Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, along with researchers at Utah State University and University of Idaho, are assisting rural communities across the West by applying w88 mobile, environmental and social factors to community w88 mobile development planning.
The University Center for w88 mobile Development located in the College of Business recently led the charge to renew a 0,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
Tom Harris, w88 mobile foundation professor in the College of Business, w88 mobile of Nevada Cooperative Extension specialist and principal investigator on the grant, describes the work as a tool used to better identify compatible intersections of community preferences and asset structures with industry production requirements and targeted community support.
"It's very much like a dating service," Harris said. "We pair what communities want along with information about their asset inventory. Then we interview businesses and discover who has similar goals and priorities to that of w88 mobile communities."
The method is called Area Sector Analysis Process, or "w88 mobile," and with the renewed funding from the USDA, Harris and his team plan to expand the project across western states while focusing on four specific objectives:
1. Operationalize the existing w88 mobile model;
2. Develop procedures to encourage and sustain community comparative advantages;
3. Expand w88 mobile implementations; and
4. Analyze ASAP primary data to better understand the process of sustainable rural w88 mobile over time and across various rural communities and industries.
"At the end of the day, we come up with industries that are desirable to the community and vice versa," Harris said. "We also show w88 mobile communities what assets they can improve upon to make their long-term goals for growth and sustainability attainable. From training a workforce to building highways and infrastructure, ASAP informs communities as to what type of industry they are best matched for."
Harris, who, along with Malieka Landis, research manager in the University Center for w88 mobile Development, first received the grant in 2014. The 2017 grant is the first renewal. To date, the grant has allowed the team, including colleagues in Utah and Idaho, to formalize the implementation procedure for ASAP, formalize data, and seek representation from firms in every state.
Harris and Landis have worked with Nevada communities in White Pine and Lander Counties. They are currently considering the w88 mobile impacts to Washington County, Utah, which is part of the Las Vegas "megapolitan."
"Especially in Nevada, rural community focus has been on agriculture, mining and tourism - all industries that have volatile business cycles," Harris said. "We encourage these communities to look for sectors that are more stable with fewer peaks and valleys, as we know this will help even out their w88 mobile cycle."
According to Landis, ASAP brings a quantitative analysis to w88 mobile communities - helping the people living and working there to think about competitive advantages.
"It's about compatibility," Landis said. "We're trying to help w88 mobile with declining populations and services, strengthen rather than struggle over time. With this grant renewal we will look at not just community assets, but also the labor skills and education required to meet industry needs."
Since federal funding was received in March 2014, ASAP has been implemented in 16 communities across Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Along with Harris and Landis, w88 mobile Development Specialist Buddy Borden, who works in the Southern Clark County University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office, also plays a key role with the grant.
"From my experience delivering the ASAP program, I found it to be a very effective research and outreach program that enables communities to better understand the many factors that influence community and w88 mobile development," Borden said. "More importantly, is provides communities with local data, expertise and resources that are necessary when developing and implementing strategic w88 mobile development plans."
The process for w88 mobile communities engaged with ASAP takes about six months. Communities first work through an Extension educator, who then gathers a cross section of both business and community leaders.
"We are also developing a post-w88 mobile follow-up process," Landis said. "The idea behind w88 mobile is for the community to take leadership in the project. In order for it to be sustainable, it has to be a community-led process. Community groups are working towards solutions and, while it may not be immediate, progress is being made to strengthen their economies."
