Agriculture's Role in a New Rural Coalition

Many rural areas in the United States are in serious trouble as they experience decline over an extended period of time. Rural communities are increasingly being affected by changes in the national and world economies with little capacity to react. Selective out-migration has seriously reduced the size of the leadership pool. The remaining community and business leaders find themselves in a policy environment that is hostile or, at best, not helpful as they attempt to adjust to or take advantage of changing conditions. A key reason for this policy environment is the lack of any voice, other than production agriculture, speaking for rural communities. Although it is waning, the strength of the agricultural voice has repressed formation of any broad-based coalition that could speak to the wide variety of issues facing rural areas. To develop a supportive policy, however, a broad-based coalition must be formed. The very groups that have unwittingly preempted the voice of rural communities—agribusiness firms and farm organizations—may be in the strongest position to develop this coalition. This endeavor could be in the best interest of the agricultural establishment. Not all rural communities will survive, but they all should have a policy environment that will help them try.