Opportunities to Revitalize the Regional Ag Economy
Growing Agricultural Diversity, Production & Prosperity in the Mid-South Mississippi Delta through Agri-STEM Career Development and Specialty Crop Production & Processing
The University of Memphis ACRE Institute (Agricultural & Conservation Research & Education) will collaborate with Alcorn State University, Rust College, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Jackson State University.
The project includes the 44 counties of the Mid-South Mississippi Delta and will include
community engagement with target audiences in the project service area, including
surveys, focus groups, and personal interviews with 1,500 students (K-16), 150 teachers,
100 farmers, and 500 consumers, as well as 50 companies in grocery, food processing,
and other food and agribusiness sectors.
The project will provide strategic guidance on critical opportunities to revitalize
the regional agricultural economy and ecosystem. The project will bring together a
diverse set of partners and engage stakeholders across the region, including youth
and underserved groups in distressed communities. Finally, the project will help inform
public policy, business development, regional investment, and research, education,
and outreach efforts to support these opportunities and catalyze job creation and
long-term economic growth.
For more information on this initiative, contact Dr. Jennifer Mandel, director of ACRE: Agricultural & Conservation Research & Education and associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, at jmandel@memphis.edu.