The plights of southern farmers and the self-perceptions of their problems are the main topics of this study. Using U. S. Department of Agriculture criteria for determining low income and low level of living for rural areas, Fayette County, Alabama, was selected for this pilot study. Some 171 rural farm and nonfarm households, randomly selected, comprise the source of data for the study. In the body of the document is a section on characteristics of sample families in the areas of (1) social and economic adjustments, (2) consequences of degree of social and economic adjustment, and (3) mechanisms of adjustment. A summary and conclusions on the foregoing factors are given. The appendices include statistical data and a list of 7 suggested guidelines for dealing with the problems that were uncovered. (DB)