The goal of this project is to create a collaborative that will better prepare extension educators and related groups across Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware to be effective partners in ongoing and future resiliency efforts in rural communities, with a particular emphasis on areas where agriculture plays a key role in the local economy and culture. This will be accomplished through the following objectives:

1. Create a collaboration of Land Grant, Sea Grant, local government, and nonprofit partners to establish shared priorities, identify needs, and create a strategic plan to build Extension capacity to address climate risks in agricultural communities.

2. Determine current capacities and programmatic efforts related to resilience, key concerns and challenges, and opportunities for greater impact through a needs and opportunity assessment aimed at Extension educators, locality officials, and professionals with similar mandates and objectives.

3. Develop a more complete understanding of community concerns and goals regarding climate impacts and resilience efforts through a series of community listening sessions aimed at low-income, minority, and agricultural stakeholders.

4. Create an enduring capacity among Extension professionals and rural localities to more effectively engage with resiliency programs and provide guidance on resiliency options for farmers, landowners, and businesses in rural areas.

This project is made possible through a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).