Find Rural Health Programs and Resources
The USDA has many programs and resources that can support rural communities improve their health and quality of life, but many programs do not have “health” in the title or description. To help rural community leaders and others to identify which USDA programs and resources can help improve a rural community’s health, a USDA Rural Health Inventory tool has been developed.
This tool is a curated library of active USDA’s programs and resources that support rural health. You can use the filters at the top to simplify your search in finding the programs and resources available by Sub-Agency, Program Type, or Assistance Type. Select the Rurality Requirement box to show programs and resources eligible for rural communities only.
Rural health programs are the emphasis, but this library is inclusive of all health programs.
The purpose of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) Program is to establish a network that connects individuals who are engaged in farming, ranching, and other agriculture-related occupations to stress assistance programs. The establishment of a network that assists farmers and ranchers in time of stress can offer a conduit to improving behavioral health awareness, literacy, and outcomes for agricultural producers, workers and their families.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awards AFRI research, education, and extension grants to improve rural economies, increase food production, stimulate the bioeconomy, mitigate impacts of climate variability, address water availability issues, ensure food safety and security, enhance human nutrition, and train the next generation of the agricultural workforce.
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits such as improved water and air quality, conserved ground and surface water, increased soil health and reduced soil erosion and sedimentation, improved or created wildlife habitat, and mitigation against drought and increasing weather volatility.
Agricultural producers face regulatory pressures related to air quality. NIFA seeks to assist these producers by providing sound science applications to protect the environment while maintaining a viable production system. Research activities develop emission data and improve measurement, control, and transport of odor, gases, and particulate matter. Outreach activities include transferring technologies and best practices to producers and regulators to reduce pollutants and greenhouse gases.
The Animal Health and Disease (Section 1433) opportunity is a national-scope capacity program that distributes federal funds on a formula basis to all eligible entities, including all State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) and AVMA accredited US Colleges or Schools of veterinary medicine, for the support of research projects addressing health and disease of agricultural animals.
The Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust makes funds available to provide emergency humanitarian food assistance to developing countries. When a food crisis arises and food aid is not available from other U.S. government programs, the Secretary of Agriculture may authorize the release of funds from the trust in order to quickly meet immediate needs. Cash in the trust provides the U.S. government with the flexibility to purchase appropriate U.S. commodities based on availability and specific needs.
Through the Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program, FAS partners with private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, and the World Food Program to implement field-based projects that provide development assistance and emergency relief using locally procured commodities.
The Food for Progress Program helps developing countries and emerging democracies modernize and strengthen their agricultural sectors. U.S. agricultural commodities donated to recipient countries are sold on the local market and the proceeds are used to support agricultural, economic, or infrastructure development programs.
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program helps support education, child development and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries around the globe. The program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as financial and technical assistance, to support school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects.