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Rural Ontario Institute invests in ag-sector leadership and rural development

The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is investing up to $620,300 in ag-sector leadership and rural development from 2023 to 2025 through funding from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

“We are delighted to receive this recent announcement of funding from Ontario,” Joe Dietrich, ROI board chair, said in a March 24 news release. “This support will be leveraged alongside partners, donors and sponsors to ensure continued impact of ROI initiatives for rural communities.”

Funds will support rural community economic and leadership development through ROI’s Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) and the Rural Change Makers (RMC) youth leadership program. The release said that the funds will bolster data tools and resources that connect and inform rural communities including ROI’s Rural Community Wellbeing Project, Rural Ontario Facts, and interactive dashboards.

AALP is an 18-month experiential executive leadership program for the agriculture and food industry, and has graduated more than 500 agriculture leaders.

“Salient data tools and strong leaders are needed to move rural communities forward in businesses, organizations, associations and on farms,” said Ellen Sinclair, ROI executive director. “They allow us to better understand the health and wellbeing of our communities and seize opportunities to address rural priorities that optimize social, economic and community development capacity within rural sectors.”