rural development research: a review of key issues
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Rural Development Research: A Review of Key Issues. Bo Beaulieu Southern Rural Development Center. 2010 WAAESD/SAAESD Joint Meeting March 22-25 --- Virginia Beach, VA. ESS 2012 Working Priorities. Bioenergy, Feedstocks, Bioproducts, Conversion and Logistics Health and Nutrition - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Rural Development Research: A Review of Key Issues
Bo Beaulieu
Southern Rural Development Center
2010 WAAESD/SAAESD Joint MeetingMarch 22-25 --- Virginia Beach, VA
ESS 2012 Working Priorities
• Bioenergy, Feedstocks, Bioproducts, Conversion and Logistics
• Health and Nutrition
• Climate Change, Mitigation and Adaptation
• Food Safety
• Food Security and Hunger
Where Rural Development Fits In
• Many 2012 ESS priorities will require social sciences and/or rural development inputs
• Purpose today is to identify rural development issues that could benefit from expanded research by LGUs
• Hope is to incorporate these in the:o Science Roadmapo NIFA’s Institute of Family, Youth and
Communities priorities
Source: Flor and Flora 2007
The Big RD Picture:Components of Vibrant Communities and Regions
Political Capital
Cultural Capital
Natural Capital
Human Capital
Financial Capital
Social Capital
Components of Healthy, Vibrant Communities &
Regions
Built Capital
Source: Flora and Flora 2007
Some of the Key Issues . . .
• Self-employment (economic capital)
• Creative workers (human capital)
• Broadband access (built capital)
• Regional development (multiple capitals)
• Civic capacity (social capital)
• RIDGE Food Assistance Center (shameless self-promotion)
Growth in the Rural Self-Employed
YEAR Total Workers
Proprietors(in 1000s)
% of Total Workers
1990 21,462 3,492 16.3%
1995 23,490 4,006 17.0%
2000 25,232 4,550 18.0%
2007 26,540 5,511 20.8%
Average Income of Non-Farm Proprietors in the U.S., 1990-2007
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2007
Metro Micro Noncore
Average Annual Earnings (in nominal $)
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Information Systems
Research Questions *. . . • What is driving self-employment
(i.e., opportunity or necessity)?• What strategies can strengthen earnings? • Do community policies matter (access to capital; health
insurance) to survival? • How can peer-to-peer networks in geographically
dispersed areas be fostered?• Can an area’s competitive advantages be
linked to new business start-ups and entrepreneurial activities?
* Drawn, in part, from insights provided by Stephan Goetz, NERCRD
•
Creative Workers in Rural Areas• Richard Florida has pretty much dismissed
rural areas as havens of creative workers• But others (RTS, ERS) have noted that
creative workers are present in rural areas:“The creative economy is populated by large numbers of microenterprises, enterprises without employees, part-time businesses, secondary or supplementary sources of income that are vital to a family’s livelihood . . . ”
• Includes arts, crafts cultural heritage, tourism
Creative Workers: Research Issues• How can we better map the presence,
nature, and impact of rural-based creative workers? What’s the “rural version” of Florida’s work?
• What factors are crucial for the development of an internal pipeline of creative workers?
• What are the key factors that attract creative workers to rural places? What community support systems are vital?
• What impact do creative workers have on the rural economy?
Regional Economic Development
• Many rural communities are struggling to survive in a highly competitive global marketplace
• Regional economic development strategies are becoming increasing more attractive to rural areas
• In January 2010, Secretary Vilsack stated that . . .
“an overhaul of our approach to economic development in rural America is long overdue.”
USDA’s Investment Plans . . .
• Pursue rural economic development on a regional basis
• Help regions prepared to pool their resources and talent
• Invest rural development program resources in a coordinated fashion
• Identify resources in other federal agencies to help advance regional development
Research Issues that LGUs Can Tackle
• How do we determine regional competitive advantage (approaches / tools)?
• What are the current & emerging opportunities (clusters, economic geography, innovation)?
• How does regional development get done (i.e., governance)?
• How do we measure impacts (on communities and regions)?
• What policies are crucial to helping regional development thrive?
Broadband in Rural America• Broadband Technology Opportunity Program
(BTOP) • Funded at $4.7 billion (NTIA & USDA’s RUS)• Three areas of focus:
o Deploy broadband infrastructure in
unserved and underserved areas;o Enhance broadband capacity at public computer
centers;o Encourage sustainable adoption of broadband
service
• Critical to track these investments and determine their impacts on rural areas
Rural Broadband Research Issues
• Refining measures to assess availability -- including determining what constitutes unserved and underserved areas
• Factors shaping broadband availability and its use
• Examining adoption/diffusion of broadband (by farmers, businesses, local governments, key community institutions)
• Impact on the local economy, such as. . .
o Does it attract knowledge/creative workers? Spur a growth in telework? Advance the use of e-commerce activities?
Investing in Civic Capacity
• Vitality of rural areas depends on an active citizenry
• Increasing cry by individuals and groups to have a voice
• What are the strategies for investing in civic capacity, in collaborative governance? What are the outcomes?
• How does population diversity and other local features shape capacity?
Another Wrinkle in Civic Engagement: Transdisciplinary Research
• This type of research calls for:o Expanded role of citizens in co-producing
knowledgeoUniversity researchers, practitioners, community
members, local leaders, business owners, and other beneficiaries working together in solving pressing local, national, global problems
• Increasingly, LGU-research will be urged to embrace this type of approach
RIDGE Center for Targeted Studies• SRDC selected as location of this new Center
• Funded by ERS/USDA
• Purpose is to explore the socioeconomic components of food assistance and nutrition issues
• Goals are fivefold:
o Focus on the needs of key populationsoExpand network of researcherso Invest in doctoral student research oEnhance linkages to eXtension CoPsoCommunicate findings to
a variety of audiences