Holland, J., primary investigator
Promoting Economic Development through Capacity Building within the Local Food Economy
Sponsor: Appalachian Regional Commission
Award Amount: $30,840.00
“As the food economy in the Appalachian region is making the transition from an agribusiness model to more sustainable methods of farming and influencing the local area, the University of Mississippi proposed a multi-level, multi-disciplinary effort to affect public policy and policy implementation related to the food economy that stresses full social engagement and access to the local food system. As communities utilize local food systems and sustainable agriculture to assist in economic revitalization, it is important to understand the impact of its current state as well as provide capacity building tools to communities to promote economic development through local food systems.
To address these problems within the scope of this project, the Department of Public Policy Leadership (PPL) focused on three tasks: 1) establishing county workshops on sustainable & low input agriculture; 2) hosting the 2013 Mississippi Food Summit; 3) conducting a whiteboard session – Economics and Food: Building Mississippi’s Sustainable Agriculture Network- to develop strategies for creating a sustainable, local food network that will support producers, consumers, and other stakeholders.”
Rutherford, D., primary investigator
J. Joe Ferguson Geography Education Fund 2012
Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $49,373.00
The J. Joe Ferguson Geography Education Fund facilitates coordination and action among partnering organizations in order to engage young people in real-life, place-based learning that is related to exploration of environments, economies, and cultures and that applies such learning to the regional, national, and global contexts in which Mississippians live their lives. Current projects include: 1) outreach to K-8 students and schools with large floor maps of Mississippi, the United States, and major world regions; 2) collaboration with the nine other states that lie along the Mississippi River to produce teacher professional development programs; 3) collaboration with the Global Studies Foundation and the Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance to produce and disseminate a video on major forces of change in the contemporary world; 4) collaboration with the Mississippi Council for Economics Education on the International Economic Summit simulation for middle and high school students; and 5) collaboration with the Natural Resources Institute on the Upper Tallachatchie River Watershed Education Initiative which provides place-based education for students using watersheds as an organizing structure and a GIS as a primary educational tool.
Mississippi Geographic Alliance Programs and Operations Grant
Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $145,348.00
The Mississippi Geographic Alliance (MGA) seeks to improve geographic literacy in the state of Mississippi by providing high-quality geography education services. MGA’s work prepares Mississippians to embrace a diverse world, succeed I na global economy, serve as good stewards of the planet’s resources and understand the forces of change in the contemporary world so that they can meaningfully contribute to our participatory democracy and our shared economic interests. MGA conducts a wide variety of programs for schools, teachers, students, and the public that are based on market research studies and extensive networks with educational providers.
MGA Ferguson Fund 2013-2014
Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $54,691.00
MGA Programs and Operations
Sponsor: National Geographic Education Foundation
Award Amount: $156,423.00