UW-Madison selected four projects that support rural communities and tribal nations to get funding through the Wisconsin Rural Partnership Initiative.
The initiative, announced in December 2022, was established with $9.3 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 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 College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Division of Extension jointly sponsored a competition to solicit the best projects to solve challenges faced by rural communities and tribal nations in Wisconsin.
The four research projects are:
The Rural Livability Project
In many rural areas of Wisconsin, access to grocery stores, banks, healthcare and other critical institutions is becoming increasingly challenging. These factors can make it difficult for rural residents to reliably meet their needs. The aim of this project is to identify the key assets needed to sustain rural communities, and to find the best ways to develop strategies to support rural livability.
Project leader: Tessa Conroy, Professor and Extension Specialist, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Promoting Mental Health Support for Children in Rural Wisconsin
The U.S. is experiencing a crisis in children’s mental health. There is a dearth of mental health resources for children in rural areas. This project aims to build capacity for sustained and integrated family-centered and family-school-community mental health support for rural kids.
Project leaders: Andy Garbacz, School of Education; Robert Nix, School of Human Ecology; and Jen Park-Mroch and Angela Flickinger, Institute for Health and Well-Being, Division of Extension
Connecting Cultural Values and Indigenous Research Toward Food System Resilience
The tribal nations within the boundaries of Wisconsin increasingly face environmental challenges that threaten native food systems and community resilience. At the same time, Wisconsin tribes are developing and implementing innovative food system transformation efforts. This project aims to engage tribal nations and partners to create an understanding of Indigenous-led research, education and outreach projects. This will help Wisconsin tribes sustain and expand food sovereignty.
Project leaders: Tricia Gorby, Natural Resources Institute Director, Division of Extension; Dan Cornelius, Outreach Program Manager, UW Law School’s Great Lakes Indigenous Law Center and College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Community Health Workers To Support Whole Family Health and Well-Being
Health inequities in rural areas are difficult to address. This is because of limited access to healthcare and public health services and infrastructure constraints. This project will leverage UW–Madison Division of Extension’s Health & Well-Being Institute’s expertise and community assets to establish a network of Extension-based Community Health Workers. CHW are public health workers who are members of a community and can respond to emerging needs in rural communities.
Project leaders: Amber Canto, Health and Well-Being Institute Director, Division of Extension; Larissa Duncan, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, School of Human Ecology; Zoua Vang, Professor and Extension Specialist, School of Human Ecology
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