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U.S. Code as of:
01/03/05
Section 2661. Statement of purposes and goals
(a) The overall purpose of this subchapter is to foster a
balanced national development that provides opportunities for
increased numbers of the people of the United States to work and
enjoy a high quality of life dispersed throughout our Nation by
providing the essential knowledge necessary for successful programs
of rural development. It is further the purpose of this subchapter
to -
(1) provide multistate regional agencies, States, counties,
cities, multicounty planning and development districts,
businesses, industries, Indian tribes on Federal and State
reservations or other federally recognized Indian tribal groups
and others involved with public services and investments in rural
areas or that provide or may provide employment in these areas
the best available scientific, technical, economic,
organizational, environmental, and management information and
knowledge useful to them, and to assist and encourage them in the
interpretation and application of this information to practical
problems and needs in rural development;
(2) provide research and investigations in all fields that have
as their purpose the development of useful knowledge and
information to assist those planning, carrying out, managing, or
investing in facilities, services, businesses, or other
enterprises, public and private, that may contribute to rural
development;
(3) increase the capabilities of, and encourage, colleges and
universities to perform the vital public service roles of
research, and the transfer and practical application of
knowledge, in support of rural development;
(4) expand small farm research and extend training and
technical assistance to small farm families in assessing their
needs and opportunities and in using the best available knowledge
on sound economic approaches to small farm operations and on
existing services offered by the Department of Agriculture and
other public and private agencies and organizations to improve
their income and to gain access to essential facilities and
services; and
(5) support activities to supplement and extend programs that
address special research and education needs in States
experiencing rapid social and economic adjustments or unique
problems caused by rural isolation and that address national and
regional rural development policies, strategies, issues, and
programs.
(b) the (!1) goals of this subchapter are to -
(1) encourage and support rural United States, in order to help
make it a better place to live, work, and enjoy life;
(2) increase income and improve employment for persons in rural
areas, including the owners or operators of small farms, small
businesses, and rural youth;
(3) improve the quality and availability of essential community
services and facilities in rural areas;
(4) improve the quantity and quality of rural housing;
(5) improve the rural management of natural resources so that
the growth and development of rural communities needed to support
the family farm may be accommodated with minimum effect on the
natural environment and the agricultural land base;
(6) improve the data base for rural development decisionmaking
at local, State, and national levels; and
(7) improve the problem solving and development capacities and
effectiveness of rural governments, officials, institutions,
communities, community leaders, and citizen groups in -
(A) improving access to Federal programs;
(B) improving targeting and delivery of technical assistance;
(C) improving coordination among Federal agencies, other
levels of government, and institutions and private
organizations in rural areas; and
(D) developing and disseminating better information about
rural conditions.
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