Rural Development News—Vol. 25 No. 1, 2001

Publications

Collaborative Conservation Amid the policy gridlock that characterizes most environmental debates, a new conservation movement has emerged. Known as “collaborative conservation,” it emphasizes local participation, sustainability and inclusion of the disempowered. It focuses on voluntary compliance and consent rather than legal and regulatory enforcement. Encompassing a wide range of local partnerships and initiatives, collaborative conservation is changing the face of resource management throughout the western United States. Across the Great Divide: Explorations in Collaborative Conservation and the American West presents a thoughtful exploration of this new movement, bringing together writing, reporting and analysis of collaborative conservation from those directly involved in developing and implementing the approach. This book is available in hard cover for $50, in soft cover for $25, plus shipping and handling from Island Press, (800) 828-1302, www.islandpress.org.   Building Better Rural Places Anyone seeking help from federal programs to foster innovative enterprises in agriculture and forestry in the U.S. should use the 2001 resource guide, titled Building Better Rural Places. This guide also aims to help U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agency employees become aware of and take better advantage of the multitude of federal programs and resources available to support agricultural and forestry innovations. These innovations can help create profitable opportunities for entrepreneurs and operators of all scales in agriculture and forestry. The guide includes descriptions of federal programs or resources that may create opportunities or provide assistance in adding value, diversifying or adopting more sustainable practices in agricultural and forest product enterprises. To obtain a free copy of this guide contact Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, (800) 346-9410, askattra@ncatark.uark.edu, http://www.attra.org. Community Economic Development CD A compact disk now available from Kansas State University can help officials in small and large communities plan for economic success. The CD, titled Community Economic Development: An Interactive Guide to Understanding Your Community’s Economy, has seven chapters, including such topics as understanding the community, understanding the economic function, applying economic concepts, choosing community goals, benefits to the community, and more. The CD can be used as a tutorial, as a presentation or as a textbook. Community Economic Development is available for $35 from David Darling, Kansas State University, Department of Agricultural Economics, (785) 532-1512, ddarling@agecon.ksu.edu, http://www.agecon.ksu.edu/ddarling/. Building Sustainable Organizations from the Inside Out A new workbook, titled A Guide to Building Sustainable Organizations from the Inside Out, illustrates the SHOW-21 model for increasing organizational sustainability and offers a series of activities and tools to other groups interested in this effective approach. SHOW-21 (Sustainability of Health Organizations for Women in the 21st Century) is a project introduced by the Chicago Foundation for Women. It is based on the assumption that sustainability can be achieved when organizations recognize and understand the full measure of their assets and capacities and then build upon them. The Chicago Foundation for Women believes that through sharing the SHOW-21 process and lessons learned, it can have a transforming impact on how nonprofits think about their own sustainability and future organizational development. Although this workbook comes out of the wisdom of women’s organizations, this process can be applied to any organization. Single copies of this workbook are available from ACTA Publications, (800) 397-2282, acta@one.org, http://www.northwestern.edu/IPR/orderform.pdf.