Communications]] (OC) | ||
# Office of the General Counsel (OGC) | # [[Office of General Counsel (Department of Agriculture)|Office of the General Counsel]] (OGC) | ||
# Office of Inspector General (OIG) | # [[Office of Inspector General (Department of Agriculture)|Office of Inspector General]] (OIG) | ||
# Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) | # [[Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (Department of Agriculture)|Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement]] (OPPE) | ||
# Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) | # [[Office of Tribal Relations (Department of Agriculture)|Office of Tribal Relations]] (OTR) | ||
# National Appeals Division (NAD) | # [[National Appeals Division]] (NAD) | ||
# Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) | # [[Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion]] (CNPP) | ||
# National Finance Center (NFC) | # [[United States National Finance Center|National Finance Center]] (NFC) | ||
==Discrimination== | ==Discrimination== | ||
Allegations have been made that throughout the agency's history its personnel have discriminated against farmers of various backgrounds, denying them loans and access to other programs well into the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=General Accounting Office |url=http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/rc99038.pdf |title=USDA – Problems Continue to Hinder the Timely Processing of Discrimination Complaints |date=January 1999 |access-date=October 16, 2007 |archive-date=February 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224210610/http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/rc99038.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The effect of this discrimination caused a reduction in the number of African American farmers in the United States.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brooks |first=Roy L. |title=Atonement and Forgiveness: A New Model for Black Reparations |year=2004 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=0-520-24813-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/atonementforgive0000broo/page/7 7–8] |url=https://archive.org/details/atonementforgive0000broo/page/7 }}</ref> Though African American farmers have been the most hit by discriminatory actions by the USDA, women, [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], Hispanics, and other minorities have experienced discrimination in a variety of forms at the hands of the USDA. The majority of these discriminatory actions have occurred through the [[Farm Service Agency]], which oversees loan and assistance programs to farmers.<ref name="heinonline" /> | Allegations have been made that throughout the agency's history its personnel have discriminated against farmers of various backgrounds, denying them loans and access to other programs well into the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=General Accounting Office |url=http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/rc99038.pdf |title=USDA – Problems Continue to Hinder the Timely Processing of Discrimination Complaints |date=January 1999 |access-date=October 16, 2007 |archive-date=February 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224210610/http://www.gao.gov/archive/1999/rc99038.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The effect of this discrimination caused a reduction in the number of African American farmers in the United States.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brooks |first=Roy L. |title=Atonement and Forgiveness: A New Model for Black Reparations |year=2004 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=0-520-24813-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/atonementforgive0000broo/page/7 7–8] |url=https://archive.org/details/atonementforgive0000broo/page/7 }}</ref> Though African American farmers have been the most hit by discriminatory actions by the USDA, women, [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], Hispanics, and other minorities have experienced discrimination in a variety of forms at the hands of the USDA. The majority of these discriminatory actions have occurred through the [[Farm Service Agency]], which oversees loan and assistance programs to farmers.<ref name="heinonline">''Garcia v. Vilsack: A Policy and Legal Analysis of a USDA Discrimination Case'', ''HeinOnline'', <nowiki>https://heinonline-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/HOL/P?h=hein.crs/crsmthmatal0001&i=11</nowiki>.</ref> | ||
In response to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court's]] ruling of unconstitutionality of the [[Agricultural Adjustment Act]], [[United States Congress|Congress]] enacted the [[Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936]], which established the [[Soil Conservation Service]] (SCS) which provided service to private landowners and encouraged subsidies that would relieve soil from excessive farming. The SCS in its early days were hesitant, especially in Southern jurisdictions, to hire Black conservationists. Rather than reaching out to Black students in universities for interviews and job opportunities, students had to reach out for the few opportunities granted to Black conservationists.<ref>Helms, Douglas. "Eroding the Color Line: The Soil Conservation Service and the Civil Rights Act of 1964." ''Agricultural History'', vol. 65, no. 2, Agricultural History Society, 1991, pp. 35–53, <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/3743706</nowiki>.</ref> | In response to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court's]] ruling of unconstitutionality of the [[Agricultural Adjustment Act]], [[United States Congress|Congress]] enacted the [[Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936]], which established the [[Soil Conservation Service]] (SCS) which provided service to private landowners and encouraged subsidies that would relieve soil from excessive farming. The SCS in its early days were hesitant, especially in Southern jurisdictions, to hire Black conservationists. Rather than reaching out to Black students in universities for interviews and job opportunities, students had to reach out for the few opportunities granted to Black conservationists.<ref>Helms, Douglas. "Eroding the Color Line: The Soil Conservation Service and the Civil Rights Act of 1964." ''Agricultural History'', vol. 65, no. 2, Agricultural History Society, 1991, pp. 35–53, <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/3743706</nowiki>.</ref> | ||
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A March 17, 2006 letter from the GAO about the Pigford Settlement indicated that "the court noted that USDA disbanded its Office of Civil Rights in 1983, and stopped responding to claims of discrimination."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-06-469r.pdf |title=GAO-06-469R Pigford Settlement: The Role of the Court-Appointed Monitor |date= |access-date=2022-03-02}}</ref> | A March 17, 2006 letter from the GAO about the Pigford Settlement indicated that "the court noted that USDA disbanded its Office of Civil Rights in 1983, and stopped responding to claims of discrimination."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-06-469r.pdf |title=GAO-06-469R Pigford Settlement: The Role of the Court-Appointed Monitor |date= |access-date=2022-03-02}}</ref> | ||
== Environmental justice initiatives == | == Environmental justice initiatives == | ||
In their 2012 | In their 2012 environmental justice strategy, the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]] (USDA) stated an ongoing desire to integrate environmental justice into its core mission and operations. In 2011, [[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]] Tom Vilsack emphasized the USDA's focus on EJ in rural communities around the United States, as well as connecting with [[Native Americans in the United States|Indigenous Tribes]] and ensuring they understand and receive their environmental rights. USDA does fund programs with social and environmental equity goals; however, it has no staff dedicated solely to EJ. | ||
=== Background === | === Background === | ||
On February 16, 1994, [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] issued [[Executive Order 12898]], "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations."<!-- AutoEd: rm unicode ctrl char w/no win-1252 mapping, intent unknown --> | On February 16, 1994, [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] issued [[Executive Order 12898]], "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations."<!-- AutoEd: rm unicode ctrl char w/no win-1252 mapping, intent unknown --> Executive Order 12898 requires that achieving EJ must be part of each federal agency's mission. Under Executive Order 12898 federal agencies must: | ||
# enforce all health and environmental statutes in areas with minority and low-income populations; | # enforce all health and environmental statutes in areas with minority and low-income populations; | ||
# ensure | # ensure public participation; | ||
# improve research and data collection relating to the health and environment of minority and low-income populations; and | # improve research and data collection relating to the health and environment of minority and low-income populations; and | ||
# identify differential patterns of | # identify differential patterns of consumption of natural resources among minority and low-income populations. | ||
The Executive Order also created an Interagency Working Group (IWG) consisting of 11 heads of departments and agencies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Summary of Executive Order 12898 – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations|date=February 22, 2013|url=https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice |website=Environmental Protection Agency}}</ref> | The Executive Order also created an Interagency Working Group (IWG) consisting of 11 heads of departments and agencies.<ref>{{cite web|title=Summary of Executive Order 12898 – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations|date=February 22, 2013|url=https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice |website=Environmental Protection Agency}}</ref> | ||
==== 2012 Environmental Justice Strategy ==== | ==== 2012 Environmental Justice Strategy ==== | ||
On February 7, 2012, the USDA released a final Environmental Justice Strategic Plan identifying new and updated goals and performance measures beyond what USDA identified in a 1995 EJ strategy that was adopted in response to E.O. 12898.<ref name="ftn10">USDA, Strategic Plan, http://www.dm.usda.gov/hmmd/FinalUSDAEJSTRATScan_1.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226184928/http://www.dm.usda.gov/hmmd/FinalUSDAEJSTRATScan_1.pdf|date=2012-02-26}}</ref> Generally, USDA believes its existing technical and financial assistance programs provide solutions to environmental inequity, such as its initiatives on education, | On February 7, 2012, the USDA released a final Environmental Justice Strategic Plan identifying new and updated goals and performance measures beyond what USDA identified in a 1995 EJ strategy that was adopted in response to E.O. 12898.<ref name="ftn10">USDA, Strategic Plan, http://www.dm.usda.gov/hmmd/FinalUSDAEJSTRATScan_1.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226184928/http://www.dm.usda.gov/hmmd/FinalUSDAEJSTRATScan_1.pdf|date=2012-02-26}}</ref> Generally, USDA believes its existing technical and financial assistance programs provide solutions to environmental inequity, such as its initiatives on education, food deserts, and economic development in impacted communities. | ||
Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Harris Sherman is the political appointee generally responsible for USDA's EJ strategy, with Patrick Holmes, a senior staffer to the Under Secretary, playing a coordinating role. USDA has no staff dedicated solely to EJ.<ref name="ftn68">Holmes interview.</ref> | Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Harris Sherman is the political appointee generally responsible for USDA's EJ strategy, with Patrick Holmes, a senior staffer to the Under Secretary, playing a coordinating role. USDA has no staff dedicated solely to EJ.<ref name="ftn68">Holmes interview.</ref> | ||
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*reliable and affordable water and wastewater systems | *reliable and affordable water and wastewater systems | ||
*financing electric systems | *financing electric systems | ||
*integrating electric | *integrating electric smart-grid technologies<ref>{{cite web|title=Collaborating for Prosperity With American Indians and Alaska Natives|url=https://permanent.fdlp.gov/gpo129049/508_RD_TribalReport_2019.pdf |website=Federal Depository Library Program}}</ref> | ||
==== Tribal relations ==== | ==== Tribal relations ==== | ||