ABSTRACT
Rural development does require special considerations of space, density, multiple decisionmakers, cultural and historical diversity, and the biological and ecological nature of agriculture. As guardians of the vast spaces that produce the nations and a share of the world’s food and fiber, as well as principal users and protectors of the natural environment, rural residents are critical participants in effective agricultural and rural development policy. Achieving the rural development goals encompassed by earlier definition of rural development poses inherent conflicts in policy. State initiatives to encourage and develop local entrepreneurship should be a focused strategy for economic development programs. Neoclassical economics suggests that the nation’s efficiency is improved by shifting human resources to where they may be best used. Attempting to preserve all rural communities will almost certainly lead to national inefficiency. A commitment to equal opportunity and balanced economic growth in the nation will require targeting federal aid and state assistance to the most-distressed rural areas.
