Blog

AALP International Study Tour Class 18: Portugal and Morocco

Date: May 31, 2022

​There is no corner of the world that does not rely on agriculture to feed its people, to provide income for families and to bring money into the economies of the countries themselves. In late March and early April of 2022, the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) Class 18 visited Portugal and Morocco...

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Big Data for Small Places

Date: May 20, 2022

In our work in rural research and consulting, my colleague and I were frequently asked for assistance with local data.  We believed staff in rural municipalities and NGOs should be able to find and interpret relevant data without employing a consultant.  When we inquired about the obstacles rural staff faced, some recurring themes emerged. 

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Supporting Rural Development by Embedding Financial Capital: Community Investment Fund Programs

Date: May 13, 2022

​While businesses in rural Ontario can face challenges like changing local populations and rising supply chain costs, one major obstacle that can prevent rural business development is access to financial capital. Seed money (such as from loans and equity investments) is vital for starting and growing a business, and this may be hard to find in rural areas.

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