Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities

ACSRC Director Dr. Clark Banack and Dr. Rebecca Purc-Stephenson for collectively receiving over $800,000 in funding from SSHRC Insight Grants to support their research! Banack's research will explore the social and political implications of the consolidation, death, and even rebirth, of local newspapers in rural Canada and the USA. Purc-Stephenson's research will look at how farmer identities shape meaning, inclusion, and agricultural well-being. Dr. Rebecca Purc-Stephenson is part of our research fellow network and one of our executive council members, congratulations!

U of A researchers receive nearly $8 million in new funding from SSHRC University of Alberta researchers will seek new insights into culture and language, education, artificial intelligence, climate adaptation and more, thanks to nearly $8 million in new grants from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada.

Our annual report is out! Learn about our projects, the communities we work with and the folks that help make it happen!

https://www.ualberta.ca/en/alberta-centre-sustainable-rural-communities/about-us/acsrc-annual-report_2025-26.pdf

U of A Augustana University of Alberta - Sustainability University of Alberta

Check out what AgWell Alberta has been up to!

Some boreal forest species fail to recover even 100 years after clearcutting: study New University of Alberta-led research suggests that if current clearcutting cycles continue, certain slow-recovering forest communities may disappear.

Farmers in Alberta are invited to participate in this research project!
Please send it along to your farming friends.

**Help Us Spread the Word**

🌾 Farmers know a lot about weathering through hard times.

Most farmers don't need a lecture, and they don't always need professional help. Sometimes they need practical ways to manage the daily pressures that come with farming, from weather and finances to uncertainty and long hours.

AgWell is looking for Alberta farmers to participate in a research project exploring the strategies farmers use to stay steady under pressure. What works and what doesn't work for farmers?

Your feedback will help us develop practical, farm-informed resources that fit the realities of farm life and support other farmers in Alberta.

Because some of the best ideas come from the people living it every day.

Interested in sharing your perspective? We'd love to hear from you!

Rural Albertans share your experiences of accessing pharmacy services in the Access to Pharmacy Services in Rural Alberta Study!

Meet Laticia Chapman-Rainway A Q+A with Laticia Chapman-Rainway, Postdoctoral scholar at Augustana’s Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities.

Check out this podcast from the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association

"Welcome to the inaugural episode of Forage and Grasslands Unpacked, a Canadian Forage and Grassland Association podcast exploring forage, grasslands, and grazing through a multifocal lens. This season opens by grounding listeners in a deceptively simple question: What is a grassland?"

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/1-what-is-a-grassland/id1896583474?i=1000767339383

1 - What IS a Grassland? Podcast Episode · Forage and Grasslands Unpacked · May 12 · 1h 6m

"Disruptions are coming at a breakneck pace. The future belongs to those who can adapt."

"If adaptability is emerging as the prime survival skill of the 21st century, can it actually be taught?"

https://www.ualberta.ca/en/newtrail/ideas/all-hail-the-kludge-machine.html

All Hail the Kludge Machine “Recalculating.” The voice on your GPS never loses its cool when you make a move it wasn’t expecting. The graceful pivot belies the calculations happening out of sight.

A homegrown program is getting rural youth interested in taking up health-care practice in their own communities, a University of Alberta study suggests.

Check out this new study about the Young Medical Minds program in !



City of Camrose, Alberta Camrose County Alberta Health Services Covenant Health

Link to the study within the article.

https://www.ualberta.ca/en/news/spotlights/2026/05-may/cultivating-young-medical-minds.html