Rural town

Rural Development

Piloted in Minnesota, the Rural Climate Dialogues began from the idea that rural citizens hold the solutions for addressing climate change in their communities. Our intensive work in three communities (Winona, Grand Rapids and Morris) has been globally recognized by the International Association for Public Participation as a creative and innovative form of community engagement that is empowering rural communities to take leadership in the transition to clean energy. 

Searching for clarity on biofuels

IATP finds itself in an interesting place in the recent tidal wave of interest around biofuels. Our initial interest came from our work with local farmers and rural communities in Minnesota and surrounding states. These farmers and their communities were looking for a way to add value to their crops when prices were at record lows. The debate was far from today's discussion of food scarcity.

After the Flood

A few weeks ago, heavy rains flooded a stretch of land along the Minnesota and Wisconsin border that is home to hundreds of organic farmers. Reports have been devastating - with many individual farms reporting hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

Assessing the Bioeconomy

To better understand what others in the U.S. and around the world think about this emerging economy, IATP conducted an informal survey in September 2006. The survey went out to multiple networks that IATP has developed over the years as part of its international trade work, as well as U.S.-based domestic farm and environmental networks.
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