The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ford Foundation are convening a National Conference on Rural Wealth Creation and Livelihoods, October 3 - 5, 2011, in Washington, D.C.  “Wealth” can be considered to include a broad range of assets that contribute to human well-being, including physical, natural, financial, human, intellectual, social, political and cultural capital. Fostering wealth creation that leads to improved livelihoods in rural America is a top priority for USDA and for many regional, state and local research and development initiatives. The conference will bring together researchers, rural development practitioners and policy-makers who are working on regional and rural development issues to discuss and facilitate a common understanding of:

• What do “wealth” and “wealth creation” mean?
• What works, where, and why – or why not – to promote wealth creation that improves rural livelihoods?
• How can regional policies and programs contribute to wealth creation that sticks in rural areas?
• How can we measure rural wealth creation progress, maintenance and outcomes?

The conference is also intended to begin to develop a practical, results-relevant dialog among the research, practitioner and policy communities and a community of practice focused on rural wealth creation and livelihoods.

All those interested in attending the conference are requested to apply by responding to the Call for Participation, which has links to the application.  Use this link to access the call:

www.aspencsg.org/rdp/resources/ERS11/WealthCreationConferenceCall.pdf

The application asks interested participants to outline their interest in attending, including an abstract of any research findings, program stories, policy ideas, or burning questions they can contribute to the knowledge exchange at the conference.  Applications to attend the conference are due by May 15, 2011.  The application also offers the opportunity to apply for some of the limited scholarship funds available to attend the conference.

If you have difficulty accessing the Call for Participation or application, or have questions about the conference, please contact John Pender (jpender@ers.usda.gov) or Alex Marré (amarre@ers.usda.gov) at the Economic Research Service.