Here are some of the great examples that were discussed during the video conference:

Kay Sauck, from Sauck Media Group, has created two successful magazines, Caregiving in America and Women Inc. that are based in Fairmont, MN. She has a staff of 12 people, (half are under the age of 30) and some of whom travel from Mankato and the Twin Cities to work with her on the magazines.

Pam Benike, from Prairie Hollow Farm talked about the Southeast Minnesota Food Network, which is a collaborative of over 90 farms in southeast Minnesota that supply restaurants, caterers, retail stores, food co-ops and institutions in the Twin Cities metro area with meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, honey and other specialty items. They are able to offer a one call – one delivery – one invoice system, making it easy for both the farmer and the buyer to source locally grown products. This also allows more time for farmers to do what they love, grow and produce food!

Annalisa Hultberg, from Minnesota Project, explained how the Heartland Food Network works with Minnesota chefs, caterers, colleges, and other food service professionals to help them purchase and use more locally grown ingredients in their establishments. In 2010, the Heartland Food Network received funding from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Minnesota Grown Program. They will be hosting several local food learning days to facilitate information exchange among chefs. The first workshop will be held on Monday, March 22. Check out their website for more details.

We also learned how Riverway Learning Community, a charter school in Minnesota City, recognizes the relationship between nutrition, food, and education.  Students maintain a close relationship with their food at Riverway, participating in all aspects from caring for chickens and planting seeds to composting. Over the next five years, Riverway Learning Community hopes to farm, grow and prepare 50% of all cafeteria food on site.

We heard a workforce development example that involved several high tech companies in Martin County and along the I-90 Corridor that use the “Grandma network” when recruiting for new and young employees.  The companies put advertisements in local newspapers during the holidays and when young people from the Twin Cites, Mankato, Sioux Falls, or other metropolitan areas are visiting relatives in southern Minnesota, they get a “pitch” from their relatives about the great paying high tech jobs in the area.  So far, this has worked as a successful recruitment tool for these businesses!

Additional resources that were discussed during the video conference are:

Finding Food in Farm Country: The Economics of Food & Farming in Southeast Minnesota, a study conducted by Ken Meter at the Crossroads Resource Center, that examines how food networks thrive and strengthen local economies.

The documentary, Food, Inc., which examines the way food is produced in our country.

These featured rural urban connections are only a starting point, and we encourage and welcome other examples from you such as health care, education, arts, renewable energy, and workforce development connections, just to name a few!

Share your rural and urban connections with us!  Click on the Submit Examples of Rural Urban Connections button on this page or fill out the Rural Urban Connections Form.

Stoke the conversation about rural and urban connections by using the hashtag, #rurbmn on Twitter when discussing any subject relating to rural urban connections in Minnesota.

What is a hash tag you ask?  Here are a couple of links that give a great description of hashtags:

http://twitter.pbworks.com/Hashtags and http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/49309

We welcome your voice to the conversation!

You know best what rural and urban connections are happening in your area. Perhaps you are even involved in a number of these connections.  Share them with us so that we may add them to the digital map that we are creating to highlight these connections.

Fill out the Rural Urban Connections form — it only takes a few minutes!

Don’t be left out! Subscribe to our blog and stay updated on Rurb.MN. Enter your email address in the Email Subscription box in the left-hand column of the blog, and receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

Alongside colleagues with organizations as diverse as the United Nations and the Rural Policy Research Institute, we believe it is time for a new approach to development. Instead of the traditional competing interests of rural VS urban America, we believe it’s time to recognize how interconnected our interests, needs and futures are.

As Brian Dabson (President and CEO of the Rural Policy Research Institute) writes

… there is a high degree of connectedness between metropolitan and rural America.  No bright lines separate the two types of areas, either geographically or economically.  If metropolitan American is to drive national prosperity, metropolitan areas will need a healthy and sustainable rural economy and culture.  Likewise, if rural America is to flourish, it will surely depend on vibrant, well-functioning cities and suburbs.”

So a rural urban framework is one that holds both types of areas in focus as decisions are made and resources are invested.  A rural urban framework does this because interdependencies between these regions require it.  Rural and urban communities share natural resources, populations, markets, and infrastructure.  Urban communities need food, energy, unique experiences and clean water, all of which come from rural areas.  Rural communities depend on urban consumers, urban jobs, specialized services found in metropolitan centers.

The United Nations Development Programme’s publication “Rural-Urban Connections Analysis” suggests that the benefits of taking a combined Rural AND Urban framework (rather than parallel development approaches) are numerous, including

1. Breaking rural to urban poverty cycles
2. Generating positive rural urban synergies
3. Environmental Sustainability
4. More resilient local, regional and national economies
5. Governance Structures appropriate to spatial realities

Our old ways of planning for either rural or urban areas don’t reflect reality and won’t assist with future growth and sustainability.  Even our dichotomous definitions of “rural” vs  “urban” are no longer adequate.    As Dabson points out:

Despite official definitions that distinguish urban from rural, and metropolitan from nonmetropolitan, the realities of settlement, commuting, and migration patterns suggest a far more complicated interface in which much mixing occurs among urban and rural populations, and rural areas themselves exhibit a great deal of diversity.

International research in the developing world and elsewhere has taken a new focus on the Peri-Urban Interface, the area where urban and rural coexist; Where farming and suburban development, manufacturing and tourism, all co-exist and require careful planning consideration.

Rurb.MN is part of Minnesota’s effort at championing this new, joint perspective; advocating for the combined interests of both rural and urban communities.  This perspective has an established track record.  Below we’ve listed some examples of national and international initiatives that have successfully leveraged a rural-urban linkages framework towards regional development and sustainability.

PLUREL: Peri-Urban Land Use Relationships. It’s a European integrated research project within the European Commissions sixth framework programme. http://www.plurel.net/

CURE: Convention for a Sustainable Urban and Rural Europe http://www.cureforsustainability.eu/index.php?id=5594

Finland’s Northern Rural-Urban Living Lab is one of The European Network of Living Labs, which is an innovation-based initiative aimed at jobs and economic development. http://www.openlivinglabs.eu/northern-rural-urban.html

As you become aware of other rural-urban examples, please post them here on the Rurb.MN blog.

On the lighter and domestic side, Facebook users can visit the “Kentucky Rural Urban Network.”

Finally, here are two articles that can help with conversations about why rural-urban connections are an important area of focus.

The first, Rural-Urban Interdependence: Why Metropolitan And Rural America Need Each Other, comes from the Brookings Institute and is written by Brian Dabson of Missouri’s Rural Policy Research Institute.

To find this article, please visit http://www.brookings.edu/projects/blueprint/whatis.aspx and scroll down to “Additional Resources.”

The second, Bridging The Divide: Rural-Urban Interactions And Livelihood Strategies, reflects an international development perspective.

To find this article, please visit
http://www.iied.org/pubs/search.php?k=Bridging+the+Divide&z=Search

Our next video conference will be on Thursday, March 4, from 3:30 – 5:00 PM. Featured connections will be local food networks and entrepreneurship in southern Minnesota.  For more information click on our video conferences page.

Below are some of the rural urban renewable energy examples that were discussed during the video conference this past Wednesday.

Hill Grocery House in Montevideo, MN.  This is the first ground source heat based home in Montevideo.  This innovative low-income affordable, renewable energy home has many partners, including Habitat for Humanity West Central MN, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), and has utilized expertise from a number of partners across the state, including Habitat for Humanity MN and the Center for Sustainable Building Research.

We also heard many examples of renewable energy projects that are being led by the Southwest Initiative Foundation. These include: Renewable Energy Development Initiative (REDI), a Renewable Energy Loan Program that funds community wind projects, the Youth Energy Summit (YES!) program in SW Minnesota.

We learned about a new online resource, REDI Resources, that connects communities with resources that help them plan, implement, and manage clean energy projects.  Check it out at www.rediresources.org.

We heard from three of the YES! projects across southwest Minnesota:

Willmar Community Greenhouse YES! Project (Youth Energy Summit)

Goals: Collaborate with community groups and businesses for the purpose of growing local produce year round. This project will demonstrate the energy saving and health benefits of growing produce at the local level.

Morris Student Energy Leadership Team (SELT) YES!

Goals: SELT addresses Reducing, Recycling, Reusing and Cleaning of the Earth’s resources through projects with monthly Environmental Education, Action, and Political components around recycling, protecting the river, energy monitoring, and electronic waste collection.

Hutchinson FFA YES!

Mission/Goals: Reduce the number of dumpsters used at the High School and reduce the waste being disposed of at the landfill, diverting it to recycling and composting facilities.

There are several renewable energy initiatives that are being researched and developed at the West Central Research and Outreach Center at the University of MN Morris.  We heard examples of Biomass and Wind to Hydrogen to Ammonia projects that are being developed at this center.

We heard from Windustry, a nonprofit, based in Minneapolis, who talked about wind resource maps and estimates that show an increase in the potential for Wind energy in the United States.

Other examples of rural urban connections in southwest Minnesota not related to renewable energy include:

The Arts Meander is an art crawl in the Upper Minnesota River Valley that has helped to brand this area as a cultural mecca and draws people from urban areas and surrounding states the first weekend in October each year.

A community-based effort called Pioneering A Healthier Marshall that seeks to improve the health of citizens living in and around Marshall.

Solar Installations Curriculum that is being developed at Ridgewater College.

Southwest Amateur Sports Commission in Marshall, is one of seven regional sports centers in Minnesota. These regional centers concentrate state efforts and resources in a number of communities to maximize the economic and social benefits of amateur sports.

We know there are many more examples of rural urban connections occurring in SW Minnesota and across Minnesota. We hope that the examples mentioned above will generate ideas and examples of rural urban connections happening in your area.

Share your examples with us!  Click on the Submit Examples of Rural Urban Connections button on this page or click here to fill out the Rural Urban Connections Form.

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Southwest Minnesota Video Conference

Featured Connections: Renewable Energy

WHEN: Wednesday, February  24th, from 3:00 –  5:00 p.m.
(Please arrive at 2:45 p.m.)

This video conference will feature examples and ideas about rural urban connections that relate to Renewable Energy and the Environment in Southwest Minnesota.  These featured rural urban connections are only a starting point, and we encourage and welcome other examples during this discussion including examples of entrepreneurship, health care, education, the arts, local food networks and workforce development connections, just to name a few.

WHERE:

Montevideo: Montevideo High School – Library (Please check in at Main office)
[MAP] 1501 William Ave, Montevideo, MN

Marshall: Marshall High School – Fine Arts Conference Room
[MAP] 400 Tiger Drive – Fine Arts Entrance, Marshall, MN

Willmar: Willmar High School – Library (Please check in at Main office) [MAP] 2701 30th Street NE, Willmar, MN

Hutchinson: Hutchinson High School – Library (Please check in at Main office)
[MAP] 1200 Roberts Road, Hutchinson, MN

Morris: U of MN Morris – Humanities / Fine Arts Building, Room 7
[MAP] 600 E 4th St, Morris, MN
Park in the North Lot to avoid a parking ticket.

Edina: Edina High School – Professional Library Room (Please check in at  Main office)
[MAP] 6754 Valley View Road Edina, MN

“Finding Solutions and Redefining Communities”

The theme for the 2010 Symposium on Small Towns will focus on leadership, capacity building, and practical solutions for improving small-town communities and strengthening rural-urban connections. In tough economic times, the importance of connecting with people and ideas outside of our local situations becomes vital.

Participants in the 2010 Symposium will learn about:

• saving money by reducing energy costs and waste;
• filling empty storefronts; and
• creating effective partnerships and collaborations to address issues facing rural communities.

The University of Minnesota, Morris Center for Small Towns and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. and their Rural Urban Connections project are pleased to co-host this event. The Symposium will be a one-day event on June 10, 2010.

The Rural-Urban Gathering will be held on the evening of June 9, 2010, hosted by Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. The focus of the gathering will be on the newly developing Rural-Urban Partnership Council with its emphasis on education, workforce and entrepreneurship to increase innovation and wealth creation. Both events will be held at the University of Minnesota Morris campus.

Scholarships are available to those who might need assistance with the already low cost to attend. Please contact the Center for Small Towns to learn more about the scholarship opportunities.

How can we be inclusive of youth in planning for the future of our communities (rural, urban and suburban) here in Minnesota?

The National Rural Assembly will host a National Rural Youth Assembly on April 22-25, 2010, at the Institute for American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Assembly seeks 50 young adults from rural communities across the country who will gather to discuss the issues they see as critical to their lives and communities.

The National Rural Assembly Steering Committee asks rural leaders and mentors to nominate young people who are interested in rural issues and invested in making an impact in their local communities.

The National Rural Youth Assembly will engage young people on the key policy areas of the Rural Assembly including the quality of education, stewardship of our natural resources, investment in our communities, and the health of rural people.  Youth will represent the diversity of rural America in geographies, races, cultures, genders, incomes and sexual orientations.

Criteria:
Nominated participants must 18-25 years old and represent a rural community.  For further criteria, please review the Youth Assembly application packet.

Deadline for Applications:
All application packets are due Friday, February 26^th by 5 p.m. EDT. http://www.ruralstrategies.org/national-rural-youth-assembly

Here are a few of the examples that were mentioned:

Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) and the work they are doing to close the renewable energy divide and to make solar energy accessible to people of all income levels. www.rreal.org

We also heard about a successful partnership between Central Lakes College and Rural MN CEP that resulted in the development of a renewable energy and green jobs curriculum / customized training program at Central Lakes College.

The third example was from the Region Five Development Commission about a regional alternative energy conservation project called  Central MN Alternative Energy Regional Collaborative (CMAERC).

Share your examples of rural and urban connections with us!  Attend one of our video conferences or submit your rural and urban connections examples online here.

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Central Minnesota Video Conference

Topic: Workforce Development, Manufacturing and Job Creation

WHEN: Wednesday, February  17th, from 3:00 -  5:00 p.m.
(Please arrive at 2:45 p.m.)

This video conference will focus on capturing the stories, examples, ideas and advice about rural urban collaborations that are occurring in the areas of Workforce Development, Manufacturing and Job Creation in Central Minnesota.

WHERE:

Brainerd: Central Lakes College – ITV Room C224
[MAP] 501 West College Drive, Brainerd, MN

Staples: Central Lakes College Main Campus – ITV Room B103
[MAP] 1830 Airport Road, Staples, MN

Little Falls: Mid State Education District Building – District Office Conference Room
[MAP] 15738 Hwy 27, Little Falls, MN

St. Cloud: Small Business Development Center – Room Suite 100
[MAP] 616 Roosevelt Road, St. Cloud, MN

St. Paul: TIES – Video Conference Room
[MAP] 1667 Snelling Avenue N. St. Paul, MN
The TIES receptionist at either the Snelling & Hoyt, or Larpenteur entrance will direct you to the videoconference room. Signs will be posted at either entrance. The conference is called RurbMN: Rural Urban Connections.

We heard inspiring words from Congressman Peterson and from the Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, about the need for small and large farmers to collaborate together and inspiring new programs from the USDA, such as the innovative Know Your Farmer Know Your Food program.

A big part of the discussion today is the need to create a community based food system to help keep the decisions related to food production and consumption on the local level.  Another idea that has been discussed is to create a food policy council.  We are making great connections and spreading the word about Rurb.MN.  We look forward to receiving submissions of some of the many examples of rural urban connections that we have heard here today.  Local food is an important rural urban linkage.

What are other examples of rural urban connections happening in your area?

Be sure to submit your examples of rural urban connections with us!  Click here to fill out the  rural urban connections form.

We will use these examples to help us create an inventory and develop a mapping system that will track rural and urban resources and connections across Minnesota. This inventory can be used to identify regional connections and gaps, for strategic planning and governance, and as background information for rural urban policy development.

Share your rural and urban connections with us!   Click on the Submit Examples of Rural Urban Connections button on this page or click here to fill out the Rural Urban Connections Form.

Don’t be left out! Subscribe to our blog and stay updated on Rurb.MN. Enter your email address in the Email Subscription box in the left-hand column of the blog, and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join in on the discussion and share your insights and comments on the blog!

USDA Launches Food Environment Atlas

This great interactive tool maps approximately 90 indicators including access to grocery stores, access to restaurants, number of people on food assistance, food prices, etc.  Drills down to the county level.  http://maps.ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/

Introducing Minnesota Compass

MN Compass gives everyone in our state – policymakers, business and community leaders, and concerned individuals who live and work here – a common foundation to identify, understand, and act on community issues that affect our communities.

Now find data, analysis, commentary and resources for action for all of Minnesota’s 87 counties, 7 regions, and the state as a whole. To find your geographic area of interest, click on the map on the homepage, or browse the pull-down menus in the top right corner. mncompass.org