The healthy families and communities program is structured with the intent of addressing the challenges of obesity and chronic disease among south dakota residents, primarily in tribal communities and…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded South Dakota State University $468,522 under the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (CFDA 10.514) on October 1, 2025, to deliver nutrition education and policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives addressing obesity and chronic disease among low-income South Dakota residents, with emphasis on tribal communities.

The award funds peer educator-led nutrition education delivered to low-income families, with focus on parents and adult caregivers responsible for feeding young children, pregnant teens, youth, and children across 15 South Dakota counties: Minnehaha, Roberts, Charles Mix, Lyman, Todd, Buffalo, Corson, Dewey, Ziebach, Stanley, Hughes, Pennington, Brule, Davison, and Oglala Lakota. Most service counties overlap tribal lands. The program builds on established relationships within tribal communities including youth centers, Indian Health Services, tribal leadership, schools, coalitions, and regional health boards. Staff serve as extension connectors to tribal communities in locations where they are often the only extension personnel present. State-level collaborative work includes the South Dakota Healthy Nutrition Collaborative formed in 2024.

Performance occurs at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, with period of performance from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2030. This is a formula grant to an 1862 land-grant institution under EFNEP's federal extension structure.

The healthy families and communities program is structured with the intent of addressing the challenges of obesity and chronic disease among south dakota residents, primarily in tribal communities and low-income residents. The program supports the land grant mission and is a core strategy under the family, food and wellness (FFW) nutrition security goal. This program leverages multiple funding streams to best serve the communities we work with through both direct education and policy, systems and environmental (PSE) changes. Expanded food and nutrition education program (EFNEP) uses peer educators (PARAPROFESSIONALS) to teach program participants how to improve their nutritional health and wellbeing. EFNEP focuses on low-income families with an emphasis on parents and other adult caregivers who have primary responsibility for feeding young children, pregnant teens, youth, and children. The counties served under this program include the following: minnehaha, roberts, charles mix, lyman, todd, buffalo, corson, dewey, ziebach, stanley, hughes, pennington, brule, davison and oglala lakota. Most of the counties served overlap with tribal land. Our staff play a critical role in reaching tribal communities and are often the only extension personnel serving and engaged in these locations. This program has built numerous, long standing relationships within the tribal communities with both individuals and organizations including youth centers, indian health services, tribal chairmen, schools, coalitions, tribal, regional and state department of transportations, researchers, great plains tribal leaders health board, and more. Because these staff are often the only extension personnel serving in these locations, they are connectors for both extension and university system to these communities. In addition to county level service, we provide state-level service and collaborations through the program. The south dakota healthy nutrition collaborative was formed in 2024 with support for staff time on the steering committee leading the effort. This collaborative convenes stakeholders in nutrition and impacts state and local level work. In january 2025, the south dakota active transportation network was formed. Our program has led the effort in convening stakeholders such as department of transportation (DOT) (tribal and state), american heart association (AHA), american association of retired persons (AARP), sdsu, etc., establishing a mission, vision and goals. Our program will continue to lead this important effort that has the potential to impact active transportation not only in tribal communities but also statewide.