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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 University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) work to sustain Minnesota's natural resources and rural communities by addressing community-identified sustainability issues in partnership with the University of Minnesota.

We work in partnership with communities

Each year we support around 150 community-driven projects across Greater Minnesota.

219
# projects supported in 2026
18,000
Volunteer hours contributed
4,500
Deep winter greenhouse blueprints downloaded

Do you have an idea for improving sustainability in your community?

Here's how the process works

We'd love to hear from you. Ideas can be submitted at any time.

1. Submit an idea for your community

Ideas for projects are brought forward by communities, as well as University of Minnesota faculty and departments. These projects foster innovation, deepen understanding and build relationships that empower Greater Minnesota communities to advance their sustainability.

2. Our board reviews your submission

Community projects are reviewed and approved by our five regional boards.

3. Approved projects are connected with community-University partnerships

We connect approved projects to University of Minnesota resources. In many cases, we connect projects to students and faculty who can work with partners to shape and carry out their project vision. We work in partnership with communities, bringing together diverse teams who collaborate through the life of a project.

Submit your idea

Building sustainability partnerships in 5 Greater Minnesota regions

We do our work through five regional boards serving the Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest regions of Greater Minnesota.

Each board is made up of community members with backgrounds and interests in our four sustainability focus areas, as well as University faculty and staff from a wide range of departments. These community and University representatives work hand-in-hand to review and support community-driven sustainability projects. 

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News

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.

Flail mower tractor.
Fairhaven Farm invests in new equipment and healthy soils

Northeast farmer develops and implements a soil health blueprint for his farm with a little help from RSDP.

Community-University built resources

Applications for RSDP funding have inspired successful projects across Minnesota, brought to fruition through community-University partnerships. These resources are the direct result of community members like you bringing ideas forward. We encourage you to use these tools to inform your business, small farm, or local sustainability initiatives.

 

Bedrock principles

Since our founding by the Minnesota Legislature in 1997, three bedrock principles have shaped our work and formed the basis on which we evaluate our effectiveness.

  1. Building and strengthening partnership between the University of Minnesota and the communities and community members it serves.
  2. Strengthening the long-term social, economic, and environmental health of Greater Minnesota through active community leadership.
  3. Advancing the understanding of regional sustainability by investing in research, education and outreach projects.
Two women bend over to harvest blueberries in a lush, green forest area.
In partnership with RSDP and the University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry Center, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s Agricultural Division is working towards increasing tribal community access to and knowledge of Anishinaabe blueberry production.

How we involve community members

We do our work through 5 regional boards serving the Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest regions of Greater Minnesota. 

Each board is made up of community members with backgrounds and interests in our four sustainability focus areas, as well as University faculty and staff from a wide range of departments. These community and University representatives work hand-in-hand to review and support community-driven sustainability projects.

  • Community-member work groups with expertise in each sustainability focus area support the work of our boards. 
  • Work groups identify and provide input on project ideas before they are sent to the board for review. 
  • Staff work in partnership with applicants to develop their community project ideas.

Interested in joining the RSDP team?

“Without RSDP, many projects wouldn’t get the spark to start or spark to expand that they need. The relationships and networking between projects and the UMN is just remarkable and an excellent and very creative use of the land-grant mission. It’s connecting the people to the people’s University.”

—RSDP board member

Areas of focus

As part of the University of Minnesota Extension, the Parternships bring together local talent and resources with University of Minnesota knowledge and seed funding to drive sustainability in four area:

  1. Sustainable agriculture and food systems
  2. Resilient communities
  3. Natural resources
  4. Clean energy 
Two youth in matching outfits embrace, backs facing the camera, as they watch a dance performance.
Uniendo Culturas in St. James hosts a community-wide, multicultural fiesta with support from Southwest RSDP.

Expanding focus areas

Sustainable agriculture and food systems

Our statewide food systems staff advance sustainable agriculture and local foods work across Greater Minnesota.

These staff develop relationships that move University crop research from lab to farm to table, provide resources and support for rural grocers, and test and share new agricultural production and distribution techniques. Learn more about our statewide food systems work.

Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs)

RSDP’s energy work is supported by the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), a statewide partnership that connects individuals and their communities to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. 

Regional CERT steering committees form the clean energy work group in each RSDP region.

Statewide Coordinating Committee

A Statewide Coordinating Committee provides leadership and coordinates work across regions. This statewide body is composed of staff and board members from each region, an at-large community representative, and representatives from our four partner colleges: 

RSDP does not work in the following Twin Cities metro counties: Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, or Wright.

Events

Mary J. Page Community-University Partnerships Fund

The Mary Page fund connects student ideas and skills to community-driven projects across the state. These projects help communities realize their sustainability visions and have shaped the educational experiences and career paths of students.

Learn more about Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships

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