Center for the Study of Rural America Shares Five Lessons – Is Montana listening??

On the occasion of its fifth anniversary, the Center for the Study of Rural America reflects on five key lessons it has learned about rural development.

These include:

1) Globalization is forcing most rural areas to build new economic engines;

2) Regional approaches are essential in rebuilding rural communities;

3) Regions must find a niche that plays to their strengths;

4) New governance and new partnerships are needed; and

5) Government policies for rural areas need to look beyond agriculture and focus on promoting innovation and growing entrepreneurs.

See Building Rural Prosperity in Regions: The Road Less Traveled, at http://www.kansascityfed.org/RuralCenter/mainstreet/MSE_1204.pdf.