Rural Prosperity and Economic Sustainability
Rural prosperity challenges include health care, housing, K-12 education, Historical Tourism, Business Development (small business and large industry, Broadband, Infrastructure/Energy, Workforce, quality of life, food/agriculture, and art/culture. Initial topics addressed by TU in Macon County include housing (incentives to re-populate rural areas-renovating vacant houses, adding container houses, identification of multiple sites of historic significance to add to a county-wide signage program, and workforce development for new industries in Macon County. TU hosted the 80th PAWC on November 13-15, 2022 and the 130th Farmers conference on March 28-30, 2023 with participant numbers of 400 and 300 respectively. Topics covered served to strengthen rural prosperity and environments sustainability in line with priorities of USDA (ThA4).
TU: Established the State of African Americans in the Black Belt (SAABB).
In 2022 the SAABB team released 2 Policy Briefs, and 1 Annual Report. They presented their work at the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference in November 2022. Work is currently underway for the 2nd Annual Report that will focus primarily on the Farm Bill and Heir’s Property.
TU launched a new training program for High School students that utilizes the skills and knowledge of vocational teachers, who, in turn enroll in one of the programs at the TU in the summer to enhance their knowledge. The program provided mentorship from local and university/extension professionals as well as year-round participation in workshops, conferences, field days (ThA4)
When participants combined WVSU provided tools, including GrowVeg subscriptions, and mapping and imagery information, they reported significant crop management benefits by tracking harvesting schedules, weeding and watering tasks, and applying organic fertilizers or pest/disease treatments.
TU Black Belt Innovation Marketing Center (BBMIC), as an outreach and training facility near Selma, AL has started a pilot program with two aggregators looking to source from small farmers in the Black Belt. The BBMIC will be used as an initial aggregator for processing and quality control. TU has begun partnering with Montgomery Area Food Bank and Selma Area Food Bank to facilitate direct sales of produce for small farmers.
VSU used drones (UAVs) to create soil nutrient maps to help farmers identify nutrient deficiencies. The maps assisted farmers in developing nutrient management plans that fulfill conservation practice requirements, and improve soil conditions/health. (ThA5)
Five Rivers Cooperative incorporated this approach into their Organic Certification documentation and GAP-style risk management planning, and input farm records directly from the field into the mobile app. Professional-grade weather stations offer real-time temperature, humidity, rainfall, and wind speed on a hyperlocal basis, which helps farmers and cooperatives maximize their production on marginal land and serve as forecasters for neighbors. (ThA5)