Following a slow start in the early 1990s, the conversion to, and diffusion of, organic farming across UK agriculture has been impressive even by European standards. Between 1996 and 2000, for example, organic land in the UK showed a nine-fold increase. And correspondingly, the retail value of organic foods grew by a factor of four. From a…

The strategy of development in rural areas of Croatia includes several factors. Among them is education. The education system in Croatia has a number of institutional, infrastructural and regional characteristics that are a frame of research for this article. Rural areas confront additional factors such as population migrations, poor…

Non-Governmental organizations (NGOs) promote alternative development strategies to those provided by the government. The economic recession being witnessed in developing countries like Nigeria and the poor performance of many government development programmes have made NGOs more relevant than ever. NGOs play an increasingly important role in…

During the 1960s, many rural local governments were believed to provide inadequate government services, which hindered rural development. Rapid growth in government spending has reduced the incidence of government poverty from 78 percent of nonmetropolitan counties in 1962 to only 7 percent in 1987. Those counties still government-poor in 1987…

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency representing a unique partnership of federal, state, and local governments. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, the Commission is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chairperson. Grassroots participation is provided by…

American rural communities are decaying, the underlying causes being chronic unemployment and inadequate infrastructure. The information age can cause the ultimate demise of rural America by further eroding local institutions or it can be its savior by revitalizing the sense of community. The link between community development and the information…

As a new form of infrastructure is being developed across the vast prairie of Nebraska, electronic pioneers are leading the way to the information age. This paper describes some of those pioneers and their work. The University of Nebraska has been among the leaders in developing the Internet and applications for it. The university established one…

This monograph includes eight articles that examine self-employment as a goal for vocational rehabilitation closure for rural disabled people. Articles cover the changing labor market and increasing opportunities for self-employment; an account of how home-based employment allowed a disabled worker to become self-sufficient; policies and practices…

Pathways from Poverty is a public policy education and research initiative organized by the Rural Sociological Society's Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty and the four regional rural development centers. This publication focuses on project efforts in the Northeast and includes three sections. The first section describes the Pathways from…

This manual is intended for extension workers involved in rural development programs in developing nations. The focus is on communication skills and education and is aimed at the trainers of extension workers. There are four main sections with each section divided into units with handouts and activities. Section 1, "Basic Education…

This case study examines the interaction between basic education (primary education, adult literacy, and nonformal adult education) and economic development needs in rural Zhuji County, Zhejiang Province, located in southeast China. In Zhuji, parents traditionally have endured hardships to send their children to school and otherwise encouraged…

This proceedings contains 11 papers that focus on issues and problems of rural communities in the Southwest. Papers include: (1) "Dilemmas of a New Age: A Half-Millennium of Landscape Change in New Mexico and the Southwest," by Paul F. Starrs; (2) "American Indians Today," by C. Matthew Snipp; (3) "The Southwest: Global…

Despite skepticism about the viability of an educational investment strategy for rural development, coordination between education and rural employers may be a key to rural economic growth. Interviews with 101 employers in 6 rural counties surrounding Hagerstown, Maryland, as well as a mail survey (95 of the 101 employers responded), examined…

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) at Mississippi State University aims to stimulate the creation of new partnerships to enhance rural communities' capacity to address key health issues. In 1997, SRDC hosted a conference to develop the following: partnerships among land-grant universities, the health sector, and local citizens and…

Rural people in their environment have the necessary attributes to successfully endure and survive those trials that would lead to urban decline. As societal problems require increased investment in existing institutions, the growing complexity eventually yields a lower level of benefits or returns. Urban problems such as hunger, homelessness, and…