By Mary Hightower
Reliance on agriculture makes rural communities vulnerable to economic volatility, but strong regional partnerships can help build resilience, according to agricultural economics researchers.
Chrystol Thomas, assistant professor and extension specialist for community economic development in the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University and Frank Seo, assistant professor of rural development and extension specialist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, explored the phenomenon in “Rural Vulnerability in Times of Economic Downturn,” part of “Surviving the Farm Economy Downturn: 2026 Update.”
The two researchers noted two main aspects of the South’s vulnerabilities. First, southern states’ agricultural sectors tend to contribute a higher-than-average percentage to each state’s gross domestic product, or GDP. Additionally, the authors noted how the share of farm related income in total personal and total proprietors’ income “underscores the importance of agriculture to rural communities across the Southern states.”
The agriculture sector, including agricultural production, processing, and Ag Retail, contributes 5.2 percent of the total United States GDP. Among Southern states, Arkansas has the highest percentage of its GDP from the agriculture sector at 10.9 percent. It is lowest in Texas, at 4.1 percent of GDP.
Source : uada.edu