Washington DC – Senadores estadounidenses Ron Wyden y Jeff Merkley
today announced that Adelante
Mujeres will receive more than $350,000 from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to support Latinx farmers in cultivating and marketing high
value specialty crops for Washington County and the metro Portland area.
“The results of
Adelante Mujeres’ 20-year record of providing bilingual and
culturally-appropriate support to Oregon’s Latinx community speak for
themselves,” Wyden said. “Adelante
is the kind of organization that walks the talk of empowering communities from
the inside out. I am gratified to see these dollars go to a program that works
hard to make sure the beauty and bounty of Oregon’s agricultural economy is
accessible to everyone.”“Agriculture is
deeply ingrained into Oregon’s economy, but too many underserved farmers,
ranchers, and foresters struggle to participate in or get access to USDA
programs and services,” Merkley said. “This USDA funding to Adelante Mujeres will provide support to their
culturally-appropriate programs that meet clients where they are and connect
aspiring and current Latina immigrant farmers with access to USDA’s programs
and grants. I won’t stop fighting to ensure that everyone in Oregon’s
world-class agriculture sector has what they need to continue to grow and
thrive.”
Adelante Mujeres will use the USDA grant funding for a
long-term project toward health and economic prosperity of Latinx communities
through equitable food distribution systems. The Forest Grove-based
non-profit will provide bilingual and culturally responsive support for
Latinx farmers growing high value specialty crops so that they can more easily
access useable farmland, financial planning services, marketing assistance, and
other USDA programs.
“We are thrilled to
see this investment to support Latinx farmers in Oregon. Almost 90% of
agriculture workers in Oregon are Latinx, while only 4% of farm business owners
are Latinx. Our programs engage the Latinx community on regenerative
agriculture practices by providing classes and coaching in Spanish to help
Latinx farmers start their own farm businesses using sustainable practices. We
also operate the Forest Grove Farmers Market and the Cornelius Farmers Market,
providing a launching pad for local small farm businesses to get off the
ground,” said Bridget Cooke, Executive Director of Adelante Mujeres.
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