This book presents the proceedings of a conference held near Washington, DC (Airlie, Virginia) to discuss the need for innovative new approaches to rural policy. U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan opened the conference by stressing the crucial importance of flexibility in enhancing...

Low incomes and high unemployment in rural areas are issues of concern to policy makers in all countries. With the ongoing structural adjustment in primary agriculture employment opportunities are diminishing, while off-farm employment in rural areas is growing, albeit gradually