Rural Gateway Peer-to-Peer Conference Call: Harvesting Opportunity

The Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development (ORHED) invites you to take part in our next Peer-to-Peer conference call. Scheduled for October 11, 2017, this call will offer participants the opportunity to learn more about community and economic development opportunities of regional food system investments.

The Federal Reserve System and USDA have partnered to develop a book – Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities, focused on the community and economic development opportunities of regional food system investments. In connection with the book's release, they are partnering with organizations leading innovations in the regional food systems sector to get this new resource in the hands of the organizations best placed to advance the lessons it contains.

Join HUD's Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development and book contributors from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado State University as we engage rural community leaders in this open forum on regional food systems. Speakers will include:

• Jackie L. Williams, Ph.D., Moderator, Director, Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development;
• Andrew Dumont, Senior Community Development Analyst, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs;
• Debra Tropp, Deputy Director, Marketing Services Division, Agricultural Marketing Services, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and
• Becca Jablonski Assistant Professor, Food Systems Extension Economist, Colorado State University.

Topics to be discussed

• Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities book highlights and primary takeaways
• Overview of local and regional food systems, including their evolution and what's driving growth
• Community economic impacts of food system initiatives

Format of the call

Please RSVP by email to rhed@hud.gov no later than close of business on October 6, 2017. Please include your name and organization.

Call-in instructions and additional materials will be emailed to participants on October 10, 2017. The 60 minute call will include presentations and a Q&A session.

If you have any questions, please call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526).

HUD