Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri played host yesterday to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and several other "leaders" in the areas of rural development, agriculture, and community leadership who met to discuss ways in which rural America can be revitalized.In a news release on the Obama Administration's National Summit of Rural America, Vilsack states, '"[a] strong American economy depends on a prosperous rural America. . . The Obama administration is committed to ensuring that America's rural communities are vibrant and thriving economically and last year made an unprecedented commitment to this revitalization with the Recovery Act. We continue looking to time-tested programs, as well as new approaches, to maintain a strong farm safety net for America's producers, which includes good-paying jobs, and to build a stronger rural economy for the 21st century so that rural communities remain great places to live, work, and raise a family."
The National Summit is the culmination of the Rural Tour the Secretary has been on during the past year. During this tour the Secretary met with rural Americans, farmers, businesses, and community leaders to gain insight from these stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities they face.
Rural America and agricultural areas are in a state of flux as more and more younger Americans flock to cities to seek their livelihoods. As Georgina Gustin writes for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch online, the most updated USDA and census data shows "people living in metorpolitan areas earn roughly $11,000 more on average than rural residents and are twice as likely to have a college degree." Additionally, the majority of '"persistent poverty counties are in rural America."'
The meetings have helped Secretary Vilsack develop a framework to build a strong and thriving rural economy. According to the USDA news release, items that are part of the framework's outline include: investing in broadband access and promoting renewable energy production, promoting green jobs through recreation and conservation, and expand agricultural markets and products, as well as improving infrastructure and health care in rural areas.
Thus far, to promote job creation in rural communities the administration has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding between the USDA and the Small Business Administration "to outline a collaborative approach to supporting small businesses in rural America." There are also various funds available through loans and grants to help with rural development and revitalization.
To read the USDA news release on the National Summit, click here.
To read the St.Louis Post-Dispatch article, click here.
Posted: 06/04/10
