FRANKFORT — Martin County will serve as a hands-on training site for a new $2 million Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant that will expand Kentucky State University’s education, workforce training and Cooperative Extension work in Eastern Kentucky.
The four-year project will use land in Martin County provided by Renew Appalachia for on-site restoration training and outreach. Participants will gain field experience in land restoration, land management, soil and site monitoring, and other practices supporting ecological recovery and economic redevelopment in communities affected by the coal economy.
Kentucky State will lead the project through a new Center of Excellence focused on workforce preparation, land restoration and long-term economic recovery in Eastern Kentucky. The center will provide practical, research-based training for residents, landowners, practitioners, community partners and other stakeholders across Central Appalachia.
Plans call for 13 training programs aligned with state, regional and ARC economic development priorities. The programs are expected to train approximately 1,000 local stakeholders while helping communities build skills in restoration planning, land management, measuring restoration outcomes and market-based approaches to restoring working landscapes.
Renew Appalachia has made its entire landholding available for this program and will serve as a key project partner. Its Martin County site will connect classroom instruction with field application and community benefit.
“Millions of acres across Appalachia have been disturbed by surface mining, and much of this land sits idle with impaired ecosystem function,” said Clifford Smith, founder and managing director of Renew Appalachia. “Surrounding communities currently derive limited benefit from these sites.
“This project will be important to unleashing the agricultural potential of reclaimed mine lands. It will provide critical capacity building to allow communities to implement agricultural practices that also improve ecosystem performance, providing a key to uplift long-struggling communities in Appalachia.”
The project will be led by Dr. Buddhi Gyawali, professor in Kentucky State’s School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, part of the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources. Gyawali’s work includes more than a decade of community engagement in Martin and Pike counties.
“This grant will be instrumental in expanding Kentucky State University’s education, Extension, and workforce training in Eastern Kentucky,” Gyawali said. “Through this Center of Excellence, we will help prepare a 21st-century workforce while supporting economic revitalization and ecological recovery in communities across the region.”
Kentucky State will collaborate with Virginia Tech, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Tennessee State University. Together, the institutions will address the need for landscape-scale restoration skills through virtual instruction, hands-on field training and community-based learning.
At Kentucky State, the award also strengthens the university’s growing research and grant profile. Kentucky State is the Commonwealth’s only public historically Black college and university and an 1890 land-grant university. Its Carnegie classification places it in the Research Colleges and Universities category, and National Science Foundation HERD survey data show Kentucky State has the Commonwealth’s third-largest university research portfolio, behind the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
“This award reflects exactly how Kentucky State serves the Commonwealth through education, training, Extension, and applied research,” Kentucky State President Koffi C. Akakpo said. “Our faculty and staff are building partnerships, strengthening communities, and preparing students and residents for the future of work.”
Support from state and federal leaders helped strengthen Kentucky State’s application. The project received letters of support from 12 state senators and representatives and two U.S. representatives, reflecting shared recognition of the need for coordinated investment in Eastern Kentucky’s workforce, land and long-term economic future.
Ten additional Kentucky State faculty and staff co-principal investigators will help support training, outreach and implementation. Their participation will expand the center’s capacity to deliver education and hands-on learning across multiple areas of expertise.
Dr. Marcus Bernard, dean of the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources and director of Kentucky State’s 1890 Land-Grant Program, said the award reflects the value of land-grant service rooted in community needs.
“Eastern Kentucky communities have deep knowledge of their land, their history, and their economic future,” Bernard said. “Kentucky State’s role is to bring training, Extension expertise, and land-grant partnerships to support local leadership and long-term opportunity.”
Dr. Suraj Upadhaya, assistant professor of sustainable systems in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, will serve as co-project director. Gyawali, Upadhaya and the broader Kentucky State project team will guide the center’s training, outreach and workforce development work.
The ARC POWER Initiative, formally the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, supports projects that help Appalachian communities affected by changes in the coal economy create jobs, attract investment and build long-term economic resilience. Kentucky State’s project connects that regional priority with the university’s work in land restoration, natural resource management, workforce training and Extension outreach.
Appalachian Regional Commission project number PW-22890 is expected to move into implementation in the coming months. Additional information about training opportunities and launch activities will be announced later.