Rural Economic Development

Located in Duplin County, an economically- and environmentally-distressed rural area, Diversity Nurtures Achievements Community Youth Center (DNA) provides year-round,...

The Pennsylvania Wilds (PA Wilds) has a lot to offer. With more than two million acres of public land—as...

Santa Clara County, California, is the epicenter of the tech industry. Home to Silicon Valley, it is also one...

In the heart of West Virginia's southern coal fields, there is a long history of environmental conservation and economic...

Conservation of our land and water resources is inextricably tied to food production and the health of people. If...

What makes a community livable? Most agree it’s the quality of transportation options, range of affordable housing choices, potential...

Swift Level Farm, a 152-acre historic landmark located in West Virginia’s Greenbrier Valley, has been in Jennifer “Tootie” Jones’...

When Laila and Doug Mortimer retired to Robbinsville, North Carolina, they did not expect to be building treehouses.  But the...

Since first opening in 1991, The Custard Stand, owned by Dee and Angie Cowger, has opened locations across West...

The eight co-founders of Earthseed Land Cooperative (ELC) have a vision: to use land to support the collective health,...

When Lisa and Jeff Sickler moved to their new Moatsville, West Virginia, farm in 2009, they started off simply: ...

What are you having for dinner? Imagine trying to answer that question if you couldn’t get to a grocery...

Conetoe, a small town of just 287 people, is located in rural northeastern North Carolina, in a county that...

Entrepreneurs Will and Wes Coleman are doubling harvesting capacity in an industry seeing fewer young workers.  Logging crews are...

Celebrating Ecotourism and Regional Heritage Roanoke River Partners is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the natural, cultural and...

Henry Crews and Ardis Crews are taking a smart approach to revitalizing blighted neighborhoods in their small town of...

Many great ideas are hatched over drinks. For Josh Bennett and Will Lewis, their great idea was the drinks...

The Coharie River has long served as the lifeblood of the Coharie tribal community and its ancestors. The river...

Nonviolent protests and acts of civil disobedience powered the civil rights movement, making activists out of ordinary people wanting...

Tucked among the rolling hills and waterfalls of Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Forest, and many other recreational destinations,...

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the former mill town of Orange, Massachusetts is a “food desert”—a community...

Healthy Food Distribution Initiative In West Virginia, one in five children has limited or no access to fresh fruits, vegetables,...

Since 2007, The Conservation Fund’s Conservation Leadership Network, with generous support from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and National Endowment for the...

Hoke Community Forest, the first community forest in the Southeastern United States, serves as an innovative model for communities...

Though the region is surrounded by large agricultural lands, half of North Carolina’s “food deserts” are located in the...

In the coastal flatwoods of Georgia, a project that demonstrates our focus on community and the environment is unfolding....

These days, when we talk about rural America, we hear a lot about the scarcity of opportunities and optimism....

In October 2010, the Fund’s Conservation Leadership Network brought together local business leaders, elected officials and public land managers...

Known as “The Valley Beautiful,” this rural Appalachian community is prime for development, but it is also home to...

In Spring 2015, The Conservation Fund compiled a comprehensive analysis of the economy of the Big Bend region of...