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Contact: Sally Gifford, 202-720-2047
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2017 – The U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture
(NIFA) today announced $540,000 in available funding for State and regional
projects that provide education, assistive
technology and other support to current and prospective farmers and ranchers
with disabilities. Since 1991, NIFA’s AgrAbility program has
helped thousands of individuals with disabilities, including older farmers and veterans, achieve success in agricultural occupations.
“Whether
you are an experienced farmer facing mobility issues or a veteran starting a
new career in agriculture, AgrAbility works with the Cooperative Extension System and nonprofit disability
organizations to open doors to people with disabilities,” said NIFA Director
Sonny Ramaswamy. “The AgrAbility network gives health, farm and government
service providers tools to provide greater access to the agricultural
profession.”
This funding opportunity will support the development of new State
and regional AgrAbility Projects that help providers build their capacity to serve
people with disabilities. Projects also directly provide assistance to people with disabilities. Eligible projects focus
on the following:
- Education
– Projects help health, farm and government service providers develop or
evaluate educational resources on accommodating disabilities and avoiding
secondary injuries in persons with disabilities.
- Networking
– Projects support information sharing among customers, peer supporters, volunteer
groups, funders and other stakeholders.
- Assistance
– Projects offer consultation services to AgrAbility customers and their farm
operations to help them achieve success.
- Marketing – Projects promote awareness of AgrAbility resources
for eligible individuals.
The
deadline for applications is February 15,
2017.
See the request for applications on
NIFA’s AgrAbility web page for more information.
AgrAbility projects are competitively funded for
four-year periods. Continued funding of a project is dependent on the
availability of funds each year and the demonstration of satisfactory annual
progress. All proposals include specific, measurable accomplishments for each
project year. NIFA currently is funding 21 active AgrAbility projects.
Currently
funded projects include the National
AgrAbility Project (NAP) and 20 state and regional
AgrAbility projects. Earlier projects include one by University of
Tennessee Extension that provides briefings to the Tennessee Department
of Veterans Services, direct education to farmers, farm workers and their
families, webinars on assistive technology, and youth safety events. Colorado State
University
runs the Colorado AgrAbility Project, delivering education, workshops, marketing and outreach to veterans through collaboration with
state and local veteran service agencies.
In
the video The Next Mission, retired U.S.
Marine Jon Turner describes how AgrAbility helped him transition into farming
at Wild Roots Farm in Vermont. “I ended up linking with people in AgrAbility
and that has been really wonderful because it’s not just working with veterans,
it’s working with people with all types of disabilities and all types of
backgrounds and they’re all farming different things,” said Turner. “Now I’m in
the process of developing a veterans regenerative agricultural program … to
help them be involved in farming and gardening that also acts as horticultural
therapy.”
NIFA invests in
and advances innovative and transformative research, education and extension to
solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture.
NIFA support for the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel have
resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating
childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing
water availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of
energy, mitigating climate variability and ensuring food safety.
To learn more about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science,
visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts,
sign up for email
updates or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA,
#NIFAimpacts
#
USDA is an equal
opportunity provider, employer and lender.
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