Elements of a Sustainable Rural Policy.

N

11

Educational Needs; Futures (of Society); Policy Formation; Politics; Public Policy; Quality of Life; Rural Areas; Rural Development; Rural Economics; Rural Urban Differences; Sociocultural Patterns; Sustainable Development

If a new and effective rural policy is to be crafted, policymakers must realize that rural America has changed a great deal in recent years. To be sustainable, rural policy must be flexible enough to accommodate continuing changes in global structure; be sufficiently targeted to address the unique concerns found in diverse rural situations; provide for long-term improvement in human living standards through natural resource management, technological innovation, and institutional change; and attract political support from both rural and urban residents. This will require more active participation and cooperation in policy formulation by citizens of the wider rural community; increased interaction between rural and urban policymakers; and more holistic consideration of investments in production, ecological, and institutional innovation. Farmers, timber workers, and miners will need to seek common ground and build alliances with others who have broader agendas (rural developers, environmentalists, human rights activists). Public and private sector scientists with an interest in agriculture, the environment, and other rural related issues will need to collaborate more in order to be fully aware of the broader consequences of their work. Consequently, the charting of a new and more sustainable rural policy poses a tremendous challenge for everyone concerned about the future well-being of rural America. A national policy focusing on continuing education and technical assistance for local decision makers would cost relatively little and could serve as the foundation for sound sustainable development. (TD)

1996

ED386341