USDA and Marriott International, Inc. formed a partnership to enhance outreach efforts and expand sales outlets for agricultural commodities produced by minority farmers. This is the first partnership between the USDA and a major corporation from the hospitality industry targeted to minority farmers. The partnership was formalized by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding. The Memorandum of Understanding is administered by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights through the Office of Outreach and the Center for Minority Farmers.

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, USDA provides training, technical assistance, and mentoring for minority farmers and cooperatives. Three training conferences have been conducted. The first training conference, "Growing Opportunities" was hosted by Tennessee State University in Nashville, on January 10-12, 2005, and focused on the roles of the 1890 Land Grant Institutions in providing training, technical assistance and mentoring to minority farmers. A second "Growing Opportunities" training conference was hosted by North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro on February 8-10, 2005. This training conference focused on the roles of community based organizations in training and mentoring minority farmers. On March 14-17, 2005, USDA, South Carolina State University, and United Farmers USA, Inc., a community based organization, jointly co-hosted the third training conference titled "Strengthening the Small and Limited Resource Farm Community". The training conference focused on building partnerships between community based organizations, 1890 Land Grant Institutions, and USDA, in the Southeastern United States.

In the Memorandum of Understanding, Marriott International agreed to identify minority producers in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern states that are likely to benefit from a program designed to promote the sale of produce to Marriott and the hospitality industry. A community based organization, Operation Spring Plant was chosen. Operation Spring Plant is a North Carolina grass roots non-profit organization made up of African-American and limited resource farmers. Marriott worked with Operation Spring Plant to bring their produce processing shed into compliance with USDA's Good Agricultural Practices, Good Food Handling Practices, Food Security Guidelines, and Sanitation Guidelines. The produce farmers received training from Operation Spring Plant on the requirements for selling their produce to Marriott. At the completion of the training the farmers sold produce to the hospitality industry, through Operation Spring Plant. The Center continues to work with Operation Spring Plant.

Memorandum of Understanding Between Marriott International, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (PDF 34KB)

For more information about this program, contact the Center for Minority Farmers.
USDA Center for Minority Farmers
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Mail Stop 9473
Telephone:(202) 205-0667
Toll Free Number: (866) 873-2163
E-Mail Address: usdaoutreach@usda.gov