State agencies have been encouraging the development of different enterprises to diversify farm incomes in an effort to retain farmers in business, attract new entrants to agriculture and promote regional development. Entrepreneurship and farming are known to be driven by a complex set of goals including those which are economic and intrinsic in…

A 5-year collaborative project between Missouri, Michigan State, and Nebraska Universities to provide new opportunities for rural community self-development through sustainable agriculture had mixed results. This happened because community members did not understand the principles of sustainability, and because the extension education system was…

Transformations of rural areas was the topic of the first Polish-Yugoslav Geographical Seminar as documented in these proceedings from the six-day meeting. Twenty of the 25 papers presented are contained here, three in French and the remainder in English, and are categorized under these major topics: influence of big urban centers on the…

To gain a perspective on rural America's future, seven roundtables consisting of seven rural stakeholder groups were convened. Four groups of challenges facing rural areas emerged. The rural business environment was considered the source of greatest challenge. Agriculture concerns included low profits and access to world markets. The effects of…

Dunlap, Kansas, identified as a stereotypical dying small town in a 1962 study, was restudied in 1974-75 in an effort to test the dying small town hypothesis (supported only by aggregate census data and casual observation rather than by specific studies). Researchers using unobtrusive observation of Dunlap and seven nearby unincorporated villages,…

Rural development is understood to mean both the increased productivity of agriculture and other rural economic activities and the enhancement of the material well-being of the rural people (who comprise about 90% of Tanzania's 16 million population) through education, improved health, and better nutrition. Seven hundred and sixty-one books,…

The approach to improving the socioeconomic condition of women in rural Morocco is based on the premise that the family is the key social unit. Women, as the effective pillars of that unit, will automatically benefit from government sponsored family programs. The Moroccan woman's access to food, water, fuel, medical care, personal safety, and rest…

Developing nations could greatly improve the quality of life in rural areas by adequately involving women in agricultural extension and training programs. Policy objectives of many developing countries neglect the contributory role of girls and women and often constrain them from seizing opportunities for individual development. In Nigeria, the…

Experts from government, academia, and interest groups met to discuss and explore the impact of changes in agriculture, industry, and government in shaping events in rural agricultural communities. Texts of 15 of the 18 papers are reproduced in the proceedings, along with the letter of submittal, overview, an agenda, and a list of presenters and…

Since the burden of improving quality of life is often squarely placed on the shoulders of public decision makers, this report (one of the products of Project 2142) provides a basis for assisting county-level decision makers in the planning process. Statistics that "indicate" the social well being or quality of life experienced by people…

Focusing upon the emergence of multidisciplinary action on southern campuses involved in rural development activities, this newsletter traces the southern rural development efforts from their inception to present times and offers projections regarding the future. Specifically, this document presents information on: the development of the land…