Find Rural Health Programs and Resources
The USDA has many programs and resources that can support rural communities improve their health and quality of life, but many programs do not have “health” in the title or description. To help rural community leaders and others to identify which USDA programs and resources can help improve a rural community’s health, a USDA Rural Health Inventory tool has been developed.
This tool is a curated library of active USDA’s programs and resources that support rural health. You can use the filters at the top to simplify your search in finding the programs and resources available by Sub-Agency, Program Type, or Assistance Type. Select the Rurality Requirement box to show programs and resources eligible for rural communities only.
Rural health programs are the emphasis, but this library is inclusive of all health programs.
The Animal Health and Disease (Section 1433) opportunity is a national-scope capacity program that distributes federal funds on a formula basis to all eligible entities, including all State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) and AVMA accredited US Colleges or Schools of veterinary medicine, for the support of research projects addressing health and disease of agricultural animals.
The Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust makes funds available to provide emergency humanitarian food assistance to developing countries. When a food crisis arises and food aid is not available from other U.S. government programs, the Secretary of Agriculture may authorize the release of funds from the trust in order to quickly meet immediate needs. Cash in the trust provides the U.S. government with the flexibility to purchase appropriate U.S. commodities based on availability and specific needs.
Through the Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) Program, FAS partners with private voluntary organizations, cooperatives, and the World Food Program to implement field-based projects that provide development assistance and emergency relief using locally procured commodities.
The Food for Progress Program helps developing countries and emerging democracies modernize and strengthen their agricultural sectors. U.S. agricultural commodities donated to recipient countries are sold on the local market and the proceeds are used to support agricultural, economic, or infrastructure development programs.
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program helps support education, child development and food security in low-income, food-deficit countries around the globe. The program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities, as well as financial and technical assistance, to support school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects.
Integrates the nation's food testing laboratories at the local, stat, and federal levels into a network that is able to respond to emergencies involving biological, chemical, or radiological contamination of food. The FERN structure is organized to ensure federal and state interagency participation and cooperation in the formation, development, and operation of the network.
This online tool is part of an ongoing effort by FSIS to help protect the nation's supply of meat, poultry, and egg products from intentional contamination.
MyPlate is the current nutrition guide published by the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and serves as a recommendation based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Team Nutrition, an initiative of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, supports national efforts to promote lifelong healthy food choices and physical activity by improving the nutrition practices of the child nutrition programs. We provide resources to schools, child care settings, and summer meal sites that participate in these programs.
The WIC Works Resource System (WIC Works) is an online education, training and resource center for State, local and clinic staff administering the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It is a project of the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).