The economic foundation of rural America has experienced dramatic changes over the past two decades, making it increasingly important for rural businesses to implement e-commerce strategies to strengthen their economic health and stability, improve their market share and catapult the efficiency of their products and services.
In response to these changes, the Southern Rural Development Center, in partnership with National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, administers the National e-Commerce Extension Initiative. This program, launched in 2003, addresses the following factors that will dictate the adoption and diffusion of e-commerce innovations in rural areas: whether rural areas have the technology in place to embrace e-commerce applications, whether these businesses understand how e-commerce can benefit their operations, and whether Extension educators have the resources to provide adequate educational support to small businesses.
As the sole outlet nationally for e-commerce educational offerings geared at Extension programming, the National e-Commerce Extension Initiative features interactive online learning modules. In addition, the program's Web site offers a library of additional resources and a tutorials section for greater explanation on Web site design and function. With a variety of funding options directed at the creation or dissemination of educational offerings, the National e-Commerce Extension Initiative attracts leaders and innovators in e-commerce from throughout the Extension system.
The Southern Rural Development Center seeks to strengthen the capacity of the region's 29 land-grant institutions to address critical contemporary rural development issues impacting the well-being of people and communities in the rural South.
Click here to learn more about the Southern Rural Development Center