Symposium participants concentrated on maintaining the economic viability of agriculture through improved agribusiness techniques including increased individual and collective marketing strategies and greater responsiveness to consumer demands. Related problems were decline of roads and bridges, competition with nonagricultural users for rural…

Participants at the First Statewide Legislative Symposium on Rural Development discussed environmental, land use, and natural resource problems and opportunities in rural areas of New York state. Identified as major assets were scenic beauty, diversified land use and economy, abundance and high quality of water, soil base for agriculture and…

The report catalogs strengths, defines problems, and establishes goals for the next two decades for rural New York in the area of transportation. Describing where rural New York is today, section one lists 12 trends, 8 strengths, and 16 weaknesses affecting transporation. Trends include increased rural population inflow and demands on local…

Supporting the premise that rural communities require functioning health care systems for their physiological, emotional, and economic well-being, the First Statewide Legislative Symposium on Rural Development defined problems and established goals for rural health care in New York. Despite increases in New York's overall physician supply during…

The First Statewide Legislative Symposium on Rural Development reported that, while community facilities and housing are vital to the successful growth and renewal of New York's rural areas, these requirements are not being met for many rural communities. Rural population influxes have caused escalating costs for maintenance and improvement of…

Education workshop participants at the First Statewide Legislative Symposium on Rural Development pinpointed trends, strengths, weaknesses, goals, and public policy questions for grades K-12 and higher education. For grades K-12, rural schools were characterized by increased enrollment due to migration from urban areas, increasing popularity with…

Trends, strengths and assets, weaknesses and problem areas, goals, and public policy questions in the area of human relations and community life in rural New York state are presented with supporting statistics. Trends considered include rural and elderly rural population increases; suicide, homicide, and domestic violence rate increases; demands…

The First Statewide Legislative Symposium on Rural Development assessed New York's rural business, economic development, and employment potential. Growth in the economic potential of communities, favorable quality of life, and geographic accessibility have supported a decade-long influx of new residents to New York's 44 rural counties. The state…