Globalization and rural America

Globalization has been a great benefit to rural America in that it has opened overseas
markets for its agriculture. Yet, there is growing concern that U.S. rural communities will
lose not only their share of agricultural trade but also nonfarm jobs to global competition.
This article examines how they can remain competitive relative to low-income countries.

by Robert L. Thompson, Gardner Endowed Chair in Agricultural Policy, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and
visiting scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Full Story: http://www.chicagofed.org/publications/fedletter/cfljune2007_239.pdf