AgSec Vilsack mentioned during the House hearing a possible “food corps” to provide mentoring and training for young people interested in farming. He said the initiative could be similar to the Peace Corps, which dispatches Americans overseas to provide first-hand advice for local development projects. Vilsack mentioned the idea while talking about aid to new and beginning farmers.
““AGree and Secretary Vilsack and his team are working together to identify ways to help young people who want careers in food and agriculture but are finding it difficult to gain a foothold. We are exploring several promising avenues with USDA and other institutions,” said executive director Deborah Atwood in response to questions by Ag Insider. “AGree will be releasing recommendations related to all six of our Initiatives in the coming months, which will include ideas for supporting young people who are passionate about food and agriculture.”
AGree is a coalition created by nine big-gun foundations active in food and farm policy.
The project could be called the Food Corps, Vilsack said. A very similar name, FoodCorps, applies to an effort tied to the volunteers-in-public-service AmeriCorps. FoodCorps, which helped plant the White House kitchen garden on Wednesday, describes itself this way: “FoodCorps’ nationwide team of leaders perform a year of AmeriCorps service in limited-resource communities where they conduct hands-on food education, build and tend school gardens, and help get high-quality local food into public school cafeterias.”