USDA to establish Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center; goal is to reduce child food insecurity

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that up to $2.5 million in grant money is available to establish the Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center to create child nutrition programs in up to 30 rural communities. In 2012 one out of four rural children lived in poverty, and 21.2 percent of rural households with children were food insecure, says the USDA.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release: "Children living in persistently-poor, rural areas tend to experience worse outcomes in terms of nutrition, activity and obesity. The Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center would facilitate innovative strategies to support a healthier next generation in rural America."

The release said: "The center will develop, administer and evaluate a series of sub-grants to improve services in these communities. The center will also organize several conferences to exchange lessons learned and develop a report on best practices. The rural communities will use their funds to target child food insecurity through greater coordination of the nutrition programs. For example, communities could use their funds to identify strategies to increase community involvement or to apply more effective uses of technology and digital media to improve program coordination." (Read more)