Progress 09/01/03 to 08/31/06
Outputs
To increase the capacity of the land-grant system to address development issues of the region, the SRDC has invested heavily in research and Extension activities over the last year. Major investments were made in Senior Fellows programs designed to increase the number of substantive research or Extension programs in support of the SRDC's major foci. Mitch Renkow researched the effects of urban and suburban expansion into rural areas, while Andrew Zekeri explored the effects of economic development efforts on growth and change in the forested regions of Alabama's Black Belt. Extension Senior Fellows teams were involved in developing cutting edge educational curricula. Gene Theodori and Greg Taylor developed a community-based planning process that Extension faculty can use to assist communities with their local social and economic systems and Mike Woods and Jim Nelson focused on businesses in local economies. A second major investment by the SRDC was in the Food
Assistance Grant Program. Twelve initiatives were funded in this program in several diverse areas. The SRDC-Southern SARE partnership again funded the Sustainable Community Innovations Grants Program to explore the interdependence of sustainable agriculture and rural communities. Five projects were funded in diverse efforts to analyze these linkages. Other research included analyzing the economic and demographic changes that have impacted rural education in the Southern United States, exploring the influence of family, school and community social capital on educational outcomes of rural youth, and continuing research efforts in the Delta Rural Revitalization Program. Research conferences (2) explored important rural development issues, including the Measuring Rural Diversity Conference that showcased work in describing economic and social activity in rural areas and the Promoting the Economic and Social Vitality of Rural America: The Role of Education conference that addressed issues
in education and human capital development. Extension-focused conferences (6) were designed to address important rural development issues, primarily in the areas of business and entrepreneurial development. Other supported conferences focused on increasing the capacity of rural stakeholders in addressing economic and social issues. Emphasis was placed on capacity enhancing programs, including the National E-commerce Demonstration Project; providing LeadershipPlenty resources to Extension faculty; and providing support for the SERA Health Project. Significant partnerships were also established. The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) established working partnerships between land-grant and community college systems. The SRDC worked with the National Rural Funders Collaborative to develop an analysis of the state of the Mid-South Delta region. Another partnership utilized the Foundation for the Mid South's Communities of Opportunities program to create a working partnership between
the Foundation and Extension in AR, LA, and MS. Support was also provided to the Rural Community College Alliance (RCCA) to help former RCCI colleges to further efforts in assisting communities in their service areas.
Impacts
In the Food Assistance Grant program, significant research output resulted from leveraging SRDC-invested resources. These included 12 professional journal articles published; 11 journal articles in review; 13 technical reports; 24 additional funding proposals; 12 dissertations/theses; 80 papers presented at professional meetings; and 10 other activities. Six issues of the Rural Diversity Policy series were published. Research output of the education conference included an issue of the Southern Perspectives series and special issues of the Journal of Research in Rural Education and the Review of Regional Studies. Also, a collection of policy briefs based on conference manuscripts was published. Expected impacts from the community development educators conference include a significant enhancement of the capacity of Extension faculty and partners to face community development issues. Almost 1,000 participants indicated that valuable programs were presented to deliver to
their clientele. The work to establish NACDEP and the RCCA has served to cement the foundations of organizations that will impact Extension and outreach activities of members through educational and applied research programs. An effort of the RCCI has been to provide community coaching training to Extension faculty. This skill is a critical component of the program and has proved valuable when applied to other programming efforts. For example, Louisiana area Extension agents successfully used community coaching skills in establishing a regional tourism organization in the Mississippi River Delta.
Publications
- Green,G.P. Workforce Development Networks in Rural Areas of the United States. SRDC Policy Series. September 2003, Number 1.
- Zekeri, A.A. Opinions of EBT Recipients and Food Retailers in the Rural South. Food Assistance Needs of the Souths Vulnerable Populations. Number 6, July 2003.
- Hernandez-Leon, R. and V. Zuniga. Social Capital of Mexican Communities in the South. Latinos in the South. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 1, Fall 2002.
- Erwin, D.O. Latino Immigration to Arkansas: Saints and Salsa Meet Poultry and Protestants. Latinos in the South. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 1, Fall 2002.
- Atiles, J.H. and S.A. Bohon. Camas Calientes. Latinos in the South. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 1, Fall 2002.
- Stanziola, J. Social Networks and Affordable Housing: The Case of Bonita Springs, Florida. Latinos in the South. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 1, Fall 2002.
- McDaniel, J. Tree Planting and Guest Worker Programs: The Growing Importance of Immigration Policy on the Rural South. Latinos in the South. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 1, Fall 2002.
- S-276 Multi-State Research Team. The Globalization of Food and How Americans Feel About It. The Globalization of Food. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 2, Winter 2003.
- Henry, M., D. Barkley, and H. Li. Education and Nonmetropolitan Income Growth in the South. Rural Education. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 3, Summer 2003.
- Mills, B. and E. Mykerezi. Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Economic Well-Being in Racially Diverse Rural Counties. Rural Education. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 3, Summer 2003.
- Green, G.P. Work-Based Learning in Rural America. Rural Education. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 3, Summer 2003.
- Goetz, S.J. and A. Rupasingha. Examining the Returns to Education in Rural Areas. Rural Education. Southern Perspectives. Volume 6, Number 3, Summer 2003.
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