The U.S. Department of Agriculture has committed more than $14 million for agricultural workforce  development in historically marginalized regions, a news release said.

The money will "increase the resilience of the U.S. meat and poultry processing sector," the agency said. It is part of the Biden administration's "ongoing initiatives under the American Rescue Plan to enhance the country's food supply chain by fostering fair and competitive agricultural markets," the news release said.

The funds will be awarded to qualified Centers of Excellence at 1890 land-grant universities, 1994 land-grant Tribal Colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian  institutions and participants in the Resident Instruction Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas, according to the agency.

“Food insecurity and food system interruptions have hit underserved communities hardest during the ongoing pandemic," Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, under secretary for research, education and economics and USDA’s chief scientist, said in a statement. "By investing in education and workforce development at these institutions, we are training the workforce of the future to develop long-lasting solutions to these and other critical agricultural issues facing our nation.”