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| Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International |
Several Heifer staff, including CEO Pierre Ferrari, have traveled to Hughes, Arkansas, today to meet with United States Department of Agriculture leaders in celebration of Heifer's commitment to working in USDA StrikeForce areas.
Heifer recently launched the first phase of our USA programming, which aims to improve the income of small farmers in areas of Appalachia and the Arkansas Delta region. It also aims to make healthy foods more accessible to hungry families in the United States by creating sustainable food systems.
Heifer will be working in Woodruff, Monroe, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips, Prairie and Lonoke counties in Arkansas. Most of these Delta counties are part of USDA's StrikeForce Initiative.
The StrikeForce Initiative is designed to help relieve persistent poverty in high-poverty counties by accelerating USDA assistance while working closely with community based organizations. USDA is currently piloting this initiative in 137 counties in Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi.
Pierre Ferrari will appear along with USDA Assistant Secretary for Administration Pearlie S. Reed to offer a commitment to impoverished areas of the Arkansas Delta. We'll have more here on Heifer Blog when our colleagues return with reflections on the event.
