HIGH PERFORMING LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS (LFSS) INVOLVE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS OF MARKET CHANNELS AND PLACE-SPECIFIC ATTRIBUTES. FURTHER, PERCEPTIONS AND PREFERENCES REGARDING WHAT CONSTITUTES AN ACTIVE, HEALTHY, AND VIBRANT LFS LIKELY DIFFER BETWEEN CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS, AND FOOD-RELATED BUSINESSES WITHIN A COMMUNITY. PRODUCERS, AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES, AND LFS DEVELOPMENT ENTITIES WOULD BENEFIT FROM A PROCESS THAT QUICKLY ASSESSES HOW DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF A LFS ARE 1) VALUED BY RESIDENT CONSUMER AND PRODUCER GROUPS AND 2) PERFORMING ACCORDING TO STAKEHOLDER EXPECTATIONS. WE PROPOSE TO REFINE A RECENTLY PILOTED RAPID ASSESSMENT PROCESS - A LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM VITALITY INDEX - AND THEN USE INDEX RESULTS TO SUGGEST LFS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR 16 COMMUNITIES IN THE US SOUTH. OUR PROPOSED PROJECT COMPLEMENTS SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT EFFORTS BY REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND LFSS AND PRIORITIZE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. FOR INSTANCE, THE USDA SOUTHERN RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION CENTER (SRMEC), THE SOUTHERN RURAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER (SRDC), AND THE SOUTHERN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH &AMP; EDUCATION (SARE) ALL HAVE CONVENED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROFESSIONALS TO HELP IDENTIFY LFS PRIORITIES PARTICULARLY FOR LAND GRANT UNIVERSITIES IN THE SOUTH [1]. THESE ORGANIZATIONS SUBSEQUENTLY CREATED AN INTERDISCIPLINARY SERA47 PROJECT - "STRENGTHENING THE SOUTHERN REGION EXTENSION AND RESEARCH SYSTEM TO SUPPORT LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOODS NEEDS AND PRIORITIES" [2]. ADDITIONALLY, THE USDA AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (AMS) HAS CREATED THE ECONOMICS OF LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS TOOLKIT WHICH ALLOWS LFS STAKEHOLDERS TO QUANTIFY THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT LOCAL FOOD SYSTEM PROJECTS OR INVESTMENTS [3]. OUR LOCAL FOOD SYSTEMS VITALITY (LFSV) INDEX PROVIDES A STARTING POINT FOR UNDERSTANDING WHERE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS - RESIDENT FOOD CONSUMERS AND LOCAL FOOD PRODUCERS - PREFER LFS INVESTMENT. IT ALSO CHARACTERIZES HOW SPECIFIC ELEMENTS OF LFSS CONTRIBUTE TO SYSTEM VITALITY, FUNCTIONALITY, AND PERFORMANCE. THIS INCLUDES UNDERSTANDING PLACE-BASED STAKEHOLDER PREFERENCES, RELATIONSHIPS, AND VALUES RELATED TO LOCAL FOOD ACTIVITY, MARKETING, AND PRODUCTION. OUR PROPOSED RESEARCH SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES PROGRAM PRIORITIES BY 1) UNDERSTANDING FACTORS AND CONDITIONS THAT ENHANCE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND RURAL BUSINESSES, 2) EXAMINING APPROACHES TO EXPANDING LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS WHILE MAINTAINING BENEFITS OF LOCAL IDENTITY, AND 3) EVALUATING POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS, AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT PROMOTE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF LFS-RELATED BUSINESSES. IN GENERAL, THIS PROJECT PROVIDES AN OBJECTIVE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR LFS DEVELOPMENT THAT DEEPENS KNOWLEDGE REGARDING COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS AMONG LFSS' DIVERSE ELEMENTS WHILE RECOGNIZING PRIORITIES FOR DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SOUTH. THIS IS UNDERSTANDABLY A LARGE AND CHALLENGING TASK, BUT WE SUGGEST A RAPID ASSESSMENT PROCESS PROVIDES USEFUL AND ACTIONABLE DATA THAT INFORM INVESTMENT DECISIONS FOR LFS DEVELOPMENT LEADERS IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. BY UNDERSTANDING WHAT ASPECTS OF A LFS RESIDENTS VALUE, PRODUCERS AND POLICYMAKERS CAN PRIORITIZE THE DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS, STRATEGIES, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND RESOURCES THAT MEET CONSUMER DEMANDS AND AID IN THE SUSTAINABLE EXPANSION OF AGRICULTURE-RELATED BUSINESSES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.