The Changing Face of Rural America

After a decade of population loss, rural America has seen its population grow again. Nearly three-fourths of the 2,303 counties classified as rural in 1993 gained population between 1990 and 2000. As of April 2000, these areas collectively boasted a population of 56.1 million -- about one in five Americans -- and 5.2 million more than in 1990. Rural areas continued to gain population after 2000, but the pace of growth slowed considerably from that of the 1990s.Population growth, however, is only one of many changes affecting rural areas. Rural America today has moved from predominantly agrarian to postagrarian -- fewer than one in ten rural families earns its livelihood from the land -- and various economic, technological, and social changes have fundamentally altered rural life. This brief, based on Kenneth Johnson's chapter in "Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century", explores these changes and their effects on rural America.This issue brief is a joint product of the Rural Sociological Society and the National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship, a collaboration of four Regional Rural Development Centers: The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the Southern Rural Development Center, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and the Western Rural Development Center. Funding was also made available from the Ford Foundation.This brief is part of a policy brief series by the Rural Sociological Society and the Regional Rural Development Centers that stresses the importance of community collective action and developing the capacity of people and organizations to meet the community's needsThe Rural Sociological Society and the Regional Rural Development Centers creates new Public Policy Issue Brief series based on its recent book, "Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century".The briefs synthesize the context and substance of important issues raised in the book and address alternative policy options, with the goal of bringing important research to the policy community

Competition, Cooperation, and Local Government

Inspired by the best-selling "Reinventing Government", governments at all levels have decentralized programs and services and introduced market-based competition into operations. The goal of decentralization and privatization is to enhance civic participation and harness the market efficiencies that competition can offer.Decentralization and competition have certainly led to efficiencies and innovation. However, as Mildred Warner argues in her chapter in "Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century", many rural communities with limited resources have been overwhelmed by this new focus on market competition and decentralization.These two forces have reduced small local governments' ability to produce and deliver services, administer municipal functions, and plan and execute strategies for further development. The pressures risk exacerbating inequality between rural and urban areas as rural governments with limited means fall even farther behind wealthier communities that can compete more successfully for development, tax base, and contracts with private-sector service providers.This issue brief is a joint product of the Rural Sociological Society and the National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship, a collaboration of four Regional Rural Development Centers: The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the Southern Rural Development Center, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and the Western Rural Development Center. Funding was also made available from the Ford Foundation.This brief is part of a policy brief series by the Rural Sociological Society and the Regional Rural Development Centers that stresses the importance of community collective action and developing the capacity of people and organizations to meet the community's needsThe Rural Sociological Society and the Regional Rural Development Centers creates new Public Policy Issue Brief series based on its recent book, "Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century".The briefs synthesize the context and substance of important issues raised in the book and address alternative policy options, with the goal of bringing important research to the policy community

Tourism and Amenity-Based Development in Rural Communities

The natural amenities that often characterize the rural landscape, whether lakes and mountains or ruggedness and small-town charm, can offer struggling communities an option for economic development and can inject population and money into an area. Indeed, rural areas with natural amenities are some of the turnaround stories of the 1990s. The population in the retirement destinations in the Sunbelt, the coast, and portions of the West and Upper Great Lakes grew by 28% between 1990 and 2000, virtually all of that growth from migration. Non-metro recreational counties also saw sizable growth, especially where much of the land is federally owned. In contrast, counties dependent on farming and mining were the least likely to gain population in the 1990s.Yet, as Richard Krannich and Peggy Petrzelka caution in their chapter in "Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century", relying solely on amenity and tourism-based growth can create its own vulnerabilities and risks. Without strong community engagement and a participatory approach that includes all voices from the outset of the planning process, rural communities can risk losing their sense of culture and community. In addition, simply replacing one dominant industry for another, rather than working to diversify the economic base, leaves the community similarly exposed to potential instability.This issue brief is a joint product of the Rural Sociological Society and the National Coalition for Rural Entrepreneurship, a collaboration of four Regional Rural Development Centers: The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the Southern Rural Development Center, the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, and the Western Rural Development Center. Funding was also made available from the Ford Foundation.This brief is part of a policy brief series by the Rural Sociological Society and the Regional Rural Development Centers that stresses the importance of community collective action and developing the capacity of people and organizations to meet the community's needsThe Rural Sociological Society and the Regional Rural Development Centers creates new Public Policy Issue Brief series based on its recent book, "Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century".The briefs synthesize the context and substance of important issues raised in the book and address alternative policy options, with the goal of bringing important research to the policy community

Some Geographical Aspects of Rural Development with view of Montenegro: A Review

The paper discusses some geographical aspects of rural development with view of Montenegro. According to development of a heterogeneous, rural areas lag behind the urban and industrial, so the problem must be given more attention. In this regard, the European Union provides a powerful impetus to social and territorial cohesion of rural areas and attempt to provide a more efficient valorization of local development potential, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Privacy and promote rural development in Montenegro is in the interest of the whole society, and investing in the range of industries in rural areas increases their attractiveness, encourages sustainable growth and employment opportunities, especially for young employees willing and able to accept the new philosophy of development

Energy for sustainable rural development

Rural energy in developing countries is discussed with a view to sustainable development. The project-oriented approach in rural energy which has often dominated in the past, is contrasted with an overall strategy for sustainable rural energy demand and supply. An outline for a demand-oriented policy is formulated, indicating the role of the government in energy pricing and market development. Special attention is given to electricity as the fastest-growing energy subsector. It is concluded that major changes are required to accommodate and institutionalize the planning of decentralized energy supply

TOWARDS REGIONAL DIFFERENTIATION OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY IN THE EU

In this study a comparative analysis of the Rural Development Plans (RDPs) in four intermediate rural regions (Northern Netherlands, Lower Saxony, Wales and Emilia Romagna) and four most urban regions (Southern Netherlands, North Rhine-Westphalia, Flanders and Lombardia) is made. Such plans are designed in the scope of the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In particular, the focus was on the question whether the menu approach of the second pillar enables EU member states and regions to design Rural Development Plans with a tailor-made set of measures which address their specific rural development needs. The findings of this study suggest that the current menu of rural development measures is sufficient to suit the wide range of socio-economic, ecological and physical circumstances in the EU regions. The analysis also revealed that there is some overlap between the three rural development priorities of the second pillar. Therefore, an outline of future rural development priorities and measures in the EU is designed, in which it is attempted to avoid overlap between the various rural development priorities and in which each measure contributes to the achievement of one development priority only. In addition, it is proposed that regions would select only those measures in their Rural Development Plan which really address the rural development needs in their region, even if this results in a Rural Development Plan with only one or two rural development measures. Such an approach of selecting rural development measures according to regional needs will result in a large variation in rural development measures implemented and may be considered regional differentiation of EU rural development policy.Agricultural and Food Policy,

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE RURAL AREA IN ROMANIA AND IN THE OTHER EU MEMBER STATES

For the achievement of the objectives of rural development (contained in CAP), EU Member States have the priority axis (the general objectives of rural development) and the measures (the operational objectives) which are financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). According a special attention to the rural area development is necessary for the solving of the structural problems and for the balanced development of this area, respectively for the achievement of the economic and social cohesion. The rural area in Romania has a great potential from an economical and a social point of view due to the dimension, the diversity, the human and the natural resources. In Romania, the development of the rural area is connected to: improving the competitiveness of the agricultural and forestry sector, improving the environment and the countryside through land management, improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging the diversification of economic activity and implementing of local development strategies. We analyze the priorities of the rural area development for Romania and for the others EU member states, through a comparative analysis of the allocated funds and of the expenditure of the funds, appropriate for the objectives contained in the rural development programs. Also, we are analyzing the accomplishment of the objectives of rural area development and of the measures (operational objectives) at 30 September 2010, which are contained in the National Rural Development Program in Romania 2007 – 2013period (NRDP).rural economy, rural area, objectives of rural development.

Rural tourism as a development strategy : case studies from Chile : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Rural Development at Massey University

In the last ten years Chilean governments have implemented various polices aimed at rural poverty alleviation, focusing initially only on agricultural development and more recently also on non-agricultural development, promoting activities such as rural tourism. While rural tourism has been developed in Chile to some extent, there is still a lack of empirical research on its development and impacts. The aim in doing this study was to overcome this lack of research and guide strategies for rural tourism development initiatives in Chile. To achieve this, a multiple case study involving two communities was undertaken to identify ways in which smallholder farming households can be assisted in diversifying their livelihoods into rural tourism. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and participatory methods. These data were then analysed using qualitative methods. Households which have diversified into rural tourism are very positive about it. In economic terms rural tourism has allowed them to improve their housing conditions and increase spending on their children's education, and has provided work for women and young people. Rural tourism has also increased women's self-esteem and, importantly, has led people to place a higher value on their cultural traditions. It has also increased environmental awareness and fostered native tree planting at the household level. Rural tourism has also had some negative consequences, such as loss of family privacy, increased noise and increased solid waste problems. The main findings of this research suggest that there are key factors for successful rural tourism development. Therefore, for rural tourism to become a viable strategy for smallholder farming households assistance needs to take into account such things as provision of credit, technical assistance in setting up a rural tourism product to meet tourists' expectations, building stakeholders' capacity in rural tourism and business management, as well as assistance in establishing and managing an association of rural tourism providers. Changes to regulatory frameworks are also required to enable the setting up of rural tourism ventures. Effective cooperation and coordination between tourism operators and rural tourism providers, as well as cultural impact management and solid waste management, are also needed for successful rural tourism development. Key words: rural tourism, rural development, livelihood diversification, Chile

A study of Village Budget (APBDes) Utilization for Village Infrastructure Development at Wates

The application of village budget (APBDes) on rural infrastructure development in Wates, including the planning based on social need has two models: community discussion and BPD (village representative) which is directly involved in APBDes planning. The realization of APBDes in rural infrastructure development has three models: first, infrastructures developed by rural district, second, infrastructures developed in RT (neighborhood association-the lowest administrative unit) area under village chief coordination and third, tertiary irrigation infrastructure by P3A (association of farmers using water). Since 2007-2008, the budget allocation is effectively used more or less 16% from the DAD (Village Allocation Budget) for infrastructure development. The DAD application shows that the improvement is lower compared to the higher DAD. Before and after the DAD enactment, infrastructure development has shown the same raising. Therefore, the raising of DAD in APBDes does not directly influence the raising of rural infrastructure development because of its little proportion and for it serves as a stimulus to the community self-supporting. The development of rural infrastructure in Wates is influenced by rural improvement program which is funded by central government, province government and district government, APBDes and community self-supporting fund. APBDes gives 5% support from the total needed for rural infrastructure development in Wates

Growing up in rural Malawi: dilemmas of childhood

Rural Malawi is a place where families are generally poor socio-economically. In this chapter we discuss childhood development in a typical Malawian rural setting by focusing on the overall challenges facing families with young children, and we consider how families are coping. Such challenges involve social structures, community involvement, preparation for schooling, and home versus school literacy and numeracy development for children. We argue that unless these key issues are addressed, rural children will continue to face dilemmas in their development and in the long run, this will limit their future opportunities for personal development and participation in the social and economic development of Malawi