Stronger Economies Together

Stronger Economies Together (SET) represents an exciting initiative launched in 2009 by USDA Rural Development in collaboration with the four Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs) and their land-grant university partners. The purpose of SET is to strengthen the capacity of communities/counties in rural America to work together in developing and implementing an economic development blueprint that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of their region.

The SET Process has occured or is occuring in many states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Georgoia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

Here are some of the important elements of the Stronger Economies Together initiative:

• State Partner Teams will bring the talents and resources of key state and federal agencies, landgrant university Extension programs, and other organizations together to provide training and technical assistance to each of the regional teams.
• Thirty-five (35) hours of SET training will be delivered to each region, a process that is guiding the development of practical and viable regional economic development strategies. Much of this training involves actual hands-on work on the regional plan by team members.
• Economic analyses will be tailored to help capture the region current or emerging clusters and comparative economic advantages.
• Technical assistance is provided to the regions over a period of several months upon completion of the SET training.
• Experiences and insights will be shared among the regions and the State Partner Teams. New regions are slated to be added to the SET initiative in Mid-2012 as part of Phase III.

For more information on SET:
Website: http://www.srdc.msstate.edu/set
YouTube Video by the Western NV Region WNDD Video
Email or phone: Suzette Agans at 202-401-1922 or Bo Beaulieu at the Southern Rural Development Center at 662-325-3207.

For state or regional specific information - contact USDA Rural Development State Staff or your local Cooperative Extension agent.

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