The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently invested $3.3 million in two new partnerships that will train and equip the next generation of crop insurance agents, adjusters and outreach educators about crop insurance options.

These partnerships with the Intertribal Agriculture Council and the University of Arkansas’ Southern Risk Management Education Center further efforts by USDA’s Risk Management Agency to broaden participation in crop insurance, especially among underserved producers.    

“Crop insurance strengthens American agriculture, and we want to make sure all farmers, especially those traditionally left behind, are aware of the tools available to manage risk,” says RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “Both partnerships aim to cultivate creativity and innovation as they work to empower, educate and provide outreach to underserved producers.”   

Related: Enrollment open for 2023 ARC and PLC programs

Intertribal Agricultural Council

USDA’s first investment of $1.9 million will allow RMA and the IAC to strategically engage with minority-serving institutions and underserved stakeholder groups. The groups will then train, credential, and establish a pipeline of crop insurance agents and adjusters within underserved agricultural communities.

The initiative’s goal is to increase the representation of underserved insurance agents and loss adjusters providing service to underserved communities.   

Southern Risk Management Education Center

The second investment of $1.4 million will strengthen outreach and technical assistance to underserved farmers and ranchers through the development of risk management program navigators. These navigators will be program specialists trained to provide outreach to underserved agricultural populations about federal crop insurance.  

These partners were chosen because they have a proven track record of success working with RMA and have the infrastructure needed to increase the adoption of risk management tools in underserved agricultural communities.

The University of Arkansas has the expertise and vast knowledge of working with underserved producers in the Southeastern region. IAC has a track record of success working with Native Americans, and they will be partnering with three other entities that have knowledge and experience working with underserved communities.   

In addition to the $3.3 million investment for the two new partnerships, RMA has invested $3.19 million since 2021 in partnerships involving 25 projects with dozens of awardees to expand outreach and education on crop insurance through the Risk Management Education Partnership Program.

RMA has also launched a new “Roadshow” to provide information on two key insurance options for underserved, specialty crop, organic and small-scale producers – Whole-Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm.

Related: Free workshops to review risk management options

For additional information about RMA’s outreach and education efforts, visit RMA’s Outreach and Education webpage. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov.  

Source: USDA