Bárbara J. Robles, PhD* Division of Consumer & Community Affairs

Research Strategies in Tough Times:Capturing Resiliency Behaviors of Rural Low-Wealth Families and Communities Bárbara J. Robles, PhD* Division of Consumer & Community Affairs March 17, 2011 Board of Governors the Federal Reserve System *The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the Views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/IncomePovertyWelfare/PovertyDemographics.htmhttp://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/IncomePovertyWelfare/PovertyDemographics.htm

http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/rural_poverty.aspx

Rural Development Research Areas • Population Loss and Diverse Population Gains • Digital Divide • Food Sector Growth • Health Services Access/Elder Care • Retiring Farmers/Ranchers • Prisons & Detention Centers • Renewable Energy Sector • Natural Gas/Hydrofracking • Water & Environmental Conservation • Cooperatives

Current Topics in Rural News • Farmland prices rapidly appreciating: • Natural Gas deposits/Mineral & Mining Rights • Land tied to commodity and energy demand • Veteran’s Programs: Trading Swords for Plows • Prison Programs: Seasonal Crops • Organic Farming/Food Security • Resurgence of Farmer’s Markets

National Rural Data & Education Sources Department of Labor-National Agricultural Workers Survey: • http://www.doleta.gov/agworker/naws.cfm USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) • http://www.nass.usda.gov/ National 4-H Youth Development • http://www.4-h.org/ Family, Career, Community Leaders of America (formerly Future Homemakers of America (FHA)) • http://www.fcclainc.org/

Next Generation Rural Education • National FFA Organization (formerly: Future Farmers of America): There are 523,309 FFA members, aged 12-21, in 7,487 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. • 38% of FFA members are female; women hold more than 50% of state leadership positions • 75% of our membership is Caucasian; 11% is Hispanic and 4% is African-American • 89% of FFA members are in grades 9-12; 6% are in grades 7-8; 5% are high school graduates • 27% of FFA members live in rural farm areas; 39% live in rural non-farm areas with the remaining 34% of members living in urban and suburban area SOURCE: https://www.ffa.org/about/whoweare/Pages/Statistics.aspx

Sharing Resources and Assets: Family Assets-to-Community Assets-to-National Assets Environmental Capital Financial Capital Cultural Capital Political Capital Human Capital Social Capital

Rural Communities of Color: Uncovering Hidden Resiliency • Rethinking ‘normative’ metrics of wealth • Savings that never sees the ‘light of day’ in policy discussions: family savings – communal/extended kin vs. individual • Uncovering family resiliency behaviors that are missing from ‘mainstream’ data surveys • Do you use money orders to pay bills/save? • Do you lend to or borrow from family members in emergencies? • Do you send money to family members not living with you? • Do you have ‘legacy’ skills learned from elders? • Does your house have a front-porch? • Were you a youth mediator/interpreter for elders?

Mixed Research Methods • Primary Data Collection: Designing culturally responsive surveys (open ended always) • Secondary Data Analysis: Mapping data to a visual or place-based context • Ethno-Videography as a powerful policy tool • Multi-disciplinary Rapid Appraisal and Response Teams (multiple-lens creates value-added in research outcomes) • Field Observations: Rural Data is difficult to interpret if you cannot visualize the reality

Innovative Rural Development Projects Community Building-Education-Design Training: A design-based approach to community development through partnership with local municipality, school district and private funding. The central innovation is a year of field work meeting with community members to hear their aspirations for their community. The planning is based on projects identified through listening to community voices and including community members in projects by training and employing youth in the construction and completion of project. • http://www.ted.com/talks/emily_pilloton_teaching_design_for_change.html • http://www.studio-h.org/

Innovative Rural Development Projects Food Sector Planning-Organic Farming/Training: Bringing rural sustainable farming to urban youth and urban retailers. This organization is engaged in renewable and sustainable food production within Milwaukee while training local area youth in aquaponics, compost and vermicompost production, bee production, and livestock training, and renewable energy. • http://www.growingpower.org/

Innovative Rural Development Projects Beginning Farmers-Retiring Farmers-Land Link Program: This is a matching service that connects young would-be farmers (under 35) with retiring, older farmers ready to pass on knowledge, skills, success narratives as well as financing lease/purchase arrangements. • http://www.cfra.org/resources/beginning_farmer and http://www.farmtransition.org/

Data Drives Policy and Funding Streams • Currently, advocating for Policy changes, for public investments, requires empirical evidence and rests on data • Rural data is often overlooked given it reveals a persistently dismal picture, particularly for communities of color • Visually compelling information can be combined with hard data to tell a more nuanced and place-based narrative • Success stories can be used to provide a roadmap to research methods or models (modified to local conditions)

Rural Development Policy & Resources Web-sites • http://www.landloss.org/ • http://www.ruralamerica.org/ • http://ruralpolicynetworks.org/ • http://www.ruraldynamics.org/ • http://www.pps.org/articles/making-the-case-for-public-markets-as-job-generators/ • http://www.cfra.org/about • http://www.nslw.org/ • http://www.policylink.org/ • http://www.insightcced.org/communities/Closing-RWG.html • http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/ag_systems/pdfs/hispanic_full_report.pdf • http://www.federation.coop

Bárbara J. Robles, PhD* Division of Consumer & Community Affairs