The State of Texas’ Hispanic population is on the fast track to growth. The 10,405,000 Hispanics makes up 39% of the state’s entire population. Based on a 2014 American Community Survey, the median annual earnings of working age Hispanics is $22,000. In 2013 the United States (U.S.) Census Bureau estimated the median household income just under $52,000. In a separate report conducted by the U. S. Census Bureau in 2016, the Texas Hispanic population is projected at 50 million by 2050 – three times the White population and ten times the Black population.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced the availability of $8.8 million in funding to support agricultural science education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program promotes and strengthens HSI programs that attract, retain and graduate outstanding students capable of enhancing the nation’s food, agricultural, natural resource and human sciences work force.
“Hispanic students earn only eight percent of the degrees awarded in science, technology, engineering, and math,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy in a recent interview with the USDA Office of Communications. He goes on to say, “These investments help Hispanic-Serving Institutions promote STEM education and agricultural industry careers to all their students, including Hispanic students.”
Prairie View A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Human Sciences addresses the needs of the Hispanic community through its Cooperative Extension Programs that serve Texas’ underserved counties, including Waller County where 29.6% of the county’s population is Hispanic. The Community and Economic Development (CED) agents serve Hispanic counties including El Paso, Zavala, Dimmit, Uvalde, and Willacy. The CED field staff provide training and one-on-one consulting in financial literacy, small business, financing, credit, contract opportunities, home ownership and much more. In an effort to focus on minority businesses, CED field staff conduct a 12-course training program called the Business in Development (BID) program that emphasizes helping minorities obtain state-wide business contracts. The BID program teaches the fundamentals necessary to be successful in obtaining and executing state contracts. Participants receive their certification as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB), which allows them to take advantage of contract opportunities state agencies set aside for HUBs.
Maurice Perkins
Publications Coordinator
maperkins@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5116
Jimmy Henry
Program Leader, Community and Economic Development
jlhenry@pvamu.edu
(936) 261-5115