Hispanic Farmer Equity Outreach Program (HFEOP)
An NRCS Partnership to Provide Conservation Opportunities to Historically Underserved Communities
The Hispanic Farmer Equity Outreach Program (HFEOP) is a cooperative agreement with mano-Y-ola and the NRCS’s Outreach and Partnerships Division (OPD) to deliver outreach and conservation and technical assistance to historically underserved Hispanic farmers. The OPD provides leadership and funding to ensure that all NRCS customers have access to programs and are treated fairly and equitably, with an emphasis on reaching underserved farmers or landowners. Cultivar Learning Network, created by mano-Y-ola, will be expanded and employed by the HFEOP Program to reach and engage these Hispanic agricultural populations.
The following objectives guide the project's efforts:
01
Develop, expand, and disseminate a bilingual (Spanish-English) program in five educational modules customized for historically underserved Hispanic farmers and agricultural communities.
02
Deliver online, simultaneous interpretation in Spanish and English training in all educational modules.
03
Develop a competitive and qualified pool of bilingual candidates to grow USDA and NRCS as culturally proficient professionals.
04
Provide structured one-on-one and virtual mentoring throughout the educational modules to Hispanic participants.
05
Implement a proactive outreach to promote USDA, state, and local agricultural resources in Hispanic communities.
06
Identity and activate Hispanic farmers, leaders, and young professionals who can further promote agricultural interests to advance urban, small-scale agriculture and conservation.