He explained that these projects expand collaborative relationships among scientific disciplines, between research, extension and teaching. In addition to the Innovator Awards, CaRDI presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Paul Eberts, Cornell professor of rural sociology. Patricia Pollak, chair of the CaRDI Steering Committee and associate professor in the department of Policy Analysis and Management, presented the award to Eberts, who has retired as CaRDI's director. This project brings rural communities together to assess and develop long-term goals. For example, the program shows communities how to avoid piecemeal approaches to solving problems and develop long-term solutions, which is what Community Links is doing in the communities of Groton, Caroline and Ulysses.
Communities say they want a viable downtown area, and to keep up a neighborly feeling.
They also want places for young people to get jobs and stay in the community. They want to establish a high quality of life. It's a very comprehensive program. This workshop describes the role of the community food systems in rural community development and illustrates how urban markets are important in rural development and sustaining small farms. Gillespie says community-based research, through partnerships, is important for developing goals needed to foster a sustainable food system that at the same time contributes to environmentally sound rural and urban development.