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Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships

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An outdoor scene at Owl Bluff Farm showing a group of people gathered near a blue A-frame building and a tall silo, with vegetable beds and a plant propagation table in the foreground.

The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) bring together community and University knowledge and resources to drive sustainability in four focus areas: agriculture and food systems, clean energy, natural resources and resilient communities. We support local projects through five regional boards made up of community members and University faculty and staff. We also support multi-region food systems work across Greater Minnesota and provide energy programming through the Clean Energy Resource Teams.

Features

RSDP projects

Learn about our community-driven projects in agriculture and food systems, clean energy, natural resources, and resilient communities. See our work across Minnesota by region and focus area.

How we do our work

The University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) work to sustain Minnesota's natural resources and rural communities by working with communities to address sustainability issues.

Submit an idea to RSDP

Have an idea to improve the sustainability of your community? We’d love to hear from you!

Get connected

Empowering Small Minnesota Communities

The Empowering Small Minnesota Communities (ESMC) program is a collaboration with the University of Minnesota to support small communities in becoming well-positioned to benefit from federal, state and local investments.

Become a board member

Learn more about opportunities to work with fellow community members and University faculty and staff who are passionate about sustainability in your region.

Become a work group member

Serve as an ambassador for RSDP in your community and help us identify local sustainability needs and ideas.

Submit an idea to RSDP

Have an idea to improve the sustainability of your community? We’d love to hear from you!

RSDP Happenings

Stories about RSDP's work with communities across Minnesota.

Contacts for RSDP

Reach out to RSDP staff to learn more about our work in your community.

Connect with environmental impact goals

Connect your community projects to research focused in the areas of safe drinking water, sustainable land use, and building a carbon-neutral Minnesota.

Regions we work in

Food systems work

Supply chains

We work to build the relationships that bring University crop research to farmers, markets and, ultimately, dinner plates.

Deep winter greenhouses

Deep winter greenhouses in Minnesota can be used to grow cold-hardy crops that thrive with minimal light, providing year-round production capacity for small-scale farmers and gardeners. Learn how to build one and if it is right for you.

Rural grocery stores

RDSP conducted statewide surveys to understand the needs and challenges of rural grocery owners. See what we learned and sign up for webinars to support your small grocery business.

Clean energy work

Clean Energy Resource Teams

Our energy programming is provided by the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), a statewide partnership helping individuals and their communities advance community-based clean energy projects.

Regional steering committees

CERTs regional steering committees form the clean energy work groups for each RSDP region and work closely with our regional boards.

News

Mulching red clover cover crop with a flail mower.
MISA enters new era with transition to University of Minnesota Extension

The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) is transitioning to a new model with new leadership and an updated relationship with University of Minnesota Extension.

Erik Heimark displays his carrot harvest at Maple Ridge Produce.
Farmstands increase options for farmers and consumers

Whether it’s a roadside shed or a repurposed hay wagon displaying goods, Minnesota farmstands serve as direct sales points that connect producers with consumers.

Ambulance on road.
Addressing burnout in rural healthcare workers through online courses

New online courses tackle rural healthcare burnout and staffing shortages in northeastern Minnesota.

Explore our projects by region and focus area

Explore our projects
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© 2026 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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