As Irish farm households face difficulty remaining viable, the state-funded agricultural advisory service is beginning to charge for services and is suffering from a hiring freeze. Other rural development extension services are emerging and the role of traditional extension is being reevaluated. (SK)

Muintir na Tire was founded in 1931 as a cooperative society for rural development in Ireland. From 1937-70, it shifted to a vocationalist mode; 1970 to the present focused on restructuring the movement. Currently, it needs to press for its share of available funding for community development. (SK)

Among 2,349 nonmetropolitan U.S. counties, poverty levels varied inversely with size of family farms but were little affected by industrialized farming when nonfarm sociodemographic variables were controlled. Farming patterns had less effect on rural poverty than the local employment structure, population characteristics, and geographic location.…

Rural agricultural development is facing challenges of poverty, hunger, and environmental quality, necessitating sustainable, profitable, and productive practices. Extension education is challenged to increase diversity, relevance, and financial support. Examples of World Bank innovations illustrate some pathways for agricultural extension. (SK)

MDC's mission is to help organizations and communities close the gaps that separate people from opportunity. The organization has been working to create positive change in disadvantaged communities for 40 years--by conducting research and demonstrating effective programs at the community level. MDC focuses on three areas: education, economic and…

Rural communities have experienced dramatic demographic, social, and economic transformations over the past 30 years. Historically characterized by close links between natural resources and social, cultural, and economic structures, few of today's rural communities remain heavily dependent upon traditional extractive industries like ranching,…

This report provides a general review of the significant activities and accomplishments of the New York State Legislative Commission on Rural Resources. A letter from Senator Charles D. Cook outlines the task set before the Commission, which is to improve the conditions of New York's rural residents. The next section, "Reprise 1988: A Glance…

The background, organization, and recent publications of the Southern Rural Development Center (SDRC) are presented in this annual report of the 1988-1989 fiscal year. Forty-three activities and projects are briefly described, including conferences, meetings, and workshops sponsored and co-sponsored by SDRC. Four regional task forces are…

Activities of the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) during the 1987-1988 fiscal year are described in this annual report. Meetings of SRDC task forces and their members are listed with brief descriptions of specific activities. Regional conferences, meetings, and workshops sponsored and co-sponsored by the SRDC are described. Other…

Adult education in Kenya is mainly concerned with dissemination of technology and ideas to rural production units to increase awareness and innovativeness. Systematic weakness in the development of communication as a major concommitant to the design of development programs and the development of ideas is discussed. (Author/EA)

A supplement to the bibliography of materials dealing with Africa in the Land Tenure Center Library at the University of Wisconsin, this bibliography on rural development in Africa is divided into three major sections as follows: (1) General (400 entries); (2) Central Africa including a general section (2 entries); Cameroon (26 entries); Central…

The Crossroads Survey, an adaptation of the macrostructural accounting techniques, was employed for purposes of testing the community development theory that services are added to communities in the same sequence. Dividing services and amenities into 2 categories (commercial and public/professional), the Crossroads Survey was conducted in Clinton…

Prepared to assist both the Congress and the public involved in Rural Development (RD), the 1975 Revised Guide to the Rural Development Act of 1972 provides definitive and implemental information. Part 1 deals with the Act itself, detailing its purpose, historical perspective, and major provisions. Divided into three areas of concern, Part 2 deals…

The "Agricultural Trinity" consists of agricultural extension, education, and research institutions. While in the beginning the goal of these institutions was to improve rural conditions by equalizing the economic and social status of all rural people, today there exists a conflict between the people and these institutions. The processes…