Join experts from the American Farm Bureau Federation, Reinvestment Fund, and George Washington University as they discuss using regional food system investments to drive entrepreneurial activity and small-business development.

Speakers will discuss technical support that can be provided to entrepreneurs as well as creative tools for financing regional food enterprises. The webinar will draw on research in a new book, Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities. The speakers are all contributors to the publication, which the St. Louis Fed, Board of Governors, and U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered on. The speakers will highlight how organizations are working to ensure that the opportunities created through regional food investments are available to all, including traditionally marginalized populations.

Presenters include:

• Lisa Benson, Director, Rural Development, American Farm Bureau Federation
• Donna Leuchten Nuccio, Director, Healthy Food Access, Reinvestment Fund
• Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of Sustainability, George Washington University

Register for the September 14 webinar, which takes place at 3:00 p.m. ET. Participation is free, but preregistration is required.

The Connecting Communities^® webinar series is a Federal Reserve System initiative providing a national audience with timely information on emerging and important community and economic development topics. All sessions are recorded and archived on the Connecting Communities^® website.