#rural-development-economics

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Bootstrapping
fromEntrepreneur
1 day ago

Watch Out for the 'Off-Grid' Problem Hiding in Your Business Model

Growth advantages can turn into liabilities when customer retention declines, increasing the burden of fixed costs on remaining users.
#agriculture
Agriculture
fromFast Company
1 day ago

New uses for traditional crops are increasing value per acre

Crops are increasingly designed to serve multiple markets simultaneously, enhancing value creation without requiring more land.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
5 days ago

RealAg Radio: Wheat, oats, and potatoes, and funding retirement, Apr 9, 2026

The Farmer Rapid Fire features insights from various agricultural experts across Canada and the U.S.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
2 weeks ago

The truth about where ag needs to go next, with Arlene Dickinson

Arlene Dickinson emphasizes the need for innovation and value creation in Canada's agricultural sector beyond commodity production.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
2 weeks ago

RealAg Radio: Steady growth in land values, tight margins, and safety for young farmers, Mar 25/26

RealAg Radio connects listeners with agricultural insights and updates relevant to Canadian and US farms.
New York City
fromwww.amny.com
6 hours ago

Unpacking the unclear: Here's how Mamdani's city-run grocery store plan would work

New York City will open city-run grocery stores with private operators selling discounted staple foods, starting in East Harlem by 2029.
fromPsychology Today
1 day ago

How Community-Based Healthcare Builds Engagement

Most people leave doctor visits with prescriptions, but still feel unsure—instructions make sense, but no one asks about their life. In contrast, when a provider knows your name, remembers your story, and explains care in a way that fits you, the experience feels different—and that difference matters.
Healthcare
#food-insecurity
Online Community Development
fromStreetsblog
1 month ago

How the 'Little Free Pantry' Can Help Feed the Hungry Without Requiring Them to Drive - Streetsblog USA

Micro-pantries are small, community-maintained food compartments addressing food insecurity for people without reliable transportation to traditional food banks.
Online Community Development
fromStreetsblog
1 month ago

How the 'Little Free Pantry' Can Help Feed the Hungry Without Requiring Them to Drive - Streetsblog USA

Micro-pantries are small, community-maintained food compartments addressing food insecurity for people without reliable transportation to traditional food banks.
London startup
fromComputerWeekly.com
1 day ago

Datacentre developers tout benefits to local communities, but do they deliver? | Computer Weekly

Datacentre developments are causing challenges for local businesses, raising concerns about energy consumption and community impact despite potential local benefits.
Online Community Development
fromwww.housingwire.com
4 days ago

CDFIs could draw institutional capital for climate projects

There is a strong desire for collaboration between institutional investors and community development financial institutions, but barriers exist due to perceived risks and lack of standardization.
Brooklyn
fromBronx Times
4 days ago

OUR FORGOTTEN BOROUGH | How the Bronx feeds all of New York City- but struggles to feed itself - Bronx Times

The Bronx food distribution center supports local jobs but limits community access to affordable food.
Public health
fromThe Nation
5 days ago

Public Health Needs to Get Off the Laptop and Into the Streets

Transformational experiences in South Africa with TAC emphasized the importance of community engagement and effective communication in health education.
Silicon Valley
fromFast Company
5 days ago

A small city just voted on AI and the result could ripple nationwide

Port Washington voters passed a measure requiring community approval for future data centers, reflecting local opposition to big tech's expansion plans.
UK politics
fromwww.bbc.com
5 days ago

Greens launch local election campaign with focus on housing

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticizes the government for failing to build affordable housing and calls for rent controls in London.
Coffee
fromDaily Coffee News by Roast Magazine
6 days ago

Opinion: Technical Gap Slowing Agroforestry in Key Colombian Lands

Colombia is a leading coffee producer, vital to its economy and cultural identity, yet faces challenges in smallholder efficiency and agronomic practices.
New York City
fromWRAL.com
2 days ago

At 100 days rally, Mamdani celebrates and charts a course toward city-run grocery stores

Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrates 100 days in office, focusing on working-class initiatives and future plans for grocery stores and public transportation.
Agriculture
fromTasting Table
3 days ago

The 6 Most Affordable Vegetables To Plant In Your Garden, According To A Farmer - Tasting Table

Tending a vegetable garden is a rewarding way to ensure fresh food and save on grocery costs.
fromFortune
1 week ago

Macquarie bets impact investing can fill an Asian financial access gap left by microfinance and commercial banks | Fortune

"The specific barrier is capital," says Lisa George, global head of the Macquarie Group Foundation. "Without access to capital, it's very hard to get social mobility and educational mobility in life."
Fundraising
Online Community Development
fromForbes
2 weeks ago

Rural America's Connectivity: Interstates, Broadband And Livability

The COVID pandemic reversed rural brain drain as telecommuting allowed skilled workers to return for affordability and livability.
#small-business
Bootstrapping
fromEntrepreneur
2 weeks ago

6 Low-Cost Business Ideas That Are Perfect for Families

Small businesses, comprising 99.9% of U.S. firms, thrive on family collaboration and digital-first models, reducing startup costs and enhancing accessibility.
#food-security
Agriculture
fromwww.theguardian.com
5 days ago

It shouldn't take a war for Britain to wake up to the need for food security | Tim Lang

The UK must prioritize food security and diversify food supply chains to mitigate vulnerabilities exposed by global crises.
Agriculture
fromwww.theguardian.com
5 days ago

It shouldn't take a war for Britain to wake up to the need for food security | Tim Lang

The UK must prioritize food security and diversify food supply chains to mitigate vulnerabilities exposed by global crises.
NYC startup
fromCornell Chronicle
3 weeks ago

Grow-NY competition invites applications from food and ag startups | Cornell Chronicle

Grow-NY competition supports innovative food and ag tech startups in upstate New York with $3 million in prize funding to stimulate the regional economy.
fromwww.bbc.com
3 weeks ago

Campaigners celebrate after new town plans dropped

Campaigner Aysha Hawcutt stated that residents were 'not anti-homes', but believed the Adlington plan was 'the wrong proposal in the wrong place'. She expressed pride in the community's resilience against the development threats.
London politics
fromThe New Yorker
3 weeks ago

China's Shifting Relationship to the Countryside

"You have this kind of alienation between the two generations. The younger ones are trying to get closer to nature, but in a way we might roll our eyes at."
London
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
6 days ago

RealAg Radio: Taking action and learning from mistakes, April 8, 2026

Nearly every second bite of food in Canada is wasted, highlighting the need for a national food waste strategy.
fromDaily Coffee News by Roast Magazine
3 weeks ago

Study: Social Enterprises Beat Corporate Sustainability in Farmer Well-Being

The study frames each of the models as 'emerging strategies' that can either complement or serve as alternatives to well-known sustainability certification schemes such as Organic, Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance.
Online Community Development
fromRealagriculture
1 week ago

Pulse School: Balancing P-K-S fertility when margins are tight

"The awesome thing with pulse crops is no nitrogen needs... not having to put any nitrogen on a pulse crop is a great starting point," he says, noting that this allows growers to not only meet PKS requirements but, in some cases, build soil fertility for the rotation.
Agriculture
fromHarvard Business Review
4 weeks ago

How To Deliver on ESG Initiatives in Emerging Market

Multinational firms are under rising pressure-from investors, regulators, and employees-to demonstrate positive societal impact in the places where they do business. With ESG-focused institutional investments projected to reach nearly $34 trillion this year and roughly 90% of large U.S. companies now disclosing ESG reports, these pressures are now a central part of corporate strategy.
Business
Women in technology
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Changing conversations highlight evolving role of women in agriculture

The Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference has evolved to address mental health, resiliency, and workplace challenges, reflecting decades of progress in recognizing women's contributions to agriculture.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 week ago

Preserving farmland, strengthening food security: Why the Greenbelt matters

Ontario's agriculture sector must diversify and reduce reliance on U.S. trade to enhance self-reliance and capitalize on local production opportunities.
Bootstrapping
fromEntrepreneur
3 weeks ago

Economic Outlook: What's in Store for Small Business in 2026

Small businesses adopting digital-first models, optimizing cross-border payments, managing cash flow strategically, and investing in cybersecurity will build resilience and achieve sustainable growth in 2026.
Media industry
fromNieman Lab
1 month ago

A new report looks at 559 funding proposals to determine local journalism's biggest problems

Local journalism funding suffers from too many competing nonprofit solutions, inefficient intermediaries, and philanthropic institutions failing to select viable winners or allow unsuccessful projects to fail.
#farmland-ownership
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 week ago

RealAg on the Weekend: Pre-seed decision making, Agracity, & who should own farmland, Apr 4 & 5/26

Farmers have opinions on farmland ownership, and discussions include acquisitions, decision-making, and family expectations on farms.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 week ago

RealAg on the Weekend: Pre-seed decision making, Agracity, & who should own farmland, Apr 4 & 5/26

Farmers have opinions on farmland ownership, and discussions include acquisitions, decision-making, and family expectations on farms.
London politics
fromwww.bbc.com
1 month ago

Residents to grow food on 'unloved' public land

Hounslow Council launches Right to Grow initiative allowing residents to cultivate food on unused public land, becoming only the second London council to adopt this policy.
Startup companies
fromYahoo Life
1 month ago

My city was filling up with digital nomads, so I converted my family home into a business

Hana Nguyen built a coworking business in Da Nang, Vietnam after discovering the concept through a foreign friend, starting in a hotel space before launching her own venture in her family home.
#canadian-agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago
Agriculture

New movement - Let's Grow Canada - intended as an "open door" to Canadian agriculture and food

Let's Grow Canada is a long-term movement to rebuild pride in Canadian agriculture and reconnect Canadians to their food system as a foundation for sector growth.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

It helped me feed my six children': how Africa's first water fund supports farmers to protect Kenya's biggest river

The avocado seedlings enabled him to grow his farm income to close to 2m Kenyan shillings, with each mature avocado tree yielding 70kg annually. Improving farming methods and conserving the watershed has helped me to feed and educate my six children.
Agriculture
Education
fromArchDaily
1 month ago

When the School Becomes the City: Community-Centered Projects in the Global South

School architecture functions as a catalyst for social transformation by creating multifunctional civic spaces that integrate education, culture, sports, and community engagement within urban territories.
fromBusiness Matters
1 month ago

The impact of road signs on economic development

When routes are well organized, there are clear directional signs, and speed limits become reasonable. The early installation of warning signs allows transport companies to plan deliveries more accurately and avoid delays. For businesses, time is money. When a truck carrying goods does not spend hours detouring due to an unclear traffic scheme or stuck in traffic where it could have been avoided thanks to competent traffic management, fuel costs, driver wages, and vehicle maintenance costs are reduced.
Alternative transportation
NYC food
fromGothamist
1 month ago

NYC's city-owned markets keep food cheap, at a cost

New York's three city-managed public markets operated at a combined $3.6 million loss in 2024 while providing affordable food access and subsidizing below-market vendor rents.
Agriculture
fromFast Company
3 weeks ago

The most innovative companies in agriculture for 2026

The agtech sector is experiencing a downturn, with significant declines in crop prices and startup failures, but opportunities for innovation remain.
Canada news
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Canada is way behind on capital investment in ag. Where does it fall apart?

Canada's agri-food sector contributes 7-10% of GDP but receives only 2% of federal venture funding, creating a significant growth capital gap that limits company scaling.
Online Community Development
fromNature
1 month ago

Going 'beyond GDP' should not mean sidelining the SDGs

The UN's High-Level Expert Group will recommend development progress measures beyond GDP, with SDG specialists urging new frameworks to build on existing indicator work rather than start anew.
Philosophy
fromApaonline
2 months ago

Democratizing the Economy through Community Wealth Building: Recent Lessons from the UK and Poland

Economic democracy requires expanding democratic control over economic decisions beyond workplace democracy to include community-focused strategies like community wealth building.
Real estate
fromArchDaily
2 months ago

What Informality and Incrementality Reveal About Sustainable Urbanism in India

Indian urban growth reveals an invisible order where informal settlements embody layered, enduring urban histories that call for reinterpretation rather than standardized correction.
Growth hacking
fromForbes
2 months ago

By Women, For Women: The Overlooked Foundations Of Global Business

Several major companies built global growth by integrating women's labor, expertise, and networks into distribution, education, and entrepreneurial roles beginning in the late 19th century.
Miscellaneous
fromlrt.lt
1 month ago

From capital to countryside: a growing shift around Vilnius

Residents are leaving Vilnius for nearby districts due to lower housing costs and remote work flexibility, with Vilnius District and Trakai District receiving the most relocations.
fromFast Company
2 months ago

Why inclusion is the new standard for economic growth

In places where inclusion is part of the infrastructure of their economy-supply chains, procurement processes, capital access, or business ownership-people thrive. Inclusive economies create more resilience by expanding the base of potential business owners who can build, own, innovate, and hire. They allow more opportunities for homeownership and investing in the longevity of communities. As our economy becomes increasingly stratified and volatile, we need as much resiliency as we can get.
Social justice
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

They Build Bridges to Create Opportunities for Others

Meaningful milestones reveal how relationships, generativity, and sacrifice create belonging, stability, and enduring family legacy.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
3 weeks ago

Policy Brief: Agriculture R&D through a critical infrastructure lens

Canada's public agricultural research infrastructure has declined significantly, with reduced AAFC funding shifting away from essential research site operations and maintenance.
Startup companies
fromFast Company
2 months ago

Community is the smartest investment a solopreneur can make

Building intentional communities is essential infrastructure for solopreneurs to sustain creativity, provide reality checks, and amplify professional impact.
Public health
fromNature
2 months ago

How to eat well and within Earth's limits

Dietary choices drive human health and planetary stability; shifting to minimally processed, protein-rich and plant-forward diets reduces emissions, water use, pollution, and premature deaths.
Fundraising
fromFortune
2 months ago

Rural America is getting a bailout, but not from Trump-billionaires are riding to the rescue | Fortune

Wealthy donors are funding rural areas with large, sustained gifts of land and money to support services, education, and long-term economic stability.
Food & drink
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Why food justice isn't being served in America

Food justice advocates often misrepresent South Central Los Angeles as a resource-depleted food desert lacking grocery stores and knowledgeable residents, contradicting anthropological research documenting abundant food retail and community food practices.
fromNieman Lab
2 months ago

Many people who live in "local news deserts" don't feel deprived of local news, study finds

The industry's attempts to educate consumers "[seem] to largely have gone unheard," Amy Mitchell, then Pew's director of journalism research (she now heads the Center for News, Technology, and Innovation) said in a briefing at the time. "There's really a disconnect there between the public's knowledge and understanding about the industry and how it's functioning, compared with what we see in headlines day in and day out about budget cuts and revenue declines."
Media industry
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
4 weeks ago

Ag Policy Connection: Innovation at the heart of food security and resilience, says Alison Sunstrum

Canada must treat agriculture as critical national security infrastructure rather than solely an economic sector, requiring systemic innovation across processing, supply chains, and digital infrastructure.
Canada news
fromRealagriculture
2 months ago

AAFC expands AgriMarketing Program to include small and medium-sized businesses

Canada is investing $75 million over five years to launch AgriMarketing Market Diversification streams to expand export markets and support SMEs and industry associations.
Agriculture
fromFast Company
4 weeks ago

Why the industry that feeds 8 billion people still can't read its own data

Agriculture's fragmented, incompatible data systems prevent AI from delivering value, despite massive untapped information potential worth $500 billion globally.
fromFast Company
1 month ago

5 lessons for building up an industry, not just a company

But if you're innovating within your industry, it's a problem you should expect and prepare for because it means having to operate in two realities-the internal reality where you know the challenges in your industry and how you're going to solve them, and the external reality where nobody else has recognized the problem that needs to be solved. In a highly regulated industry like healthcare, safety, and stability create an inertia that often works against innovation.
Startup companies
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

RealAg on the Weekend: Women in ag, diesel prices, & future plant breeding options, Mar 14 & 15/26

If we did that today, it would be a hundred percent, because right now, without question, 2026 is riskier than 2025. So farmers really [face significant challenges]. The war in Iran continues and it works back to the world of agriculture. It's had an impact on fertiliser and diesel prices and commodity markets, as well as currency.
Agriculture
Canada news
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

67 options and counting: Navigating the complex landscape of farm incentive programs

Canadian farmers face a growing number of sustainability incentive programs that create administrative burdens, confusion, upfront costs, and unclear financial benefits as major programs end.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Ag Policy Exchange: Finding common ag policy ground among countries in a divided world

Global agriculture faces interconnected geopolitical, economic, and environmental challenges requiring sustainable, resilient, and affordable food systems through coordinated international policy approaches.
Canada news
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Should Canadian farmers get ad hoc bridge-style assistance like the U.S.? 31% of survey respondents say yes

2026 farm profitability challenges spark debate over ad hoc government assistance versus strengthening business risk management, with most Canadian farmers opposing ad hoc programs.
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Ruminating with RealAg, Ep 39: Ranch economics, record-keeping, and real-world decisions

Profitability in the cattle business often hinges on understanding the real cost of production, something that can be difficult to pin down when labour, land, and opportunity costs aren't always clearly accounted for.
Agriculture
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Forty per cent of farmers see their banker as a "partner"

Farmers facing 2026 financial challenges should cultivate strong banker relationships as trusted partners rather than transactional service providers to navigate commodity price pressures.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Hiring? Agriculture Canada announces funds for youth jobs program

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada allocated $27 million for the Youth Employment and Skills Program over 2026-2028 to support young workers aged 15-30 gaining agriculture sector experience.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

The cost of digging out of a soil fertility deficit

Excessive fertilizer rate reductions deplete soil nutrient reserves below critical thresholds, causing rapid yield losses that require costly long-term rebuilding.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
1 month ago

Don't cut the science that pays the bills

Closing AAFC research stations undermines Canada's agricultural competitiveness by eliminating the only coordinated system for validating crop genetics across diverse agro-ecological zones, despite wheat breeding generating a 32:1 benefit-cost ratio.
fromInsideHook
2 months ago

An Essential Part of Farming Has Two Wings and a Beak

When you think of farming, what ingredients do you generally associate with a successful harvest? The basics certainly come to mind: fertile soil, plenty of sunlight and lots of water. But there are other variables that can also mean the difference between a crop of healthy fruits and vegetables and a large heap of organic waste. And it turns out that one of those variables is a very small hawk.
Agriculture
Agriculture
fromModern Farmer
2 months ago

Forest Farming: Why it Might Make Sense for Your Land - Modern Farmer

Agroforestry integrates small-scale farming with forestry to produce diverse crops, timber, and livestock benefits while working within existing forest ecosystems.
Agriculture
fromForbes
2 months ago

The Future of Rural Work

Rural America covers 74% of U.S. land, faces demographic shifts, and has changing labor-market dynamics driven by remote work, housing, childcare, and small businesses.
Agriculture
fromFast Company
2 months ago

Why investors and farmers are betting on organic agriculture

Organic farming is now the most profitable model for U.S. farmers, consistently generating higher net income than conventional systems.
Agriculture
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

US farmers are rejecting multimillion-dollar datacenter bids for their land: I'm not for sale'

Rural landowners are rejecting lucrative offers for datacenter development, turning down multimillion-dollar buyouts as tech firms seek vast powered land for AI infrastructure.
fromRealagriculture
2 months ago

Kimberly Earls set to lead the Rural Ontario Institute

Most recently, she served as the executive director of the South Central Ontario Regional (SCOR) Economic Development Commission, a regional organization representing the counties of Brant, Elgin, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Oxford. In this role, she oversaw strategic planning, board governance, stakeholder engagement, and the execution of high impact initiatives. In addition to her executive leadership, Earls teaches part-time at Fanshawe College and holds a Master of Public Administration from Western University.
Agriculture
fromRealagriculture
2 months ago

What sets successful farm transitions apart?

Based on years of post-transition reviews, MNP has identified seven traits common to successful farm families, MacLean says. First, they start early. Early planning allows flexibility and time to work through the tough stuff. Clear, respectful communication is the second trait - and it's essential. Families who talk openly and establish expectations avoid the dangerous territory of unspoken assumptions. Farms that navigate the process well have a shared vision.
Agriculture
Agriculture
fromFood & Beverage Magazine
2 months ago

Celebrating Women in Agriculture: The Kickoff of the International Year of the Woman Farmer - Food & Beverage Magazine

NASDA launched the International Year of the Woman Farmer to elevate women farmers' voices and advance policy, recognition, and leadership in agriculture.
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