In early October 2011, the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ford Foundation convened a National Conference on Rural Wealth Creation and Livelihoods in Washington, DC. More than 170 rural development practitioners, policy-makers, researchers, funders and others from all regions of the country participated.
"Wealth" can include a broad range of assets that contribute to human well-being, including physical, natural, financial, human, intellectual, social, political and cultural capital. Fostering wealth creation that leads to improved livelihoods in rural America is a top priority for USDA and for many regional, state and local research and development initiatives. The conference brought together researchers, rural development practitioners and policy-makers who are working on regional and rural development issues to discuss and facilitate a common understanding of:
- What do "wealth" and "wealth creation" mean?
- What works, where, and why—or why not—to promote wealth creation that improves rural livelihoods?
- How can regional policies and programs contribute to wealth creation that sticks in rural areas?
- How can we measure rural wealth creation progress, maintenance and outcomes?
The conference was intended to begin to develop a practical, results-relevant dialog among the research, practitioner and policy communities and initiate a community of practice focused on rural wealth creation and livelihoods.
What’s Available
Conference Website: Access speeches, presentations and other content from the conference and join in the ongoing conversation at http://tinyurl.com/ruralwealth1
Secretary Vilsack on Rural Wealth Creation: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack gave the keynote address at the conference. A transcript of his remarks is available.
Publications: John Pender of ERS organized an invited paper session titled "Rural Wealth Creation" at the American Agricultural Economics Association’s annual meeting, July 24-26, 2011 in Pittsburgh, PA. The papers from this session are forthcoming in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and are available online:
John Pender, Alexander Marré, and Richard Reeder. “Rural Wealth Creation: Concepts, Measures, and Strategies”. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, first published online November 22, 2011. doi:10.1093/ajae/aar076
Yong Chen and Bruce Weber. “Federal Policy, Rural Community Growth, and Wealth Creation: The Impact of the Federal Forest Policy and Rural Development Spending in the Pacific Northwest”. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, first published online November 15, 2011. doi:10.1093/ajae/aar065
J. Matthew Fannin, John D. Barreca, and Joshua D. Detre. “The Role of Public Wealth in Recovery and Resiliency to Natural Disasters in Rural Communities”. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, first published online November 15, 2011. doi:10.1093/ajae/aar068
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