Subject: [permaculture] Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs: Offer Organic Agriculture Education to VRAP Eligible Veterans
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2012 10:17:33 -0700 (PDT)
In the half witted battle to get out information without loosing an audience,
I didn't call it permaculture again. And a rose by any other name smells as
sweet. Please support this effort to address funding vet's who want to take
permaculture programs as part of their accredited college studies but cannot
due to specious lack of oversight in some offices... somewhere...
"The Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP: http://benefits.va.gov/vow/education.htm) has missed its highest
potential. According to provisions of the benefit, veterans who are VRAP
recipients must seek employment training in high demand sectors.
Conservation agriculture and organic food production training belong on
the list of high demand occupations. Organic food sales have often grown
by 10%+ annually- U.S. sales of organic food and beverages have grown
from $1 billion in 1990 to $26.7 billion in 2010. Sales in 2010
represented 7.7 percent growth over 2009 sales. ... This market is growing
tangentially, currently at 4% of total
food sales and with 0.7% of land base in organic and conservation
management, and there is likely a decade or more of growth in this
sector. It is the only Ag sector in which small operators show constant
year to year profit. Despite this, no sustainable, organic or
conservation based agriculture training programs are covered by VRAP. "
please sign this petition to start funding organic conservation based
agriculture (read permaculture) education for vets. please propagate-
facebook, other list serves, etc.