Community gardens provide a variety of learning opportunities and foster multiple societal benefits including environmental stewardship, social capital, food security, and civic engagement. When community gardens are viewed solely through the lenses of food production or healthy food access, Extension and its partners miss opportunities to understand and amplify other direct and indirect impacts that […]
Stress is a part of daily life, but when we face continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between those stressors, stress can become chronic and toxic. The effects of stress can lead to physical and emotional diseases, causing a burden on our health care system as well as personal problems that can otherwise be avoided […]
Youth leadership development is critical in building civic capacity, social capital, and long-term community sustainability in local communities. Programs that teach useful skills and build the self-confidence of young people ensure capable, effective leaders for the next generation. In addition, recent national trends including an increase in youth civic service and a new emphasis on […]
Approximately 44% of the population in Wisconsin’s Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette counties relies on private groundwater wells. Collectively, these residents are served by over 18,000 wells. Private wells are not monitored or regulated by federal, state, or local governments; instead, homeowners are responsible for the maintenance and testing of their private well, including any treatment […]
Parental incarceration is an adverse childhood experience that affects many Wisconsin households, with more than 100,500 individuals under correctional supervision and people of color being disproportionately affected. About 88,000 children in Wisconsin have or have had a parent in jail or prison during their childhood. This is harmful to children’s development and can create near-term […]
Social isolation and loneliness are critical concerns for both physical and mental health. The experience of isolation and loneliness results in a cascade of stress hormones and inflammation in the body and has been associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, suicide, physical conditions such as heart disease, and even increased risk of premature mortality. […]
Private wells are the primary water source for approximately one-third of Wisconsin residents. Approximately 9% of private wells are above accepted health guidelines for nitrate-nitrogen in drinking water. Between 15-25% of private wells contain coliform bacteria—an indicator of potential pathways for harmful pathogens that enter a well water system. Private wells do not benefit from […]
To afford the average two-bedroom apartment in Wisconsin, a renter needs to earn a minimum of $17.27 per hour. The average Wisconsin renter earns only $14.32 per hour. Close to 90% of extremely low-income Wisconsin residents (with incomes of 0 to 30% of the area median income) are housing cost-burdened—meaning they pay more than 30% […]
Food security has taken on a new prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic through major disruptions to access to healthy foods and family economic conditions. Extension and the Milwaukee Farmers Market Coalition tackled both, more than doubling the amount of federal food assistance used in Milwaukee-area markets. Ten Milwaukee farmers markets recorded $150,000 in sales in […]
Cranberries are Wisconsin’s largest fruit industry and an important economic driver. The almost $1 billion industry employs nearly 4,000 people in Wisconsin. Cranberry marshes cover 21,000 acres of Wisconsin’s land. Wisconsin produces more cranberries than any other state, with more than 60 percent of the United States’ production coming from the state. Consumers at home […]
