Posts Tagged ‘Arkansas’

Rural Development Online: We’ve come a long ways

May 7th, 2010

(Note: It’s Friday, which means this post is a part of our “I Feel Fridays” project.  Our goal is to share stories from the past week that generated an emotional response.  We encourage readers to respond to the post or to share something from their lives in the past week. To learn more about “I Feel Fridays,” check out this post- and then tell us what you’re feeling.)

This week, I have no single story to share for “I Feel Fridays.”  But I do want to share several experiences that have left me feeling empowered by the realization that there is a growing online community of people committed to rural community development. That’s a new feeling for me.    

When we started ReImagine Rural back in 2008, I felt like I was on an island with a few other “social media crazies.”  I remember asking some of my fellow South Dakotan rural community development practitioners how they used social media tools.  Did they blog? What blogs did they read?  Did they like Facebook ?  etc…. 

Their response generally fit into two camps.  They either responded; “Social what?” or “I don’t have time for that stuff.”  Sort of made me feel like I was a dumb *&^%$ for “wasting” my time blogging.  

My connections this week

This week is a different story.  I’ve connected with a flurry of people with a passion for rural places, and I want share a bit about them. 

First, there was Mike Thomas who produces the Urban Workbench blog.  Mike describes Urban Workbench as the “the intersection between Urban Planning, Design and Civil Engineering.”  He lives and works in rural British Columbia, and writes a lot about community development and environmental sustainability.  One of his older posts was so inspirational that I highlighted it on Wednesday.

Next, I received an e-mail from Janet Naclia who works with ACE Communities in Alberta, Canada.  ACE stands for Active, Creative, Engaged Communities, and Janet described the organization as “a not-for-profit whose goal is to impact the quality of life in rural Alberta.”  Besides loving their name and mission, I was impressed by the host of bloggers associated with ACE who write about rural Alberta.  (You can check them out on the left column of their website.)

My next connection was with John C. Shepard who tweeted about an article I wrote titled “Got Interesting People.”  He also blogs at JC Shepard.  John’s had a gig in economic development for over 20 years, and currently works in Slayton, MN.  I’m actually surprised we haven’t connected before because Slayton is just 98 miles down the highway from Howard.    (I consider anything under 100 miles to be in the neighborhood.)           

My last connection of the week was with Dan Cowling.  To be honest I can’t remember how I stumbled across Dan.  He’s got a Twitter account and a blog titled “New FoundNation,” and I’m not sure which I discovered first.  Dan’s assembled a team of experienced community development professionals in Arkansas who are sharing their thoughts on rural issues.  I appreciate that Dan has recognized a “paradigm shift in community development.” In one of his earlier posts Dan wrote;  “One thing is clear: It’s time for us to realize that yet another industrial park may no longer be the answer to success. A better quality of place and a competitive workforce are the true engines of growth in this century.”  Couldn’t agree more. 

As I started following these people and organizations on Twitter and adding their blogs to my RSS reader, I realized how far the rural community development world has come in recognizing the value of social media.  I’m now worried that I can’t keep up with all the great content everyone is sharing.

 

Photo Credit:  Mykl Roventine – Flickr

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Posted in Community Engagement, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (10)

Eating Local in Rural America

December 16th, 2009

In a post titled “Eating Local, Eating Rural,” Lisa R. Pruitt recently shared her experience of eating locally grown food in her home state of Arkansas. In doing so, she provides a little inspiration to small town entrepreneurs who have a green thumb and a little culinary expertise.   

Specifically, she highlights a “new-ish, upmarket-ish Fayetteville restaurant, The Greenhouse Grille,” that purchases food directly from farmers in the region around Fayetteville, AR. 

The Greenhouse Grille is an example of an urban restaurant that prepares foods grown in rural areas.  It’s also a great example of the rural-urban linkages that economic development professionals always talk about. 

Pruitt’s article, however, causes me to wonder:  Where are the rural restaurants selling foods grown in the region? I’m not aware of any in rural South Dakota. Are rural people willing to patronize restaurants with a local theme if it means they have to pay more for their meals?  Or is it just of a fanciful fad for upscale urbanites?

I’ve always looked at the locavore movement (like farmers markets and Buy Fresh, Buy Local campaigns) as an extension of a buy local mentality.  I think it’s also an excellent economic development strategy that focuses on poverty reduction.  At the same time, I realize some rural advocates see it as more of an urban thing that conflicts with a rural lifestyle. 

I, for one, would much prefer to support restaurants like The Greenhouse Grille that are found in rural settings.  Hopefully, bloggers like Pruitt will inspire more entrepreneurs to take up the challenge. 

 

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Posted in Agriculture, Economic Development, Rural | Comments (0)