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Permalink  |  Posted: 04:11PM Aug 05, 2010 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

Soil and Water Conservation Society Members Join Feds, Farmers and Friends in Food Drive to Feed Families

Written by Dick Tremain, NRCS Iowa

There’s a little less hunger in St. Louis this summer, thanks to convention-going soil conservationists and scientists. When members of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) preparing for their annual international conference heard about the national Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families (F5) food drive, they decided to help by bringing food to the St. Louis convention, where it was collected and weighed.

“We collected 250 pounds of food and donated it to the St. Patrick Center of St. Louis, which is the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri,” said Jim Gulliford, SWCS executive director. “When you consider that much of the donated food was packed in luggage and went through airport security, this is a great effort. I’m proud of our members and the success of our food drive.” SWCS is a professional society dedicated to promoting the science and art of natural resource conservation.

Gulliford credits Bonnie Allely, an exhibitor at this year’s SWCS conference, with the idea of having the organization participate. Allely is the Earth Team national volunteer liaison with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “When Bonnie contacted us about participating in the NRCS F5 food drive, we jumped at the chance. We asked the 615 people attending our conference to ‘pack for two, bring food, and help “starve” hunger in St. Louis,’” Guilliford said. Allely’s Earth Team exhibit served as the food donation collection point.

Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families is a national program that contributes foods to communities across the country. Allely says she handed convention attendees fliers promoting the F5 partnership. “I’m hoping this hunger-fighting effort continues when the conference-goers return home,” she said. “This is a great program.”

Want to help? Between now and August 31, 2010, NRCS, Farm Service Agency and Rural Development field offices across the country are collecting non-perishable food items that will be delivered to local area food banks. Click here to find a nearby service center. 

Bonnie Allely, NRCS Earth Team national volunteer liaison, and Jim Gulliford, SWCS executive director, collected more than 250 pounds of food from SWCS conference attendees to fight hunger in St. Louis through the Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families food drive. Photo courtesy of SWCS.

Permalink  |  Posted: 01:45PM Aug 03, 2010 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

NUL Partnership - Fighting Obesity in Minority Communities

Audrey Rowe, USDA Deputy Administrator of Special Nutrition Programs

I recently had the honor of speaking at the National Urban League Centennial Conference in Washington DC.  The National Urban League  is a partner in our efforts to combat obesity and hunger, particularly in African American communities.  I was happy to have the opportunity to explain the role USDA’s nutrition assistance programs play in combating obesity and hunger and to emphasize the need for us to work collaboratively to solve these issues.

Nutrition assistance programs are very important to the country.  One of the biggest challenges many families face, especially during tough economic times, is putting food on the table.  Food insecurity is on the rise with many more people reporting hunger at different points during the year.  Fortunately, our nutrition assistance programs are making a difference and are providing record numbers of people access to healthful food.   For example, more than 40 million people participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) alone each month -- 33 percent of whom are African American.  SNAP helps put nutritious food on the table and provides families the means to sustain a healthful diet. One-half of all children will participate in SNAP at some point during their childhood--including 90% of African-American children.  Equally troubling is the obesity epidemic. Currently one in three children is either overweight or obese. We need to act now to address these seemingly opposite but related problems of childhood hunger and childhood obesity – both fueled by lack of access to proper nutrition.

At the conference, I encouraged members of the league to explore ways they can further partner with USDA on nutrition issues.  The First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign emphasizes the need for each of us to work with all sectors of society to address obesity.  She has set a goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.  We define solving the problem of childhood obesity in a generation as returning to a childhood obesity rate of just 5 percent by 2030, which was the rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s.

Many partnerships are already taking shape with organizations like the NFL, Major League Baseball, and even large health care providers like Kaiser Permanente.  Support from outside government is crucial in order to achieve the First Lady’s goal.  We have to work with a wide range of partners to take a holistic approach—from parents and teachers to medical care providers and food manufacturers.  I am excited about the difference we can make with help from organizations like The National Urban League and our other partnerships.  I am looking forward to continuing to work with organizations like the National Urban League to accomplish the dual goals of ending child hunger and turning the tide on obesity.

Administrator Audrey Rowe discusses childhood obesity during a panel discussion at the National Urban League Conference in Washington, DC.

Permalink  |  Posted: 11:50AM Aug 03, 2010 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]

Finding Common Points Across Cultures and Continents

By Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan

On Friday afternoon, I had the opportunity to meet with some inspiring African businesswomen who are visiting the United States for the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum. This unique group of 36 successful women is here to participate in a two week fellowship training program that will introduce them to American trading partners and investors, expose them to American advocacy, and business models and will offer extended support to them when they return to their countries.

We were joined by two USDA employees who manage programs which involve and benefit women throughout the world and right here in the United States- Ann Tutwiler who coordinates the global food security initiative, "Feed the Future," and Judith Canales, USDA business administrator.

Our group discussed local and regional food systems, a subject very dear to my heart. Last year, I initiated the Know your Farmer, Know your Food program to encourage eating locally; American farmers feed our nation and the world, but they are all local to somewhere. Choosing regional produce encourages healthy eating with fresh food, vibrant communities, a strong connection between cities and the countryside, and support for this and the next generation of farmers and ranchers. This initiative will lead farmers to retain more of their food dollar while helping the public to understand agriculture and where their food comes from.

These benefits aren’t specific to America- I expressed to the African women, many of whom manage their own farm businesses, that this kind of promotion and mentality can be just as beneficial to them as it has been to our producers.  Women in both America and African countries are slowly ascending into higher ranks, and it would be mutually beneficial to continue engaging with each other to overcome struggles through working groups as well as government collaboration.

I’d like to share with you the story of Oluyemisi Yetunde Iranloye, chief operating officer of Ekha Agro Farms Limited in Nigeria, which employs 200 people and supplies a quarter of the country’s demand for a glucose syrup used in pharmaceuticals, food, and brewing. Ms. Iranloye explained that her factory operates under capacity because local farmers cannot produce enough to meet her factory’s needs. She took matters into her own hands, and with the help of USAID, she helped organize female cassava farmers into co-operatives. They began to acquire tools and micro-finances needed to meet production needs.

In our meeting, it was apparent that despite cultural or language differences, women throughout the world have similar ideas and aspirations and work tirelessly to achieve their goals.  I look forward to seeing these women at the African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum this week and I wish them the best of luck as they seek to expand their own businesses and create a stronger business climate back home.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan listens on as Oluyemisi Yetunde Iranloye talks about overcoming finance and production charges to become a major glucose syrup supplier to Guinness, Nigeria.

USDA Business Administrator Judith Canales, Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, Coordinator of the Global Food Security Initiative Ann Tutweiler, and Foreign Agricultural Service General Sales Manager Janet Nuzum are pictured here with the group of African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program participants.

Permalink  |  Posted: 10:53AM Aug 03, 2010 by USDAblogger in USDA Web Site  |  Add Your Comment Here [0]