Rural Life and Rural Development 1900-2000.

Rural Development (RD) plays a large role in the USDA Secretary’s Strategic Plan for 2010 to 2015 with strong support (almost all) of USDA Goal # 1 - Assist rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining, re-populating, and economically thriving.  Rural Development invest to improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America by providing financial programs to support essential public facilities and services as water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, emergency service facilities, electric and telephone infrastructure & service. Rural Development promotes economic development by providing loans to businesses through banks and community-managed lending pools, while also assisting communities to participate in community empowerment programs. Rural Development serves as a catalyst to improve conditions in rural America by offering technical assistance and increasing the flow of capital through leveraged partnerships. Successful rural economic development requires cooperation and coordination with local leaders, public and private sector partners, and educational institutions.  The History spans from development of Cooperative business models before the 20^th century to legislative strategies recreated every five years through the Farm Bill legislative process.  But with the advent of the New Deal under Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the concept took hold that a partnership between the Federal government and rural America might be able to change the dynamics of both rural living and the rural economy.  So, starting in 1935, a series of programs were started that was designed to help all Americans recover from the Depression and forge a comprehensive rural utility infrastructure.