USDA Helps Haiti Measure Agricultural Production

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Victoria Calderon, International Programs Office, National Agricultural Statistics Service, on April 15, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Haitian farmer taking produce to the market. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service helped Haiti produce that country’s first-ever Statistical Agricultural Production Report, to be released tomorrow.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

During the month of April we will take a closer look at USDA’s Groundbreaking Research for a Revitalized Rural America, highlighting ways USDA researchers are improving the lives of Americans in ways you might never imagine, and helping improve the world.

Following the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture saw the need for market information and reliable and timely agricultural data. With the help from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the government surveyed farmers across Haiti and will publish the responses in its first-ever Statistical Agricultural Production Report, scheduled to be released tomorrow, April 16.

USDA and USAID jointly assisted the Haitian government in an effort to improve the quality and quantity of agricultural information available to Haitian decision makers with funding managed by the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Prior to this effort the Haitian government would contact officials in each of the 10 departments and ask for data on the agricultural production. This information was neither standardized nor verifiable, which meant that the work to develop a statistically viable system had to be started virtually from scratch.

The international team involved nine NASS employees, 15 employees from the Agricultural Sub-Structure of Statistics and Informatics (SSSAI) and Ministry of Agriculture Natural Resources and Rural Development of Haiti (MANNDR), 200 local enumerators, 30 local supervisors, and many other USDA and Haitian government officials. Eighty percent of the 4,975 farm operators who were included in the sample responded to the survey.

NASS collaborated with the SSSAI providing guidance on the design, sample, procedures, training, analysis and implementation of the nationwide survey during 2013. We also helped develop the list frame system and a data summarization system.

The report will include data on Haiti’s livestock and spring crop season. Data will be reported at the national level and for each of its ten departments. But this report is just the first step in Haiti’s quest to strengthen its food security. Haiti has three growing seasons and this report only reflects data from the spring season.

Where Do Kids Eat When School is out in Summer? FNS Partners with the Department of Education to Find Solutions

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Audrey Rowe, Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, on April 11, 2014 at 10:00 AM

Federal partnerships, like the one between USDA and the Department of Education, work to provide healthy summer meals solutions for our nation’s children.

As we approach the summer season, USDA is vigorously preparing to fill the nutrition gap faced by millions of kids across the country. While 21 million of our sons and daughters receive free and reduced-priced lunches during the school year, only a small percentage participate in the summer meals programs, leaving too many of our most vulnerable without a nutritious meal.

A new partnership between the USDA and the Department of Education seeks to transform these alarming rates of food insecurity for the better. Last week I had the pleasure of convening with Dr. Jonathan Brice, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education in the Department of Education. This meeting was the first of the current administration, solidifying the strong partnership in summer meals and placing an emphasis on school participation.

Dr. Brice explained that “the Department of Education believes that summer meals are critical to the success of millions of children across the country.” As a former administrator and teacher in public schools throughout Delaware and Maryland, Brice conveyed the effectiveness of the summer meals program for summer school students, athletically involved youth, and kids of all backgrounds. He emphasized that the Department of Education viewed summer meals as “a critical opportunity for communities to come together and show children how much they matter.”  I couldn’t agree more with his sentiments.

Our partnership is groundbreaking on many levels. To alleviate the burden of hunger in the summer, we need the support of principals, educators, food service professionals, and community members to promote a program that focuses on the nutritional wellbeing of kids in our communities. With program participation growing in schools nationwide, and now the official backing of the Department of Education, the future of increasing summer meals participants and decreasing food security in America looks more promising than ever.

Echoing the sentiments of Dr. Brice, our children need to be well-fed and provided with nutritious meals in order to become successful adults. The more we learn to cultivate unique and effective partnerships, the more effective we will be at ending child hunger in this country. Collaborating with the Department of Education is a step in the right direction to ensure more children have access to healthy foods when school is out.

USDA Continues Reaching Indian Country through the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Leslie Wheelock, USDA Director of Tribal Relations, on March 26, 2014 at 11:30 AM

These “My Plate” models show how FDPIR foods fit into recommended food groups.

Finding groceries can be difficult in many inner city neighborhoods, and in many rural areas the challenge can be even more daunting.  Americans living in remote areas might easily spend half a day just making a grocery run. And for many Native Americans living on Indian reservations, simply getting to a place to purchase nutritious foods becomes a constant struggle.

Food security is a top priority for the Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Expanding access to nutritious food will not only empower American families to serve healthy meals to their children, but it will also help expand the demand for agricultural products.”

One program expanding access to nutritious foods is the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). FDPIR was first authorized under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to provide access to nutritious foods to low-income Native American households.  FDPIR is administered locally by either Indian tribal organizations (ITOs) or an agency of a state government.  Currently, there are about 276 tribes receiving benefits under FDPIR, with an average of 82,600 participants each month.

Because FDPIR is administered directly on Indian reservations, it can eliminate the need for recipients to travel great distances simply to acquire nutritious foods. Eligible participants are able to choose from over 70 food options that can be used to create meals that align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate (choosemyplate.gov).  In Fiscal Year 2009, the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which rates diet based on overall nutrition, rated the FDPIR food option package at 85.3 (A HEI score above an 80 is considered a healthy diet).

To assist in the preparation of healthy meals using FDPIR foods, FNS recently worked with tribal members to create a recipe book. “A Harvest of Recipes with USDA Foods: The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)” provides creative, regional recipes using FDPIR food options.  Each recipe features sensible levels of fat, sodium, and sugar without sacrificing taste. The recipes also list nutrition facts.

The FDPIR has made great strides in providing access to nutritious foods and reducing food insecurity on Indian Reservations. For more information on FDPIR, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/programs-and-services.

Many FDPIR distribution sites are modeled after convenience stores, allowing families to hand-pick from a variety of options.

The Essentials of Food and Agriculture - in Charts and Maps

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA’s Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, on September 17, 2013 at 5:05 PM

This is one of more than 75 charts and maps in Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials from USDA’s Economic Research Service, compiling a set of key statistics on the ag and food sectors and the rural economy. Each chart in the collection includes accompanying text.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

With the abundance of news and information on the food and agriculture sector, sometimes it is helpful to take a step back and look at the big picture. You might be a seasoned expert on food, agriculture, or the rural economy, or you may have just a general knowledge. In any case, there are a number of key indicators that will bring you up to speed on a range of basic questions.

How much, for example, do agriculture and related industries contribute to the U.S. economy? Which commodities are our main agricultural exports? What share of their household incomes do Americans spend on food? How do job earnings in rural areas compare with metro areas? How much of our Nation’s water does agriculture consume?

In a new online product, USDA’s Economic Research Service tells the basic story in numbers. Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials assembles more than 75 charts and maps, each with accompanying text, and conveniently organized into nine topics. You’ll find statistics on agricultural markets and trade, farm income, food prices and consumption, food security, rural economies, agriculture’s interaction with natural resources, and its role in the general economy.

Whether you’re a researcher, public official, educator, student, or journalist, I think you’ll find the Essentials informative and useful – in presentations, reports, research, classrooms, and in other endeavors.

The Essentials are at www.ers.usda.gov/essentials.

This is one of more than 75 charts and maps in Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials from USDA’s Economic Research Service, compiling a set of key statistics on the ag and food sectors and the rural economy. Each chart in the collection includes accompanying text.

The Foundation is in the STEM

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Karen Hunter, Research, Education, and Economics, on August 20, 2013 at 9:40 AM

This post is part of the Science Today feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio.

When I look at tree leaves, the stems always strike me as remarkable.  Although typically slender, they’re pretty resilient, firmly anchoring the leaves to the branches to withstand the extreme whims of Mother Nature.

In the same way that stems provide a sturdy foundation so that the leaves can make food for the tree, science, technology, engineering, and math (frequently referred to as STEM) education provides a strong base for a wide range of activities.

The recent report on agricultural preparedness by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology detailed a critical need for graduates in STEM fields.  For many people, myself included, interest in STEM starts as an innate curiosity, refined over time with more specific guidance and instruction.

In high school, I dabbled with courses in agricultural science and horticulture, biology and chemistry, physics and calculus.  When my senior independent study aquaculture project went horribly wrong and all of my trout ended up in Davy Jones’ locker, I learned firsthand that sometimes research doesn’t turn out the way you plan it—but that’s OK.  Success or failure, every experiment is a learning opportunity.  And by the time I graduated, I was hooked on science and eager to continue my STEM education in college.

I finished college with degrees in agricultural education, animal science, and environmental science.   My coursework ran the gamut from statistics and research methods to biochemistry, nutrition, and physiology.  The diverse background prepared me well for a job at USDA.  From food security to bioenergy, STEM-related issues are at the crux of the Research, Education, and Economics mission area.  On a daily basis, I draw upon the knowledge and skills gained from my STEM courses.

Even as a parent, my STEM background makes it easier to field my sons’ countless questions.  I can explain why grass is green, how plants use water, what happens when a seed pops through the soil. I’m thrilled to be able to cultivate and nourish my boys’ curiosity and hope that it leads to their pursuit of STEM degrees.

Editors Note: Do you have questions about why you should study STEM subjects?  Ever wondered about the career possibilities of agriculture science degrees?

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