The purpose of the AgrAbility Project is to help increase the likelihood that farmers, ranchers, farm workers, and farm family members who are limited by any type of disability or chronic health condition employed in production agriculture or agriculture-related occupations become more successful. It’s about cultivating success in agriculture, employment, and rural life for people with disabilities and their families. The AgrAbility mission is to enhance and protect quality of life and preserve livelihoods. The AgrAbility philosophy represents the very ideals that define American agriculture. It’s about supporting and promoting growth and independence. It’s about no-limit thinking and the can-do spirit. Ultimately, AgrAbility is all about hope!
The Missouri AgrAbility Project links the Cooperative Extension Service at a land-grant university with a nonprofit disability service organization to provide practical education and direct assistance that promotes rural independence. Congress authorized the AgrAbility Project in the 1990 Farm Bill. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, administers the AgrAbility Project.
In partnership, AgrAbility staff members from University of Missouri Extension and Brain Injury Association of Missouri, Inc. provide educational workshops, on-site farmstead assessments, off-site visits, technical assistance recommendations, and resource materials to farmers, ranchers, farm workers, and family members who are limited by any type of physical, cognitive, illness-related disability, or chronic health condition.
Missouri is also proud to partner with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Rehabilitation Services for the Blind, USDA Farm Service Agency, Arthritis Foundation - Missouri, and the CDC Missouri Arthritis & Osteoporosis Program in serving agricultural workers and their family members around the state.
The Missouri AgrAbility Project is supported by funds from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under sponsored project number 2018-41590-22323.
Information is available in alternate formats upon request. Please call 1-800-995-8503.
Missouri AgrAbility Project (MAP) disclaimer: "The MAPs information comes from many sources, which are responsible for their accuracy and utility. Information accessed through the MAP does not imply endorsement. Questions regarding specific information should be directed to their respective sources."