USDA Rural Development commissioned the Partners in Rural America (PRA) to build four regional ‘convenings’ to share best regional and place-based practices and build strategic partnerships among state Rural Development offices and rural leadership organizations throughout the region. VCRD was commissioned as the Lead Convener and host of the Northeast Rural Summit, which we held in April 2010 in Burlington.
National and regional USDA leaders, state agency leaders, and non-profit and business leaders from throughout the Northeast U.S. came together for two days of strategic planning around four crucial directions for the rural Northeast:
- Local and Regional Food Systems
- Energy
- Broadband
- Economic Development