Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) is hosted by Pennsylvania State University and is dedicated to providing research-based information that helps create regional prosperity through entrepreneurial and cluster-based innovation, while assuring balanced uses of natural resources in livable communities in the northeastern United States.

The key issue areas listed below represent the concepts driving the mission, vision, and the strategy for rural development research and Extension projects.

• Improving Economic Competitiveness, Diversity, and Adaptability of Small and/or Rural Communities
• Facilitating Development of Policies that Enhance the Well-being of Rural People and Small Towns
• Increasing Community Capacity to Deal with Change
• Increasing Social Viability through Enhancing the Self-reliance of Families and Communities
• Linking Natural Resource Industries, Including Agriculture, with Community and Environmental Resources