Economic Gardening in Oman: International Entrepreneurial-led Explored

May 9, 2024

The Oman Business Forum, in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP), hosted a session on Economic Gardening on April 30, 2024. The event, part of the Tejarah Talks series, occurred at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) in Muscat, Oman, and was titled “Economic Gardening: Nurturing & Cultivating Second Stage Companies.

This discussion focused on strategies to support the growth of second-stage companies, emphasizing job creation and sustainable economic development. It highlighted the importance of providing these businesses with essential resources, such as strategic information and connections, and discussed the role of supportive public policies in nurturing their development.

For more details about the event, visit the Oman Business Forum website.

The Rise of the Entrepreneurial Era: How Economic Development is Changing

Oct 3, 2023

What does it take to change how an entire profession thinks about economic growth? Migrating to an Entrepreneurship-led strategy.

For Chris Gibbons (on LinkedIn), founder of the National Center for Economic Gardening, the journey began in 1987, when a 7,000‑job layoff in Littleton, Colorado led to a simple but radical question: instead of recruiting outside companies, what if communities focused on growing the businesses they already had through entrepreneurship-led economic development?

In the IEDC Economic Development Journal article, Chris traces history and the roots of how Economic Gardening — and the broader movement it sparked — grew from a grassroots experiment on Colorado’s Front Range into an internationally recognized strategy embedded in policy, practice, and institutions across the globe.

Download the full article below to explore this important history in Gibbons’ own words: Download: IEDC Economic Development Journal (Volume 22, Number 3) & “The Entrepreneurial Revolution in Economic Development”

Originally published in the IEDC Economic Development Journal (Volume 22, Number 3, Summer 2023). Reposted by NCEG with permission.

Recent articles of note

Mar 23, 2021

NCEG tracks economic development news as it pertains to Economic Gardening, below are several articles we have come across recently that we feel are worth your time.

Economic Gardening and the CARES Act

May 18, 2020

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is now accepting applications from eligible grantees for  Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) supplemental funds (EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance) intended to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

Under this announcement, EDA will make CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants under the authority of its Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, which is intended to be flexible and responsive to the economic development needs and priorities of local and regional stakeholders.

Examples of projects that EDA may fund through its CARES Act Recovery Assistance include economic recovery planning and preparing technical assistance strategies to address economic dislocations caused by the coronavirus pandemic, preparing or updating resiliency plans to respond to future pandemics, implementing entrepreneurial support programs to diversify economies, and constructing public works and facilities that will support economic recovery, including the deployment of broadband for purposes including supporting telehealth and remote learning for job skills.

Eligible applicants under the EAA program include a(n):

  • District Organization;
  • Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian Tribes;
  • State, county, city, or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions;
  • Institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or
  • Public or private non-profit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State.

The National Center for Economic Gardening is happy to provide supporting  information about Economic Gardening for EDA CARES grant applications. Please contact us today at cgibbons@economicgardening.org or visit our Contact Us page.