ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GREATER EAST

EDGE is glad to be supported by the USDA through two grants:
Rural Business Development (received 2018) and Rural Economic Development Innovation (received 2019)!

EDGE CURRENTLY HAS THREE MAJOR PROGRAMS

MOUNTAIN FARM STORE,
PHASE ONE OF MOUNTAIN FARM AND FRIENDS

Mountain Farm Store (MFS) is a three-entity partnership [McDowell County Farms Cooperative, Economic Development Greater East, and Southeast Economic and Education Development Hub, with EDGE management, building ownership by McDowell County Farms Cooperative] currently under renovation through a USDA Rural Business Development grant as a premier site for value-added and fresh food sales and production training, entrepreneurship training, and, consumer and youth and adult food and nutrition education.

Mountain Farm Store focuses first on aggregation and sales of food produced from local and regional producers such as maple products, high tunnel produce and orchard fruit products, bee and honey products, sustainable mountain harvest, and meat and poultry.

MFS builds on a two-pronged market model of sales to Hatfield and McCoy Trail tourists, whose yearly income averages over $100k, and, the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid model, of local consumers also deserving access to nutrient dense foods at affordable prices and for purchase also through EBT.

Located in Kimball, WV, Mountain Farm Store is Phase I of a three phase Mountain Farm and Friends campus, researched and established through EDGE, to include build out for greater capacity for additional training, aggregation, hospitality, and community engagement.

THRIVE (TEACH, HEAL, RENEW, INVEST, enVIsion Entrepreneurship)

EDGE provides training and partnerships for training in agricultural entrepreneurship and other entrepreneurship and job training for the WV and SWVA coalfields and beyond through its THRIVE initiative.

Currently, EDGE is partnered with Coalfield Development Corporation to train nine young adults for 35 hours per week for seven months.

EDGE provides or coordinates all current hands-on training through its partner, McDowell County Farms Cooperative (feature farm, T & T Organics) in Berwind, McDowell County, WV, and, the Crea Company in Bluefield, WV.

Current participants are drawn principally from McDowell County, WV and Tazewell County, VA.

Learn more at the video and photos below!

regional coordination

EDGE PROVIDES ESSENTIAL REGIONAL COORDINATION ACROSS COUNTIES AND STATE BORDERS TO ADDRESS CROSS-REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC SECTOR SUPPORT, AND THE SOCIOECONOMIC NEEDS FOR ECONOMIC SECTOR UPGROWTH AND RESILIENCE.

EDGE is currently seeking to build out and empower a local Prosperity Council. In 2018, EDGE was visited by the national office of the USDA and it was invited to participate in a private-public-faith based initiative to increase local community grasstops coordination. More about its current Prosperity Council Participants and designation below.

VISION

Economic Development Greater East (EDGE) envisions vibrant land-based, tourist, creative, and trade sectors in the greater Eastern United States supported through a thriving work and entrepreneurial force.

core mission

EDGE curates and cultivates the greater East’s economic edge through education, entrepreneurship, and innovation in land-based (ag+) and creative industries, tourism, and the trades. EDGE provides essential regional coordination across counties and state borders to address cross-regional economic development, economic sector support, and the socioeconomic needs for economic sector upgrowth and resilience.

Special focus
food Deserts

Economic Development Greater East (EDGE) also combats the many dilemmas accompanying food deserts including food access, food security, loss of heritage foodways and skills, and issues of nutrition and health.

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