Rural Issues Articles/Publications

Building a Sustainable Business is a 280-page guidebook written to assist farms and rural businesses to create a holistic business plan rooted firmly in personal, community economic and environmental values. It was developed by a team of U of MN faculty and staff, individual farmers and consultants, and was co-produced by the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Agriculture Network.

Innovative State Policy Options to Promote Rural Economic Development, a 2003 report from the National Governors' Association, has identified three promising strategies - which build on states' inherent regional strengths - to help governors create dynamic rural economies. The paper concludes that states that support "industry clusters," promote entrepreneurship, and encourage value-added agriculture and agricultural diversification efforts, will be well positioned to create sustainable and replicable economic development.

Healthy Rural Communities: A Resource and Action Guide (PDF, 1.5 Mb), from the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance, describes how ten smart growth principles can help guide public policy, development practices, community planning, and design, to help rural leaders across the state to deal with growth and development.

Wind Power’s Contribution to Electric Power Generation and Impact on Farms and Rural Communities (PDF/2.92 MB), a report from the Government Accountability Office, found that wind power projects in some of the nation’s poorest rural counties have added much needed tax revenues and employment opportunities, though it has not yet contributed significantly to total farm income. The study also found most of the nation's wind power yet untapped.

Farm Groups Pushing for Renewable Energy Standards (PDF, 536 kb), a report by Harvesting Clean Energy, shows agricultural organizations across the country and throughout the Northwest are joining a growing trend to support renewable energy standards.

In EcoRuralism, Don Harker of Communities by Choice argues that a new socioeconomic model for food systems is needed in order "to keep food abundant, keep producers profitable and productive, meet the nutritional needs of all people and protect the land and water for present and future generations." EcoRuralism is a word he uses to describe a form of rural development that ensures the "economic viability of farmers and rural communities and ecologic integrity of rural places." Central to the concept are notions about rural/urban interdependency, family farms, local and regional systems, solar powered and water efficient agriculture, the land ethic and a technology ethic that questions not only the "how" but also the "why" a particular technology is employed.

Make the Local Farm Connection is an article from the Michigan Land Use Institute that profiles a new breed of agricultural entrepreneur. These adaptable farmers are marketing direct to the public, meeting the a growing public desire for a connection with the source of their food. The efforts of these agricultural entrepreneurs go hand in hand with community initiatives to protect farmland through tax breaks and prevention of sprawl. Although the direct-market retail crops require more farm labor, they can also produce significantly more profit per acre, helping preserve farm livelihoods.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute's report, Smart Growth at the Frontier: Strategies and Resources for Rural Communities notes gains made toward smart growth in urban and suburban communities but argues that these ideas have yet to be significantly applied in rural communities, "the very frontier of tomorrow’s sprawling development." The report illustrates promising rural growth strategies that revitalize small towns; link natural resource protection with resort and residential development; maintain farm and forest land; and coordinate regional development.

Perceptions of Rural America is a W.K. Kellog Foundation study that examined the views on rural America by those in Congress. Interviews were conducted with 26 members of Congress, including 16 Democratic House members and senators and 10 Republican House members and senators. Lawmakers believe that rural Americans hold to a set of values that are important to preserve, yet many expressed pessimism about the future of rural areas. Both the economy and environment were of bipartisan concern, according to the study.

Planning for Results Guidebook: Practical Advice for Building Successful Rural Communities, produced by the National Association of Counties and the Sonoran Institute, and available for order, can help rural Western county officials effectively manage growth and develop an effective vision for the future.

A long-term Swiss study, the DOK Trial, found that organic farms are more fertile and less energy intensive than conventional farms reliant on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The study, carried out over the last 24 years by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, was featured in an article in the journal Science, the first ever on European organic research. Researchers found that while somewhat less productive than conventional agriculture, organic farming had significant ecological benefits, such as greater biodiversity and less energy dependence, and offered healthier farms over the long term.

The New Entrepreneurial Agriculture, a report from the Michigan Land Use Institute, describes farmers' efforts to move from conventional, commodity-oriented farm and marketing practices to newer niche, value-added, and local markets. Key to encouraging farmer entrepreneurs is support from local governments and economic development agencies, which can help more farmers switch from low-return commodity markets to high-profit consumer markets.

The Future of Food is Sustainable and Organic, an essay from Conscious Choice, examines the growth and interplay among organic agriculture, the fair trade movement and regional food systems. Fair trade applies social concerns to a certification program for farmers and companies, while regional food systems encourage the production of food on a local level in order to minimize transportation and environmental costs, support local economies, produce safe and healthy food, and maintain family farms. Taken together, the three offer a "truly sustainable food system," according to the author.

The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a report titled Development at the Urban Fringe and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land. The report identifies two predominant types of development: urban expansion and large-lot development in rural areas. While the report concludes that the loss of agricultural land to urban expansion does not present a threat to most farming, it identifies large lot development as a threat to farmland because of the amount of land consumed per unit of housing. The report also identifies areas where the federal government might be able to assist state and local governments in controlling growth and planning for it.

In a project called Seeking Common Ground for Conservation, the Soil and Water Conservation Society has released a report titled "A Farm Bill Proposal: Responding to the Grassroots." The report outlines recommendations for reform of conservation and farm policy based on regional workshops held across the country with grassroots agricultural leaders in 2000. Participants in the workshops called for farm policy to address more than just commodity prices, but to also be about caring for the land and keeping people working on the land.

Building Better Rural Places, a 2001 resource guide to federal programs offering assistance in agriculture, forestry, conservation, and rural community development, is available in print as well as on the web. The 160-page publication provides descriptions and contact information for 80 federal programs -- primarily in USDA but also the EPA and Fish and Wildlife Service -- that offer support to farmers and others seeking technical assistance, information, or financial resources on rural sustainable development. HTML and PDF web versions are available on the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) website.

The Northwest-based group Climate Solutions recently released a report that calls for the development of a cellulose-based ethanol industry that would enable farmers to turn today’s fieldburning problems into a valuable new biofuels crop. According to the report, Harvesting Clean Energy for Rural Development: Ethanol, the advantages of waste-to-ethanol projects are many: field stubble once burned could be turned into a useful product; ethanol produced significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles; and ethanol production could offer economically-strapped rural communities new sources of income.

Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids: Evaluating the Barriers and Opportunities for Farm-to-School Programs is a report recently released by the Community Food Security Coalition that explores opportunities and barriers related to school food services purchasing food from local farmers. According to the report, farm-to-school programs can help to support local small farm economies while improving the nutrition value of school-provided food. The report includes case studies of farm-to-school programs in California, New York City, Connecticut, Florida, and North Carolina, and it describes efforts to begin new programs in other states. An executive summary of the report is offered online.

A recent publication from the Sonoran Institute, The New Frontiers of Ranching: Business Diversification and Land Stewardship, by Ben Alexander, profiles ranchers who are developing new sources of income in order to remain economically viable in a business faced with unstable markets. New Frontiers of Ranching shows the success of ranchers who have generated income through niche marketing, guest ranching, and small business development. By adding these nontraditional sources of income, these ranchers are able to keep their family ranches from being sold into residential developments and other non-agricultural uses.

The Next Green Revolution is a new book written by staff of the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to provide a practical introduction to sustainable agriculture. The book is useful both as an education and outreach tool for sustainable agriculture, and as a guide for farmers moving toward sustainable agriculture. The book includes Eight Steps to Sustainable Agriculture, which are also listed online, as well as checklists that producers can use to make changes in their operations.

A new policy brief from Institute for Food and Development Policy contends that small farms--both domestically and abroad--are more efficient, productive and yield better stewardship than large-scale corporate farms. The Multiple Functions and Benefits of Small Farm Agriculture In the Context of Global Trade Negotiations asserts that current trade policies, however, undermine small farm viability.

Growing Green: Enhancing Environmental and Economic Performance in U.S. Agriculture is a 1995 report from the World Resources Institute on benefits of sustainable agriculture in the United States.

The Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) website features a list of publications on community-supported agriculture.

Making the Transition to Sustainable Farming offers a broad overview and how-to advice on putting agriculture on a more sustainable footing. This publication and many others on sustainable agriculture are produced by ATTRA, the Appropriate Technology Transfer to Rural Areas.

A Better Row to Hoe: The Economic, Environmental, and Social Impact of Sustainable Agriculture is an on-line publication from the Northwest Area Foundation.

Measuring Change in Rural Communities: A Workbook for Determining Demographic, Economic, and Fiscal Trends is a step-by-step guide for non-experts produced by the Sonoran Institute. The guide helps communities understand how local economies and populations are changing, thus allowing them a better chance of capitalizing on new opportunities and preparing for potential problems caused by change and growth.

From the TVA's Rural Studies website comes Rural Telecommunications: Why Your Community Isn't Connected and What You Can Do About It. The report examines some of the obstacles rural communities face in gaining access to the Internet and other telecommunication services.

The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) conducts policy-relevant research and facilitates public dialogue to assist policymakers in understanding the rural impacts of public policies and programs. A cooperative effort of Iowa State University, the University of Nebraska and the University of Missouri, the institute's website features an extensive list of publications, and a collection of website links.

Strategies to Revitalize Rural America, a collection of columns from the Center for Rural Affairs, focuses on renewing communities through both agriculture and small businesses, with environmental protection as an economic asset.

The manual Developing Naturally: An Exploratory Process for Nature-based Community Tourism represents a new approach to tourism planning from faculty members at Clemson University and seeks to unite the themes of social development and ecological sustainability.

Last updated: January 10, 2005

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