rural communities – Bush Prof

Growing Your Region: Nine Kinds of Growth

When we talk about economic growth, we may not be talking about the same thing. Nor is economic growth the only kind of growth that matters for rural regions.

Grassroots Development, Practical Takeaways: How to Make Space for Change

It’s time to gather up some practical takeaways you can use when working in and with rural communities.

Grassroots development, digging deeper: Teacups, tangles, other people’s stuff

Community members will, inevitably, have different ideas about what positive change looks like: a new industry, or a new school; a road to bring the city closer, or a morning tea to bring the community together.

Grassroots development, the next layer: Gears, levers, engine bits

Grassroots development proponents argue that change needs to grow organically from roots in local ground. This means action “with” or directly “by” rural communities.

Grassroots development: theory and practice

How much space do rural people have to create the futures they want?

Rural Development From the Ground Up

Rural development has a long tradition of attention to practical action.

Secrets to success #4: Bring knowledges together

When rural organisations and rural communities connect with each other, they gain confidence and influence. They learn from each other. Rural people’s knowledge becomes easier to explain, easier to action – and much harder to ignore.

Secrets to success #3: Re-imagine space

The secret to solving low-population problems is to think differently about space.

Secrets to success #2: Add all kinds of value

Successful rural economic ventures…tend to do something more than just move their product a bit further down the chain. Rather, they generate value in a way that makes their product or service special, so that it can’t be easily duplicated somewhere else.

Secrets to success, from problems to solutions

While rural regions are all different, they also share some common characteristics. Naming these up, noticing the patterns, can help us to understand the dynamics of rural economies.