Designed to help bridge the gap between selected Appalachian communities (17 control and 18 experimental Kentucky communities) and the more affluent U.S. society, the Appalachian Community Impact Project (ACIP) used indigenous paraprofessionals, backed by Extension personnel, to work at the community level. It was hypothesized that by using…

In most of the United States, rural areas are experiencing economic and social changes that raise new policy questions for both government and private organizations. Often, these changes have industrial or urban roots and require knowledge and skills not part of the background of most rural people, with the likely outcome that farmers and other…