The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on most sectors of the U.S. economy, and these impacts have been uneven across rural and urban areas. Rural areas were already lagging behind urban areas in many sectors before the pandemic, including educational attainment, access to health care and broadband, and the general economy. 

The Council on Food, Agriculture, and Resource Economics (C-FARE) commissioned an upcoming AAEA Choices issue to examine how COVID-19 affected rural areas. 

This presentation examines multiple impacts of the pandemic as well as the effects of selected federal policies designed to mitigate its adverse impacts on employment and job loss trends, impacts on agriculture, and influences on other specific sectors of the economy, including tourism, childcare, banking, broadband, and healthcare facilities. Conclusively, the work presented suggests a need for public policy interventions beyond short-term emergency levels to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

This panel will feature moderation by Jane Kolodinsky, C-FARE Board Member and Professor/Chair at The University of Vermont. Four expert panelists will join her. The webinar will conclude with questions from attendees. 

Laura Brown is a Community Economic Development Educator with UConn Extension and Certified Economic Developer (CED). Laura’s statewide work is focused on asset-based community, regional and economic development in urban communities.

Julia Cho is currently a Social Science Analyst at the Data Analytics Division, Innovation Center, USDA Rural Development. She is currently working on USDA RD’s investments in Community Facilities, and Water and Environmental program’s impact in rural America.

Elizabeth E. Davis is a Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Davis conducts research in economics and public policy related to low-income families, child care and early education, and low-wage and rural labor markets in the U.S.

Brian Whitacre is a Professor and Jean & Patsy Neustadt Chair in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University.  Brian’s main area of interest is rural economic development, focusing on the role that technology can play.