Successful rural community development comes in many forms, and developing good leaders is a key component (see our recent series on leadership in Oct.-Jan. newsletters). Leadership development was a big part of our community development work last year, and will continue to be. Read on to find out more about what we’ve been up to in rural Nebraska communities.

Strong micro-business development and support for micro businesses fuels successful rural community development. (A micro business has five or fewer employees.) So for three years in a row, the Center brought together a wide range of partners and collaborators at MarketPlace, a one day event that gives people the tools they need to be successful in small business and farming and ranching endeavors.

In 2008 we launched a project in northeast Nebraska partnering with the Northeast Economic Development District to create a small business network that links small rural businesses to larger urban and micro-politan businesses (micro-politan as defined by the U.S. Census is an urban center surrounded by counties or a region with a population between 10,000 and 50,000). The small businesses will provide goods and services to larger metro and micro-politan area businesses, creating a supplier network and also creating a peer-to-peer network among themselves.

The goal is to create new or expand already existing businesses. This type of activity can be used as a successful recruitment tool to bring new people to a community. The Center’s REAP staff will offer training and technical assistance. Students from the University of Nebraska - Omaha College of Information Science & Technology at the Peter Kiewit Institute will assist small businesses with website development.

Our rural development work has expanded to western Nebraska with ecotourism business assistance. We are helping landowners identify management practices to improve their wildlife habitat and potential for tourism enterprises. A spillover affect to nearby communities has generated interest in art galleries, coffee shops, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and more small businesses.

In 2009 we’ll continue the projects we’ve identified above along with others: community assessments; community development that includes sustainable agriculture as well as beginning farmers and ranchers; energy fairs; and an expanded focus on youth entrepreneurship. Our goal is to strengthen our communities and provide real opportunities for people to live and thrive in healthy, sustainable ways.

For more information, contact Kathie Starkweather, kathies@cfra.org or 402.438.8496.