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ackson State University’s (JSU) Department of Public Policy and Administration (PPAD) received a $171,600 grant to determine the level of effectiveness of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Act (Section 2501; 2014) to remedy historical barriers to the success of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. Dr. Johnny B. Gilleylen Sr. serves as the project’s principal investigator with Drs. Gloria Billingsley, Jae-Young Ko, Ester Stokes, and Talya Thomas serve as co-principal investigators (Co-PIs). Each of the Co-PIs will lead the investigation of their assigned state. The study also employs two full-time graduate assistants.
The USDA grant was awarded through the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (SDFR) Policy Research Center at Alcorn State University to conduct a comprehensive study and report on the challenges and issues that specifically impact minority and female farmers and ranchers. The award was initially focused on Mississippi but was expanded by the Policy Research Center to include four additional states. The program evaluation seeks to determine the impact, if any, that the USDA 2501 policy and programs might have had on minority and female framers and ranchers in the five selected states since its implementation.
According to Dr. Gilleylen, the project serves as an opportunity for us to substantively contribute to the discussion of policy impacting two of our key mission-identified constituencies–minorities and women. It is also a great opportunity for the units of the College of Public Service (CPS) to collaborate. Dr. Ricardo Brown, Dean of the CPS states “This is a wonderful opportunity to have JSU faculty lend their collective expertise to assess, evaluate, and propose solutions to the USDA that will reduce and/or eliminate barriers limiting the success of minority and women farmers.”
