Economic gardening, a philosophy that embraces strategies to grow existing businesses in a community, region or state, is the basis for the entrepreneurship programs at the Edward Lowe Foundation.
By supporting second-stage companies and the entrepreneurial organizations that assist them, the foundation is planting the seeds for a stronger economy. Communities are the economic gardens that cultivate these companies and organizations and create supportive environments where they can thrive.
Economic gardening is an innovative entrepreneur-centered economic growth strategy that offers balance to the traditional economic practice of business recruitment, often referred to as "economic hunting." It was pioneered by Chris Gibbons in 1989 in the City of Littleton, Colorado, in conjunction with the Center for the New West. While it was introduced as a demonstration program to deal with the sudden erosion of economic conditions following the relocation of the largest employer in the city at that time, it has emerged as a prototype for a rapidly expanding movement of like-minded economic developers looking for additional methods to generate truly sustainable economic growth for their communities, regions or states.
The three basic elements of gardening are:
Resources
U.S. Jobs 2006-2008
U.S. Jobs 1993-2008
Littleton Economic Gardening
Kauffman Foundation Research
| Chris Gibbons: Introduction to Economic Gardening |  |
| Mark Lange: Economic Gardening Update for Collier County, FL (Naples) |  |
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