Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
Target Audience: The targeted audience consist of four counties that are centrally located in the eastern Arkansas Delta region. These counties, Lee, Monroe, Phillips and St. Francis, had an estimated total population of 67,239 in 2008. Three of the counties, Lee Phillips and, are Black majority counties (Census. 2009). The area, an alluvial plain squeezed between the Mississippi River on the east and the bottomlands of the White River on the west, has produced a history rich in racial division and economic disparity. All four of the targeted counties, like most of the Delta have suffered from persistent poverty and chronically high rates of out-migration. These conditions continue to erode the region and marginalize too many people. All four counties are persistent poverty counties with poverty rates of more than 20% on every Census since 1970. Most significantly, the 2007 estimated poverty rates are higher than the poverty rates found in the 2000 Census. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project proved business startup training, niche market development, healthy/nutritional dieting and food safety training. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The ressults have been disseminated to communities by newsletters, informational mailouts and by workshops/seminars. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The wholesale entity, American Heartland Produce,was formed and established as a Limited Liability Company. However, we were not able to raised sufficient capital to launch/startup the business.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
Target Audience: The targeted audience consist of four counties that are centrally located in the eastern Arkansas Delta region. These counties, Lee, Monroe, Phillips and St. Francis, had an estimated total population of 67,239 in 2008. Three of the counties, Lee Phillips and, are Black majority counties (Census. 2009). The area, an alluvial plain squeezed between the Mississippi River on the east and the bottomlands of the White River on the west, has produced a history rich in racial division and economic disparity. All four of the targeted counties, like most of the Delta have suffered from persistent poverty and chronically high rates of out-migration. These conditions continue to erode the region and marginalize too many people. All four counties are persistent poverty counties with poverty rates of more than 20% on every Census since 1970. Most significantly, the 2007 estimated poverty rates are higher than the poverty rates found in the 2000 Census. Changes/Problems: Broad scale poverty continue to be a major barrier to the project. Startups almost never get off the ground in the ever economically depressed targeted area. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? The project offered and provided business incubator training services. The objective here was to find the right entity that could develop into a marketing entity. Training was also provided on value added produce sales and marketing. Healthy/nutritional diets were emphasized during community meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results were communicated through newsletters and through workshops at the company's regional conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Continue to pursue development of a marketing entity. Links with local farmers' cooperative will continue to be worked at with the objective of marketing local foods through convience stores and local retail markets.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A local foods whole entity, American Heartland Produce,was formed. However, all effort to raised capital for this entity was insufficient to fund a startup business.
Publications
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