Home - Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

Established by the Rural Development Act of 1972, the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers work in partnership with the Land-Grant University system to address crucial needs in our nation’s rural communities. The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) at Penn State serves the 12-state region from Maine to West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Our Work

Economic Development, Resilience, and Innovation

NERCRD is pursuing several lines of inquiry related to economic resilience and innovation, with a current emphasis on identifying pathways for rural recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism and Outdoor Recreation

Recognizing that tourism, including agritourism, is an important economic development strategy for rural communities, NERCRD’s research and outreach in this area are aimed at helping communities identify and leverage their tourism and outdoor recreation assets.

Food Systems, Nutrition Security, and Agriculture

NERCRD’s work in this area helps communities understand the impacts of local and regional food systems and how to best capitalize on their potential benefits.

Capacity Building and Facilitation

NERCRD serves as a regional hub for our Land-Grant University (LGU) partners, linking research and Extension faculty across state lines. By facilitating collaborative networks and partnerships, we enhance the capacity of the LGU system, so that its people can work more effectively to foster regional prosperity and rural development.

Recent News

Meeting in progress, with ideas sketched on post-it notes

Annual leadership meetings set priorities for NERCRD’s 2026-2027 plan of work

November 11, 2026

During two recent virtual meetings, members of NERCRD’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Board of Directors (BOD), and staff reviewed the Center’s accomplishments over the past year and established priorities for the coming year. At its October 8 meeting, the TAC reviewed NERCRD’s work and developed recommendations for the coming year, including continuing to focus on […]

Person working on prototype of helmet tightening system.

User-founded businesses need more than innovation to grow, study finds

November 9, 2026

University Park, PA — A new study published in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights by researchers at NERCRD, Penn State and the Massive Data Institute on the campus of Georgetown University reveals that entrepreneurs who launch businesses based on solutions to problems they personally experienced often enjoy a stronger start than other business founders. […]

Adult supervising two children inside a barn

Upcoming Event

NERCRD Webinar: Caregiving Along the Life Course Among Farming Households

Taking place December 3, 2026, at 1:00 pm ET — While caregiving is a universal experience, farming households might have greater and unique needs for care because of the dangerous and physical nature of farmwork, the aging of the farming population, and the role of childcare as a safety strategy. In this webinar, Emily Southard (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater) and Florence Becot (Penn State) will discuss their research on the caregiving experiences of farming households in the Northeast and Midwest states of the US, drawing from a survey of 704 farming caregivers.

More News »

Linking research and outreach in support of rural vitality