The South continues to be a major destination point for many Americans. The 2000 Census of population reveals that the South grew over 17 percent over the course of the 1990s, a figure that was two to three times higher than that found in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the country. With this healthy population expansion, particularly outside the urban fringe, has come tremendous pressures to convert rural and agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses. Many rural local governments and other community leaders are having a difficult time coping with the host of problems that urban sprawl may present. The challenges include conflicts regarding the conversion of prime farmland for nonfarm uses, the placing of constraints on farming practices as a result of complaints lodged by new residents living near farming operations, the implications that growth may have on the area's natural resources, disputes as to which approaches are best for managing growth, and the social problems that rapid growth may introduce to rural areas. In light of the pressures that many rural communities are experiencing as a product of population and economic expansion, farm operators will face increasing demands to embrace a sustainable agricultural agenda.

Local leaders and residents are in dire need of information that can help them understand the complex set of issues associated with urban and suburban encroachment on rural areas. In addition, educational outreach programs that present key features of sustainable community development activities are needed in order to provide community leaders, governments, organizations and citizens with a variety of strategies that can be considered in their efforts to effectively address the current and emerging urban-suburban/rural interface issues in their localities.

Planned Activities:

Research

Sustainable Communities Innovations Grant Program. The Center will continue to work closely with the Southern SARE program in supporting the competitive research grants program that invest a small amount of financial resources in innovative programs that promote sustainable community efforts at the local level. It is hoped that together, the Southern SARE and the SRDC will support seven proposals in FY04.

Extension Partnership Activities

Promoting Environmental Stewardship and Community Development in the Mid South Delta: The Master Farmer Tri-State Initiative. The SRDC will spearhead an effort to expand and refine a highly effective program that has been launched by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center's Extension Service titled the "Master Farmer Program." In concert with the Cooperative Extension Service leadership in the Mid South Delta Region of the country (i.e., Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi), the SRDC intends to facilitate the delivery of this important educational initiative to new counties or parishes in the three-state area. The Master Farmer Program targets farmers, ranchers and others who are directly engaged in agriculture/forestry production activities. Those who enroll in this program will participate in three important phases: (1) classroom instruction on environmental stewardship related to water quality regulations and conservation practices; (2) site visits to farms that have implemented various conservation practices; and (3) development of farm-specific conservation plans that are to be implemented in their own farm/forestry operation. Producers who complete all three components of the Master Farmer Program receive an environmental stewardship certification.