During the second half of the 20th century, two-year colleges in the rural South were transformed from "junior" appendages of other institutions to community colleges that responded to the needs of local workers and businesses. This paper examines how the South's rural community colleges contribute to economic development today and what…

In the face of changing agriculture, an aging population, and the outflow of citizens seeking livable wages, rural Southern communities are challenged with how to enhance their economies to insure long-term business viability. Home-based businesses are an effective aspect of rural economic development. They allow flexibility and choice of work…

Some regional two-year and four-year colleges are moving beyond their traditional mission of education to take proactive roles in promoting the economic development of their regions and communities. A study of regional colleges that help rural businesses and labor forces adapt to the challenges of rural economies found five outstanding goals of…

Brazil's Yanomamo Indians seem doomed to extinction by a government policy that seeks to develop and exploit their ancestral lands. This article describes the health, economic, and cultural dangers confronting the Yanomamo and discusses a proposed 16 million acre park to protect them from non-Indian encroachment. (DS)

Discusses the need for community and technical colleges to act as active transfer agents providing access to rapidly changing technological information for rural businesses and their workers. Identifies common barriers to cooperation between research universities and industry, and offers advice on surmounting them. (SV)

Examines six federal programs offering direct credit assistance to nonfarm businesses in nonmetropolitan areas, 1983-89. The Small Business Loans Program provided 72% of funds. Nonmetropolitan areas overall received federal credit assistance proportional to nonmetro percentage of national population, but assistance was disproportionately low in…

This paper proposes a framework for developing a national rural development policy in Australia. Some common relevant misconceptions are that rural Australia and rural Australians are peripheral to the national economy and the nation's future, that farmers and farming communities are the alpha and omega of rural Australia, and that whatever is…

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…

Applications of telecommunications technologies in rural businesses, schools, health care institutions, and government agencies can help make these institutions more efficient and effective, overcome problems of rural isolation, and diversify rural economies. This report considers some of the issues surrounding these possibilities and discusses…

This bibliography contains 135 entries related to rural and community leadership. The entries were derived from the AGRICOLA database produced by the National Agricultural Library and include journal articles, extension bulletins, books, conference papers, and government reports. Entries cover such topics as community development, community…

To facilitate research on rural issues, a task force composed of prominent rural residents and experts from universities in Illinois prepared this bibliography. Several thousand books, research reports, commission papers, government reports, and journal articles--most published after 1980--are listed in this bibliography. While focused on…

Case studies and seminar reports are provided that were presented at an international seminar to examine field experiences in using a culture-based approach to nonformal education. Part I, containing an introductory paper and nine case studies, focuses on indigenous institutions and processes in health, family planning, agriculture, basic…

Problems in federal rural policy arise in a number of areas: the extreme economic adversity of rural America, failure to acknowledge the higher cost of providing rural services, failure to distinguish between rural programs and agriculture programs, and failure to address specific rural needs. Papers in this collection examine rural development…

Community colleges across the United States have initiated programs that are making an impact on the productivity of rural America and its residents. Profiles of 20 community and technical college initiatives in rural economic development are contained in this report intended for use by community and technical college administrators. The programs…

This paper sketches several successful community economic development programs that have implications for rural education. Case studies are used to discuss community characteristics that contribute to development success. In Virginia, a Community Certification Program offers statewide business recruitment services to communities that meet program…