Want Big Changes in Rural Policy? Start Working Now

The 2018 farm bill became the law of the land in December. What’s in the farm bill for the millions of rural Americans who are not involved in agriculture? The first answer is: Lots! The new law updates some of the key statutes governing the activities of USDA Rural Development and makes grants, loans, and loan guarantees available to towns, businesses, and non-profits in rural areas across the country. These programs are intended to provide rural people and places with affordable financing options for everything from water and wastewater systems, broadband, electricity, renewable energy, housing, hospitals, and business development. But the second answer to the question is the farm bill doesn’t do nearly enough: Our current rural policy framework is outdated and insufficient – because it is out of step with modern rural realities. What happens over the next four years will determine the starting point when Congress begins work on the 2023 farm bill. Here are three ideas to get the wheels churning:

1. Go to the source. Seek input from rural practitioners of all stripes from across the country to learn more about the innovations already underway in rural America.
2. Do economic development differently. Over-reliance on standard approaches to economic development, like large business recruitment, generally don’t do right by rural America. 
3. Study abroad. To design smart rural policy here at home, consider what we can learn about what works in other countries.

[Ferguson is Associate Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group and Director of CSG’s Regional and Rural Development Initiatives]