Education/Workforce Development
Strategies
- Re-brand education and workforce development as lifelong learning.
- Redesign incentives for pay in K-12.
- Improve access to technical training; provide bus service from high schools to technical colleges.
- Establish technical skill clubs in high school to promote postsecondary education
- Implement alternative learning approaches for high school mathematics, such as asking business leaders to teach for a day.
Research Needs
- Successful high school redesign strategies for rural communities.
- Analysis of present and future business trends.
- Assess K-12 entrepreneurship coursework.
- Conduct high school-technical college transportation feasibility study to reduce high school dropout rate.
- Provide continuing education to improve production/profit for self-employed individuals in agriculture/agribusiness industry (timber production, beef cattle, poultry, truck crop farming), construction - carpenters, welders, air conditioning/refrigeration.
Extension Needs
- Volunteer development programs.
- More computer based learning opportunities for students and parents.
- Technical assistance to rural business owners.
- Assistance with estimating demand for products in rural areas (trends, analysis).
- Consider using Small Business Incubator approach for rural entrepreneurship.
- Grant writing.
- Community strategic planning.
- Provide access to community information from USDA and Census.
Economic Development
Strategies
- Review/study transportation projects that would result in economic prosperity for rural areas.
- Support organizational development of value-added co-ops and product development for ethanol/biofuel possibilities.
- Train members serving on school boards, police juries and other leaders in governance positions.
- Promote regional planning and development of rural tourism.
- Create a business incubator program in rural areas.
- Reform zoning ordinances in rural areas to promote clean-up and growth.
Research Needs
- Case studies: zoning versus non-zoning communities and economic performance.
- Value-added agriculture opportunities (biofuels, ethanol).
- Improve access to rural health care and rural health care delivery systems.
- Labor market migration.
- Factors affecting new business start-ups (regulation, tax incentives).
- Assess the skill needs of large employers.
- Alternative strategies to promote entrepreneur development for adults and youth.
- How to improve access to Internet in rural areas.
Extension Needs
- Assistance to communities with community planning.
- Governance/leadership training program should target local problem solving and use of best practices in governance.
- Assist rural tourism groups partnerships access to geographical and political boundaries.
- Other than 4-H, have after-school technical skills program (carpentry, mechanics and technology).
- Character building programs.
- Assist with value-added agriculture development and conservation workshops.
Natural Resources and Environmental Management
Strategies
- Collaborative between government and LSU AgCenter to explore alternative land uses for farmers.
- Increase awareness of solid waste management issues.
- Access funding to improve rural water infrastructure and solid waste systems.
- Promote environmental clean-up of land.
- LSU AgCenter teach new land use techniques/crops/new uses for food/fuel.
Research Needs
- Alternative methods of solid waste management.
- New water delivery systems.
- Support rural tourism.
- Alternative land use practices for farmers to boost income and sustain rural communities.
Extension Needs
- Entrepreneurial training for rural tourism ventures.
- Demand analysis for small businesses (market research).
- Public service announcements indicating LSU AgCenter services available in your region/state Public education on diversity and value of different areas of natural resources in rural areas.
- State unification of programs or knowledge of what is done elsewhere in natural resource development.
- Education for youth (lifelong): urban gardens, computer uses, recycling, other land uses, water conservation.
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