ABSTRACT
The recognition of the critical role of education in rural development confronts the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)/land grant system with critical choices. The USDA has lead responsibility for rural development among federal agencies. But, while education has been recognized as important to rural development, neither the USDA nor the land grant universities have undertaken or directly supported action programs targeted on literacy and basic improvements in elementary and secondary education. In turn, the benefits of education accrue to communities and industries located far away from the community that paid for the education. While an emphasis on education would have implications for most components of the USDA/land grant system, they are perhaps greatest for social scientists. USDA has the lead responsibility for rural development in die federal government. The White House could more easily force reallocation of funds within the Department than to first collect program savings from USDA and then re-allocate them to HEW for food stamps.
