The Rural Development Institute (RDI) is an academic research center that was established in 1989 by

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrollment of 3375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon Co ...

. It focuses on issues affecting rural communities in western Canada and elsewhere. The Institute provides an interface between academic research efforts and the community by acting as a conduit of rural research information and by facilitating community involvement in rural development. RDI has diverse research affiliations, and multiple community and government linkages related to its rural development mandate. RDI is located in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada.

History

The Rural Development Institute was created in 1989. In 1999, WESTARC (a wholly owned subsidiary of

) was integrated with RDI. WESTARC has served for almost two decades as a nonprofit consulting group that has concerned itself with the applied research, training and economic development needs of communities and organizations in western Canada. WESTARC has provided project management, research, training and consultancy services to meet the needs of communities, businesses and organizations.

Advisory Committee

The role of the RDI Advisory Committee is to provide general advice and direction to the Institute on matters of rural concern. On a semi-annual basis the Committee meets to share information about issues of mutual interest in rural Manitoba and foster linkages with the constituencies they represent. Members of the Advisory Committee include: Dr. Scott Grills (Chair,

), Mona Cornock (

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Manitoba Agriculture—officially the Department of Agriculture and Resource Development (ARD; )—is the department of the Government of Manitoba responsible for the Agriculture in Canada, agriculture and Natural resource, natural resources sect ...

), Larry Flynn ( Public Health Agency of Canada), Monika Franz-Lien (Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives), Reg Helwer ( Shur-Gro Farm Services), Ben Maendel (Baker Hutterite Colony), Jonathon Maendel (Baker Hutterite Colony), Darell Pack ( Rural Secretariat), W.J. Pugh (

Meyers Norris Penny MNP (previously known as Meyers Norris Penny) is one of the largest full-service chartered professional accountancy and business advisory firms in Canada. MNP's head office is in Calgary, Alberta, and has offices from Vancouver Island to St. John ...

), Dr. Fran Racher (

), Dr. Doug Ramsey (

), Frank Thomas ( Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce), Larry Wark ( MTS Communications Inc.), Dr. Dion Wiseman (

), Dr.Robert Annis (

Research domains

RDI responds to rural challenges and opportunities by focusing on a comprehensive range of research topics, including: *Community economic development (CED) *Community leadership *Environmental and agro-economic issues *Information management and technology utilization *Policy and program research and development *Rural adaptation and change *Rural/northern health & well-being *Rural Immigration *Rural tourism

Research team

In June 2009, William Ashton was named the new Director of RDI, replacing

Dr. Robert C. Annis Robert C. Annis is the Director of the Rural Development Institute, and an Associate Professor of Rural Development, at Brandon University. Annis is engaged in many community-based development organizations and research activities. He is vice chai ...

.
/ref> RDI researchers include:

Robert Annis Robert “Bob” Joseph Annis (September 5, 1928 – March 31, 1995) was an American soccer defender. He was a member of both the 1948 United States Olympic soccer team and the U.S. team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the Nat ...

, Marian Beattie, Kenneth Beesley, Kenneth Bessant, Jill Bucklaschuk, Susannah Cameron, Wayne Dibgy, John Everitt, Barbara Gfellner, Ryan Gibson, Diane Martz, Alison Moss, Beth Peers, Fran Racher, Doug Ramsey, Karen Rempel, and Ray Silvius.

Linkages

RDI has linkages with major research and research institutions with rural interests, such as: *

Canadian University Network on Rural Development Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

(CUNORD) *New Rural Economy *

Community Futures Manitoba A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, to ...

Community Economic Development Technical Assistance Program A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, to ...

Canadian Community Economic Development Network The Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) is a member-driven Canadian organization, founded in 1999, that seeks to increase the scale and effectiveness of community economic development (CED) - helping organizations and indiv ...

Leafy Spurge Stakeholders Group LEAFY (abbreviated LFY) is a plant gene that causes groups of undifferentiated cells called meristems to develop into flowers instead of leaves with associated shoots. ''LEAFY'' is involved in floral meristem identity. ''LEAFY'' encodes a pla ...

References

External links

* Brandon University Research institutes in Manitoba Rural research centres {{Canada-org-stub