Overview

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Prosperity for sustainable and secure communities will always be a matter of public interest. There is a need to strengthen the capacity of local citizens to be key players in guiding the future of their rural communities; a need to provide resources for local decision makers to make informed choices in addressing regional and national issues; and a need to help families, communities, farms and ranches, and businesses attain prosperity and security. CSREES helps to build rural and community prosperity through research, education, and extension, much of it led by the CSREES Regional Rural Development Centers with their many partners in the university system and in communities across the country. CSREES promotes economic and community development through national program leadership, funding for integrated research, education and extension activities, and strategic partnerships and collaborations.

In Focus

• The Business Retention and Expansion Consultant Online Course helps participants further economic development endeavors in their community.
• Rural E-Commerce Extension Initiative helps small, rural businesses develop and adopt e-commerce practices.
• Four CSREES Regional Rural Development Centers link Land-Grant University System resources with local citizens to help shape communities for the future.

Partnerships

• CSREES Partners with the Appalachian Regional Commission to support value-added agriculture and renewable energy.
• CSREES partners with other USDA agencies and the National Rural Funders Collaborative to expand resources available for rural communities and families.

Events

• Competitive Grants Grantsmanship Workshops, Washington, DC/Salt Lake City, UT, September/October, 2008.
• Global Youth Enterprise Conference, Washington, D.C., September 15-16, 2008.
• Galaxy III Conference: "Celebrating the Extension System: Strengths, Diversity, and Unique Qualities," Indianapolis, IN, September 15-19, 2008.


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Selected Results and Impacts

• North Carolina's Farmland Values Project uses CSREES funds to explore the non-farm values of agricultural land.
• The Rural Poverty Research Center hosts multiple conferences to expand research on rural poverty.
• The CSREES-funded Sustainable Communities Grants competitive program has funded projects linking community development and sustainable agriculture in the South.


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Resources

• International Association for Society & Natural Resources. Interdisciplinary social science and natural resources research.
• Association of American Geographers. Information on regional development and planning, rural economy, and applied and rural geography.
• Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural Resource Economics Assoc. Research on land use, agricultural change, and rural amenities.


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Contacts

Sally W. Maggard

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