The Appalachian Regional Commission celebrated its 20th anniversary by honoring commission pioneers and founders at a Washington, DC, gathering. A new program aimed at lowering the region's school dropout rate was announced at the banquet. State plans and investment programs and a finish-up program accomplishments were approved at a business…

A brief description of a Unesco project designed to give a realistic idea of existing problems by providing two-way communication between rural villages and government services. (AA)

Stresses the significance of rural development oriented toward anti-poverty for developing countries, indicating the need to identify the educational implications of such a strategy. (Author/MP)

Posits that increased communication of community leaders involving relatively short communications paths should lead to program success. However, measures of connectivity and average distance in the communications structure reveal no significant relationships. Suggests other factors which may be more important to rural community development…

Reviewing three reports of research on Third World development, the author discusses the benefits, adverse effects, perceptual and political problems of academic research in relationship to the indigenous populations being studied. (SK)

Discusses elements of an implementation methodology for the removal of poverty in India. Includes background, methodology, aggregation of demands, economics of the strategy, complementary activities and infrastructure, mechanics of implementation, and monitoring. (CT)

The nature of support for one aspect of rural growth and development is investigated by examining attitudes toward a growth centers policy. (NQ)

The Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission, a local development district based in Venango County, focuses on nourishing small business development and entrepreneurship in business incubators owned by local governments. One of the region's resources is the nation's first "teaching factory," which provides job…

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)

Rural communities such as Stanthorpe on Queensland's Southern Downs, in Australia, are familiar with turbulent environmental, social, technological and economic change and the adversity that frequently accompanies such changes. The capacity of individuals and communities to bounce back from adversity is referred to as resilience. Participation in…

Post-modern theorists have challenged the totalizing and unifying ambitions of change management practices. This paper explores how a narrative action research approach may be used to combine our modernist commitment to facilitate change and collaboration in the land management context with a post-modern sensitivity to complexity and difference.…

The global agro-food system relies heavily on inorganic nitrogenous fertilizers. In addition to consuming enormous amounts of energy, this manufactured input contributes to the accumulation of reactive nitrogen in the biosphere and undermines the biological basis of agricultural production itself. While technological inefficiency and population…