Critical issues facing Georgia residents: An application of the Delphi technique and community capitals framework

Abstract

The 21^st century has brought with it unforeseen challenges and influential trends that will have significant impact of the livelihood and wellbeing of Georgia residents. Extension personnel within Georgia can extend their mandate by identifying issues that represent present and near-present threats and use these issues to inform programming and direct resource allocation. The conceptual basis for this study relied upon the community capitals framework and the consensus-building theory. Data were collected using a three-round Delphi process, with an expert panel comprised of 19 Extension leadership and administrative personnel. Descriptive statistics, including mean importance scores and absolute frequency counts, were computed. A final list of 21 unique issues resulted from the Delphi process and was analyzed thematically using the constant comparative method. Five heuristic themes resulted from this analysis: 1) Investment in Youth and Adults, 2) Agricultural and Rural Economic Development, 3) Agriculture and Food Safety Information, 4) Resource Access and Availability, 5) Social and Personal Economic Concerns. Comparison with the community capitals framework revealed that multiple capitals interacted within each of the resulting themes. Utilizing the Delphi technique in conjunction with the community capitals framework enables extension professionals to compare community resources and strengths and may allow for greater efficiency in addressing critical issues. The immediate efforts of extension personnel should be directed towards addressing issues within the Investment in Youth and Adults and Resource Access and Availability themes. We recommend using the associated community capitals as strategic entry points for further discussion and program development.