Who Speaks for Rural America?

Rural areas are hotbeds of innovation, creativity and natural and human capital. Yet federal and state policy commonly overlooks rural areas, proclaims agricultural policy as rural policy, and treats poverty as intractable. This political context significantly impacts the success of the many rural poverty alleviation efforts taking place across the country.

NRFC works with policymakers to inform the political context surrounding our work in Rural Community Transformation. We do this by directly exposing public officials to the innovative work of our regional partners, using their experience to highlight opportunities for more thoughtful, holistic, inclusive and equitable policy.