West virginia's persistent socioeconomic challenges, including low educational attainment, high rates of chronic disease, and declining rural infrastructure, limit the state's ability to compete in an…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded West Virginia University $1.652 million on October 1, 2025, under the Payments to Agricultural Experiment Stations Under the Hatch Act program (CFDA 10.203).

The award supports applied interdisciplinary research addressing West Virginia's socioeconomic challenges across four priority areas: maximizing energy, land, and water resources; building workforce readiness; improving health outcomes; and rebuilding rural communities. Research activities include studies on artificial intelligence education, smart manufacturing, and digital infrastructure to inform career pathways and upskilling models; public health research on chronic disease prevention, opioid misuse reduction, and behavioral health interventions; optimization of natural resource use through research in precision agriculture, forest and water systems management, and biosecurity innovations; and development of community revitalization frameworks through research in land use planning, environmental restoration, and rural economic development.

Deliverables include peer-reviewed publications, enhanced student curricula, data-driven policy briefs, predictive models, and decision-support tools for community and industry use. Expected outcomes encompass increased understanding of educational, economic, and environmental conditions shaping rural well-being; validated strategies to enhance agricultural competitiveness and public health; an increased number of next-generation agriculturists; and scalable models for community development and revitalization.

Performance occurs in Morgantown, West Virginia, with the period of performance extending from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027.

West virginia's persistent socioeconomic challenges, including low educational attainment, high rates of chronic disease, and declining rural infrastructure, limit the state's ability to compete in an increasingly knowledge-based, technology-driven economy. This federal award will support applied interdisciplinary research that aligns with our four priority areas: maximizing energy, land, and water resources; building workforce readiness; improving health outcomes; and rebuilding rural communities. Our research endeavors will focus on accelerating innovation across agriculture, health, natural resources, and workforce development. Activities will focus on these critical areas: (1) advancing workforce readiness through studies on artificial intelligence (AI) education, smart manufacturing, and digital infrastructure to inform career pathways and upskilling models for both youth and adults; (2) conducting public health research on chronic disease prevention, opioid misuse reduction, and behavioral health interventions; (3) optimizing natural resource use through research in precision agriculture, forest and water systems management, and biosecurity innovations to increase food, fuel, and fiber production; and (4) developing community revitalization frameworks through research in land use planning, environmental restoration, and rural economic development. Deliverables will include peer-reviewed publications, enhanced student curricula, datadriven policy briefs, predictive models, and decision-support tools for community and industry use. Expected outcomes include increased understanding of the educational, economic, and environmental conditions shaping rural well-being; validated strategies to enhance agricultural competitiveness and public health; increased number of next generation agriculturists, and scalable models for community development and revitalization. Intended beneficiaries include students, educators, farmers, healthcare professionals, communities, youth, families, industries, and rural leaders working to capitalize on emerging opportunities across west virginia. By leveraging the unique strengths of west virginia's land-grant research enterprise, this work will drive transformational change that informs national best practices and contributes to long-term prosperity in appalachia.