USDA unveils dozens of recommendations to advance equity

The Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission on Thursday presented a detailed report meant to address the department's history of discrimination against farmers of color.

The report, written by the 15-person commission and members of two subcommittees focused on agriculture and rural community economic development, identified decades-long acts of discrimination and listed a total of 66 recommendations that will help “further advance equity” in the department.

“Our goal was not to duplicate the significant efforts already underway at USDA, but to identify additional steps for embedding equity into USDA’s policies, practices, and processes,” the report stated. “Many of the issues and recommendations we identified are not new. However, they will require renewed commitment from USDA to improve its customer-facing business processes and address historical inequities whose impacts continue to the present moment.”

One of the report’s recommendations urges the department to diversify county committees. 

These boards, which are made up of elected local farmers, have not historically “represented their minority farmers and ranchers,” the report said. 

“Policies such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933 led to the displacement of many Black tenant farmers and sharecroppers. AAA also gave local committees (also known as county committees) the power to implement policies, and these local committees, by and large, were composed of white farmers who had little to no interest in supporting Black farmers,” the report said. 

But this issue goes back long before the implementation of the AAA, the report added.

Black farmers who participated in the Civil Rights Movement often faced violence and intimidation tactics, including from county committees withholding resources.

The report also calls on the department to “institutionalize equity.” One of the ways this could be done, the report said, is to evaluate programs and policies to identify and understand communities in need, where the funding is distributed and who benefits from it.

The report also calls for equity audits. These audits would be conducted by a third party that would analyze complaints received from the last five years and identify patterns, looking for programs, specific offices and what types of discrimination have been alleged.  

The report follows President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order 13985 On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. 

Last February, the commission released an interim report with 32 recommendations for improving equity. Those recommendations are included in Thursday’s final report.

USDA has taken other steps in recent years to address patterns of discrimination throughout the agency. 

Last July, the agency began accepting applications for up to $500,000 in financial relief for farmers who faced discrimination through the USDA’s lending programs.

The new recommendations were approved unanimously by the Commission, according to the report. 

“This final report serves as a roadmap for meaningful and lasting change, setting the stage for a more inclusive, just, and responsive USDA,” the report said.