Researchers to create a roadmap for fostering successful agritourism enterprises - Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

International Workshop on Agritourism draws visitors from around the world to the Northeast

September 11, 2022

More than 500 people from 56 countries gathered in-person and virtually for the International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA), hosted by University of Vermont Extension in Burlington, VT, August 30-September 1.

Webinar: Building the Capacity to Invest in Rural Prosperity

August 2, 2022

On Friday, May 27 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, the Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (C-FARE) and the Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC) are holding a panel discussion on building the capacity needed for impactful investments in rural prosperity.

post-it note on window that reads Sorry We Are Closed Covid-19

New data briefs examine COVID’s impacts on Northeast economic activity

July 29, 2022

Two new data briefs in NERCRD’s COVID-19 Issues Briefs series examine the pandemic’s effects on Northeast economic activity. The first uses Gross Domestic Product data to summarize the impact of COVID-19 on the economies of the Northeast U.S., and sets the stage for subsequent briefs that will examine impacts in key industries and sectors. One sector-specific brief, focusing on the tourism and recreation economies in the region, also was released this week.

Tourism Activity Collapse During COVID-19 Benefited Rural Hospitality Employment

June 20, 2022

While the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a massive economic blow to the U.S. tourism sector, some rural communities benefited from the crisis in terms of employment gains, according to a team of researchers from the NERCRD and West Virginia University. Their study, which is the first to document COVID-19’s economic impact on tourism in the U.S. at the county level, may help guide the development of rural tourism and destination management strategies that enhance community resilience.

Webinar: Building the Capacity to Invest in Rural Prosperity

May 23, 2022

On Friday, May 27 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, the Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics (C-FARE) and the Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC) are holding a panel discussion on building the capacity needed for impactful investments in rural prosperity. Panelists, including NERCRD Director Stephan Goetz and Associate Director Jason Entsminger, will outline recent trends affecting rural communities, the assets they have at their disposal, and the capacities they have and need to promote shared economic prosperity over the long-term. This webinar is the first in a series of events aimed at integrating findings from the RRDCs’ Rural Development Listening Sessions Initiative and work recently published by the St. Louis Fed and the Federal Reserve Board on investing in rural communities.

New How-To Guide on Engaging Communities Through Issues Forums

May 12, 2022

Several members of a team funded by NERCRD’s small-grant program in 2017-2018 have recently published a guide that builds on their NERCRD-funded project and explores the use of forums as a community engagement tool in Extension work. The comprehensive how-to guide is designed to help Cooperative Extension professionals develop issues forums in both onsite and online settings.

Using tweets to predict real-time food shortages

April 12, 2022

The sentiments and emotions expressed in tweets on Twitter can be used in real time to assess where supply chain disruptions due to a pandemic, war or natural disaster may lead to food shortages, according to researchers at NERCRD, Penn State and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.

NERCRD Annual Report highlights activities and impacts

March 24, 2022

We are pleased to share our latest Annual Report, which highlights the Center’s accomplishments and activities of 2021. While this was another very challenging year in many respects, we are grateful for the many opportunities to work with our regional and national partners in support of a strong and equitable rural recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges facing rural communities.

NERCRD expands its tourism and recreation economies portfolio

March 17, 2022

An exciting development in the NERCRD’s tourism and recreation economies work is the funding of two new projects, both led by West Virginia University, that will examine tourism and resiliency through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Book by UNH Extension Authors Dispels the Myth that Rural Places Don’t Innovate

February 4, 2022

Twenty-six leading community development scholars and practitioners from around the country—including over a dozen collaborators in the Northeast Region—teamed up to publish a new book that explores how innovation manifests itself in rural places and ultimately contributes to entrepreneurial development and community resilience. The book was edited by Dr. Charlie French, program leader and Extension associate professor of community and economic development at the University of New Hampshire. Funding to support this effort was provided by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.