Listening Sessions Initiative on Rural Community, Economic, and Workforce Development
In the wake of multiple chronic challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, rural communities and small towns across the United States are beginning to build back from the associated impacts on their economies, workforces, and communities. These recovery efforts pose critical questions of where and how to invest. To identify where stakeholders engaged in rural development see the greatest need, and the greatest opportunity, the Regional Rural Development Centers embarked on a process to collect feedback through a year-long initiative, resulting in a widely shared report and data dashboard.
Funding Agency: USDA NIFA, through a partnership with Oklahoma State University and the Extension Foundation
Principal Investigator: Jason Entsminger
Lead Institution: Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development
Accompanying Institution(s): North Central Rural Development Center, Southern Rural Development Center, and Western Rural Development Center
Start Date: September, 2021 End Date: August, 2022