Iowa NRCS Outreach Program
Outreach is defined as a way of conducting business to ensure that underserved individuals & groups are made aware of, understand, and have a working knowledge of USDA programs & services. Emphasis is placed on reaching specific groups because we know that they have been historically underserved. NRCS’ traditional assistance methods have not always been successful with some customer groups, so new and innovative methods are needed.
Outreach includes identifying underserved customers and developing outreach strategies to serve them. This includes communicating with customers so they can assist in identifying barriers to opportunities. The strategies can be developed to remove barriers or work more effectively with them.
Effective outreach requires a different and more flexible approach: listening first and then matching NRCS’ message to the customer. It means communicating in new ways to new audiences to get our message to customers who are culturally and racially diverse, urban and rural. Success is determined differently, by the relationships that are developed as well as the conservation assistance provided.