Four projects that aim to support rural communities and tribal nations in Wisconsin have been selected to receive funding through the Wisconsin Rural Partnership initiative at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The initiative, announced in December 2022, was established with $9.3 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The big-picture goals are to advance the land-grant mission of the university, support community-based projects, and create new partnerships to better meet the needs of rural communities.
The university’s Wisconsin Rural Partnership initiative is part of a broader $28 million USDA-funded Institute for Rural Partnerships, housed at UW–Madison, Auburn University, and the University of Vermont. The institute aims to promote equitable, resilient, and prosperous food and agricultural systems and expanded opportunities for rural community development. It will also foster collaborations with community-based initiatives and local research, educational institutions, and subject matter experts.
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Division of Extension jointly sponsored a competition to solicit the best community-based research, extension, and education projects that engage local partners to solve challenges faced by rural communities and tribal nations in Wisconsin.
The four research projects selected for Wisconsin Rural Partnership funding are:
- The Rural Livability Project;
- Promoting Family-Centered and Family-School-Community Mental Health Support for Children in Rural Wisconsin Communities;
- Connecting Cultural Values and Indigenous Research Towards Food System Resilience; and
- Community Health Workers as a Bridge Between Extension and Rural Healthcare Systems to Support Whole Family Health and Well-Being.
Additional information about each of these projects is available online.
