China has been undergoing a rapid development over the past decades, and rural areas are facing a number of challenges in the process of the change. The "New Channel" project, initiated to promote sustainable development and protect natural and cultural heritage in Tongdao county in China from a rapid urbanization and economic…

Purpose: Why do farmers not take better care of their soils? This article aims to give insight into how farmers look at soil quality management. Design/methodology/approach: It analyses diverse land management practices and visions on soils and soil quality of ten agroecological and 14 conventional smallholder farmers in Araponga, Minas Gerais,…

Biofuels may contribute to both rural economic development and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The Gota Verde Project in Yoro, Honduras, attempts to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of small-scale biofuel production for local use by implementing a distinctive approach to feedstock production that encourages small farm…

Advances in energy access in developing countries over the past 25 years have been remarkable with more than 1 billion unserved people gaining access to electricity and modern fuels. However, as impressive as this may sound, large gaps remain: 1.6 billion people still lack access to electricity and another 2.5 billion continue to rely on…

Rural and development sociology studies have tended to credit globalization with low-wage, extractive, environmentally destructive outcomes. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have been treated as a local manifestation of the destructive tendencies of globalization. However, recent scholarship on globalization suggests that…

The rural communities of the North American Great Plains are experiencing fundamental economic and social changes that threaten their very existence. While local projects offer hope for survival, many communities lack the knowledge needed to envision and evaluate their possible futures. As a consequence, communities may pursue survival strategies…

The Idaho Rural Partnership (IRP) was created within the Idaho Department of Labor to join diverse public and private resources in innovative collaborations to strengthen communities and improve life in rural Idaho. The IRP is an accessible organization that listens to local problems and collaborates to develop systemwide solutions. The board of…

The incompatibility between educating for "sustainable development" and the broader concept of education is discussed, pointing out the imprecision of the term "sustainable development." Alternative, and more educationally justifiable, approaches to studying environmental education and development are explored. (SLD)

Three individuals long involved in Appalachian regional affairs are interviewed concerning Appalachia's future. Recent economic development based on cultivating "crossroads" growth centers has contributed to growing gaps between growth areas and rural areas and between the middle and working class, and threatens regional values of…

This report summarizes 1994 activities of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency of the U.S. government. The IAF promotes equitable, responsive, and participatory self-help development in the Caribbean and Latin America by awarding grants directly to local grassroots organizations, as well as to larger organizations that…

This report summarizes 1995 activities of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency of the U.S. government. The IAF promotes equitable, responsible, and participatory self-help development in the Caribbean and Latin America by awarding grants directly to local grassroots organizations, as well as to larger organizations that…

The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and private foundations, and invests in research and education to help rural communities meet the challenges of today's global society through a multidisciplinary network of university research and extension faculty, policy makers, and rural…

This guide provides information on 42 directories that list over 20,000 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Listings cover NGOs in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean Region, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico,…

This report summarizes 1996 activities of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency of the U.S. government. The IAF promotes equitable, responsible, and participatory self-help development in the Caribbean and Latin America by awarding grants directly to local grassroots organizations, as well as to larger organizations that…

This book consists of 17 essays about living with the land and the importance of reinvigorating the values of rural life. The essays include personal reflections about growing up in rural Minnesota and opinions about the state of neglected rural towns and people. The author grew up during the 1950s on an 80-acre farm that his family rented in…