WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2015 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced nearly $14 million in grants to support four programs to increase prosperity in rural America through research, education, and extension programs focused on promoting rural community development, economic growth, and sustainability.

"Nearly 60 million Americans live in rural areas, and their value and impact through the agriculture industry can be felt both domestically and internationally," said Sonny Ramaswamy, NIFA director. "To help these communities remain prosperous and viable, we need to support discovery of new ways that promote economic viability among producers, small businesses, and communities in rural America."

Farmers, ranchers, and rural communities are the backbone and economic lifeblood for Americans everywhere, providing food, feed, fiber, fuels, and open spaces. However, rural areas and communities face many hardships. High poverty rates, slow recovery from economic recession, and low average income per household are all challenges to having a successful and viable community. Funding from NIFA is expected to assist communities and regions in creating self-sustaining, long-term economic development through research and strategic planning.

A fact sheet with a complete list of awardees and project descriptions is available on the USDA website for the following projects selected for awards in each AFRI program:

Rural Communities and Regional Development:

Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala., $499,998
University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $474,998
University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, $499,287
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., $499,789
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn., $498,943
Montana State University, Bozeman, Mont., $474,190
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $499,374
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., $499,994
Agricultural Economics and Rural Communities - Environment:

University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn., $500,000
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., $500,000
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., $499,976
University of Nevada, Reno, Nev., $498,393
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I., $463,096
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R.I., $47,882
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va., $313,557
Agricultural Economics and Rural Communities - Economics, Markets and Trade:

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., $399,867
University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill., $49,600
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., $499,709
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa., $245,131
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., $500,000
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio., $494,547
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., $485,414
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis., $379,234
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo., $149,858
NIFA also provided funds through the Small and Medium-sized Farm program, which provides farmers and ranchers assistance in their decision making with respect to management strategies, new technologies, sustainability, competitiveness, and viability. Funded projects focus on developing new disciplinary or multidisciplinary models to assist agricultural landowner's decision-making in scale management strategies and technologies to enhance economic efficiency and sustainability. This includes the viability and competitiveness of small and medium-sized dairy, poultry, livestock, crop, forestry, and other commodity operations.

Fiscal year 2014 Small and Medium-Sized Farms include:

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., $499,978
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., $471,462
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., $499,995
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass., $499,380
Alcorn State University, Lorman, Miss., $499,794
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $384,913
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $499,996
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., $499,978
NIFA made the awards through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative's (AFRI) Foundational Program, which supports projects that sustain and enhance agricultural and related activities in rural areas and to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and alleviate poverty. Topical issues include, but are not limited to, the interactions between agriculture, environment, and communities in rural areas; demographic changes and impacts; consumer preferences or behavior; decision-making under uncertainty; market structure and performance; policy design and impact; or agriculture's impact on the environment.

The purpose of AFRI is to support research, education, and extension work by awarding grants that address key problems of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture. AFRI is NIFA's flagship competitive grant program authorized under the 2014 Farm Bill and supports work in six priority areas: 1) plant health and production and plant products; 2) animal health and production and animal products; 3) food safety, nutrition and health; 4) bioenergy, natural resources and environment; 5) agriculture systems and technology; and 6) agriculture economics and rural communities.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.

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