UNL receives grant to study rural Nebraska, educate urban residents

Rural Nebraska is an important part of agricultural life in the state, but it can often be overlooked.

A $79,534 grant given to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the work being done in collaboration with the Center for Rural Affairs hopes to solve that problem.

According to Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy at UNL, the grant will be used to learn more about Eastern Nebraska's understanding of local food, interest in buying it and knowledge of how it is grown through a series of focus groups and interviews of both farmers and consumers.

"We see this as a way to find more farmers wanting to grow food for direct sales to consumers either through farmer's markets or buying groups," he said. "Most farmers consider growing major commodity crops is the only way to succeed in agriculture," he said. "But we feel there are more opportunities to be successful."

On the consumer side, Francis said there is a concern that younger people have no idea where their food is going through or understand the agricultural process.

"We think a broader food system that gets more people involved in producing, visiting farms is a good thing," he said.

This includes education and trying to bring people together, Francis said.

"We think these social factors are important for the future," he said. "We need to think more than efficiency and industrialization."

The university and the Center for Rural Affairs will work with the Nebraska Sustainable Agricultural Society and the Nebraska Food Cooperative for the study.

The Center for Rural Affairs is a private, nonprofit corporation located in Lyons, Neb., that works for the improvement of the lives of family farmers and ranchers and rural areas. The center does this by focusing on policy, research and strategic services, according to the center's website.

"I think it's important because, for me personally, this is where I want to live," said Elisha Smith, media and outreach associate for the center. "This is where I want to raise my children."

The center helps protect the rural lifestyle that some people choose to have, Smith said.

For more information on the center and its services, visit its website at http://www.cfra.org.

kimbuckley@dailynebraskan.com