Georgia's Growth Agenda: Five Critical Areas for Development - Part 2

In a previous blog post, published on May 15^th, I shared the results of a study that we conducted to identify important issues facing the state of Georgia. Given the varied landscape of this beautiful state, it’s important to look at locally relevant data to identify critical issues.

In this study, we looked at the issues based on county-level perceptions and geographic groupings. You’ll find that the results provide an interesting perspective on the pressing concerns facing this state, including civic engagement, agriculture, nutrition, water management, and more. Taken together, these challenges highlight the importance of region-specific interventions moving forward.

Key Themes and Critical Issue Areas:

Youth and Family Development:

• This is seen as the top concern, especially in rural counties.

• Existing programs like 4-H, along with family development initiatives, require more visibility and accessibility.

• Programs can be adjusted, and outreach can be improved, to better meet local needs in areas across the state.

Civic Engagement and Community Development:

• The Upper Coastal Plain showed significant interest in this area, although overall concern was rather low.

• Many local extension services lack the community development personnel needed to make a meaningful difference.

• Needs assessments could be conducted to effectively develop a dedicated community development programming domain.

Agriculture and Economic Development:

• This area is critical for regions that are perceived to have a high level of importance for the state as a whole, such as the Blue Ridge Mountains.

• Sustainable economic plans come down to effectively re-skilling the workforce and leveraging the existing natural resources.

Nutrition Education and Food Availability:

• According to the CDC, the state features relatively high obesity and poor nutrition habits, yet concern is low in this area.

• The effectiveness of programs like SNAP-Ed could be improved through the work of extension services, along with striving to improve or change public perceptions.

Water Management:

• Existing conservation efforts may cause this area to be perceived as less critical than others.

• It is recommended that education efforts on the importance of water conservation be continued.

There are many different perspectives held in various geographic regions across Georgia. The state can more effectively target its developmental efforts when the specific needs and concerns of each region are properly understood. This is an approach that focuses on community engagement and the overall resilience and sustainability of developmental strategies. I've included the full manuscript below if you would like to learn more. Please be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

GA_Geographic_Analysis.pdf

Download PDF • 5.34MB

Schmidt, A., Lamm, K. W., Borron, A., & Lamm, A. J. (2024). Examining the relationship between geographic groupings and perspective of critical community issues: An audience segmentation analysis. Land, 13(5), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13050681