Article on New Hampshire’s “quiet” innovation highlights NERCRD research

In this opinion piece written for the New Hampshire Business Review, Dr. Charlie French (University of New Hampshire Extension) cites NERCRD research on “latent” or hidden innovation, and provides several examples of “quiet innovation” from rural New Hampshire communities that are leading to gains in employment, income, and quality of life. Dr. French leads UNH Extension’s Community and Economic Development team.

Schmidt recognized with Emerging Leader Award from National Extension Tourism Network

November 21, 2023

Congratulations to NERCRD Faculty Affiliate Claudia Schmidt, who was recognized with the 2023 National Extension Tourism (NET) Emerging Leader Award for her impressive body of agritourism research and outreach programming!

NERCRD honored with National Extension Tourism Partner Award

November 21, 2023

The award, given by the National Extension Tourism (NET) Design Team at its biennial conference in September, recognized the NERCRD for its contributions that have made a significant positive impact on the NET organization, including support of a strategic planning process and partnership on a project-accelerator grant.

Resources from the Northeast Digital Equity Summit are now available

October 6, 2023

The Northeast Digital Equity Summit, which took place September 19, 2023, provided an opportunity for land-grant University educators and researchers across the Northeast region to learn from one another and expand capacity for digital equity programming in the Northeast. Recordings and slides from the event are now available.

NERCRD is hiring an Associate Director!

August 30, 2023

The NERCRD is seeking applications for an Associate Director position, which is renewable annually conditional on funding. The individual will lead the Center’s outreach-oriented activities in consultation with the Director.

International Workshop on Agritourism 2022 Proceedings now available online

August 8, 2023

The International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA) 2022 Conference Proceedings is now available online. The publication is intended to increase access to the scholarship that was shared during the three-day conference, which was hosted by University of Vermont Extension in Burlington, Vermont, USA, on August 30 – September 1, 2022. It contains 27 peer-reviewed papers, which are grouped into nine topic areas. It was published jointly by the National Extension Tourism Network and the Global Agritourism Network, with support from the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.

Digital divide hinders rural innovation, study shows

June 9, 2023

Cloud-based computing directly contributes to business innovation, but rural businesses lacking sufficient broadband capacity to access cloud services are missing out on their innovation-boosting potential, according to a team of researchers from NERCRD and the National Science Foundation. The findings can be used by policymakers and business-support organizations to foster greater opportunities for rural innovation.

Agritourism and direct sales fact sheets for all 50 US states

June 2, 2023

A new set of fact sheets provides comprehensive insights into the demographics of U.S. farms that offer agritourism activities or sell food directly to consumers or both. The fact sheets are available for all 50 states and are intended to help local decision makers, farmers, and the organizations that support them in their efforts to strengthen and expand agritourism enterprises.

Webinar Recording: Local Climate Action Planning—Penn State and Municipal Partners Implementing Together

May 31, 2023

This webinar, which took place on June 28, 2023, provided an overview of the Local Climate Action Program (LCAP), a partnership initiative of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, Penn State’s Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, and ICLEI: Local Governments for Sustainability. While this webinar described a Pennsylvania-based program and related opportunities for PA municipalities, it will also give non-PA viewers an overview of an innovative program that could potentially be replicated in other states.

Northeast Digital Equity Summit Call for Presentation Proposals

May 25, 2023

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) is pleased to announce a call for presentation proposals addressing issues of digital equity for inclusion in its upcoming Northeast Digital Equity Summit, which will take place virtually on September 19, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.

Opening farms to visitors boosts nearby farms’ direct sales, and vice versa

April 19, 2023

Farmers use many marketing strategies to diversify their incomes and stay in business. New research led by NERCRD Faculty Affiliate, Claudia Schmidt, suggests that two of these strategies—agritourism and direct farm sales—complement one another when they occur within the same community. The findings could help farmers and the local organizations that support them plan strategically for farm resilience and growth.