On Oct. 11th, during the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ 36th Annual Conference, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh announced the investment of $14 million to Hispanic-serving higher education programs. 

Still celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, USDA aims to not only recognize the contributions that Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) have made to American agriculture, but also to support Hispanic student learning experiences in the agricultural and human science sectors.

According to USDA’s official website, Deputy Secretary Bronaugh mentioned in his speech that HSIs educate more than 3.2 million students every year, and the funding will strengthen their ability to build the workforce of the future. HSIs mission is to support academic development and career attainment of Latinos, an underrepresented group in the country.

The $14 million funding is a part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program. NIFA is committed to investing in advanced agricultural research and education in order to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges. In FY 2021, NIFA’s total investment was $1.96 billion.

New Mexico State University, Northern Arizona University, and University of Puerto Rico - Carolina are among the institutions that received investment for their projects from NIFA. 

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