Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Leveraging the expertise and resources of universities and colleges, important innovation-generating institutions in regional economies throughout the United States, is now more critical than ever for sustaining economic competitiveness in the global economy. The Red River Valley Research Corridor initiative serves as a catalyst for the development and growth of science and technology-based economic opportunities throughout North Dakota and the Upper Great Plains region. The focus of the Research Corridor is on three essential building blocks of our region's long-term competitiveness: building world-class research centers; training for a skilled workforce, particularly in those disciplines and skill sets that match our core S&T capabilities and; support for the region's growing technology sector. Several pre-farmgate private sector protocol systems are currently in use or in development in Europe, South America, Africa, Asia and elsewhere. These protocol systems remain largely unknown in the United States. The protocols are designed to assure consumers that the food they buy is produced only by farmers who observe an array of standards relating to food safety. Because these protocols are largely outside the scope of government oversight, they can give large food companies or alliances an ability to control access to global markets by imposing uniform production standards and certification requirements on farmers around the world. Without an understanding of the threats and opportunities and a conscious effort to shape the protocols that will be imposed, the burden of compliance will be heavier on small and medium sized American farmers. It is essential that steps be taken to gain a clear understanding of these threats and opportunities, and subsequent actions to represent the views of US farmers. The International Peace Gardens, and especially its Botanical gardens, are a resource whose potential as a learning center/ tourism destination has not been fully realized. The Gardens proximity to MSU Bottineau provides a unique opportunity to explore potential collaboration that could enhance the educational opportunities at MSU Bottineau and expand use of the physical resources at the Peace Gardens. The northern Great Plains region is facing a significant set of challenges as it enters the 21st century including youth out migration and rural population decline, a growing income divide and increasing poverty, especially impacting children, lingering and emerging racism, declining access to health care, and growing concerns about environmental degradation. These challenges are all the more acute for rural areas of the region in the face of the dramatic economic, societal and environmental changes of the last 10 years. If we are to approach change systemically, to engage the many interdependent pieces of our whole community systems, we need to learn how to move from independent, institutional action, to cross-institutional collaboration. This requires us to cultivate both the relational and the structural capacities to work together across boundaries to achieve shared aspirations.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The first objective will be to continue support of the Red River Valley Research Corridor (RRVRC) and the Red River Valley Research Coordinating Center whose purpose is to catalyze the development and growth of science and technology-based enterprises throughout the Red River Valley region in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Manitoba. The Red River Valley Research Coordinating Center coordinates the initiatives and programs of the RRVRC and serves, when appropriate, as a facilitator and promoter of collaborative activities among researchers and the business sector. The second objective is to continue UMC/NGP research on the impact of private sector protocols and the trend towards a globally harmonized system of on-farm production protocols on the regions producers and to develop regional strategies for gaining marketplace advantage for producers and processors in the Region through this research and analysis. The work will include development of the AmeriGAP system of protocols that could be benchmarked with the GlobalGAP standard. The third objective is to coordinate a strategic planning initiative between MSU Bottineau and the International Peace Gardens for the purpose of exploring how the organic farming, greenhouse production and horticulture training program at MSU Bottineau could be linked with the existing physical resources of the International Peace Gardens to create new learning and economic opportunities for North Dakota producers and expand tourism activities at the Peace Gardens. The fourth objective is to establish the Meadowlark Institute as a resource to build capacity in the region through training and services to: conduct cross-institutional collaboration; address systemic issues within organizations, communities, or businesses such as racial, cultural, gender, economic or other divides; and address conflicts based on habits, values or beliefs.
Project Methods
The Red River Valley Research Corridor will advance science and technology-based economic development in the region by the following activities: link the regions research institutions and technology companies to federal laboratories and other research partners; build relationships with other regional initiatives that complement the Research Corridor initiative; coordinate steering committee activities and communications and complete reporting functions of the corridors activities; and convene a series of action summits that will bring together researchers, policymakers, academics, business executives and opinion leaders to explore trends, issues and ideas that directly impact the research enterprise within the state. The NGP/UMC project will conduct the research on GlobalGap/AmeriGap including: keep current existing research and data on the major global private sector protocols, industry protocols and American private sector protocols; continue interviewing executives of European firms, associations and farmer organizations who have been involved in developing or administering some of the major private sector protocols; continue interviewing European farmers working under protocol obligations, as well as representatives of European farm, consumer and environmental organizations to determine actual impacts on small and medium sized European farmers; interview decision-makers in the American food industry to discover what current production protocols they demand from producers who they buy from and what their future expectations are about using or expanding production protocols; organize and conduct a study program in Europe on private sector protocols with a focus on GlobalGAP; continue membership in GlobalGAP; and organize a regional conference to discuss regional strategies for development of a regional protocol system. The NGP/UMC MSU Bottineau project will organize dialogues amongst key stakeholders to develop a plan for establishing a strategic partnership; continue hosting strategic planning dialogues among key stakeholders, expanding the number and backgrounds of stakeholders as appropriate; assist in the writing of a strategic plan for a partnership between MSU-Bottineau and the International Peace Gardens; assist with public presentations of the strategic partnership plan. The NGP/UMC project will during the first twelve months of operation of the Meadowlark Institute: establish the Institute; provide training and services to the region within the first 6 months of funding; establish a community of practice building upon the many individuals in the region that are working in the areas of social or organizational change or have skills in this area learned through personal development; build the capacity in the region to do social change through workshops, learning journeys and leadership development; establish the New Roots Youth Leadership Academy and co-sponsor one Academy; publish at least one journal article on social change in a national journal; begin raising an endowment to support its work.