Over the last few months, Ohio AgrAbility has worked with OSU Extension - Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) to build a partnership that can better serve Ohio's rural communities and farm families. OSU Extension FCS serves thousands of people throughout Ohio every year by providing quality educational programs focused on health, nutrition, finances, and relationships, all of which are key components that can assist Ohio AgrAbility clients.
Recently, OSU Extension FCS hosted a workshop for Extension educators and partner programs to review educational materials, discuss programming opportunities, and initiate a plan to build upon current programming materials. A new "Aging Smart" curriculum was introduced that included modules on aging and eating, preventing falls, universal design, and keeping safe. Many of these topic areas can be utilized to assist Ohio AgrAbility clients and to enhance the educational programming provided by Ohio AgrAbility.
This partnership will work well to support both Ohio AgrAbility and OSU Extension - FCS since they share common goals and approaches to working with communities. In the future, Ohio AgrAbility will be able to utilize FCS educator expertise to assist with educational programming, assessing client needs, and building peer-to-peer support activities. Additionally, OSU Extension FCS can utilize Ohio AgrAbility to connect with rural communities and to assist in developing materials specifically for Ohio's rural and agricultural communities.
Submitted by Andy Bauer