Rural America is a remarkably diverse and energetic landscape, home to creative and innovative leaders and communities. Too often, rural communities have been an afterthought in national policy—enabling an economy and policy environment that is extractive of the energies and value rural communities produce for the nation. Systemic change is required to address under-resourced, fragmented federal programs that fall short of delivering solutions designed for rural realities, not just scaled-down urban and suburban ideas. The more than 60 million Americans who live in rural areas often lack adequate access to key services, including health care, educational institutions, and broadband access. Policy agendas designed to expand economic opportunity must consider the unique circumstances of rural communities, from addressing the viability of farming to boosting their capacity to leverage resources for economic development. This month, Congress faces a deadline for reauthorizing the Farm Bill, must-pass legislation that supports farmers and ranchers, rural development, and nutrition programs—but will lawmakers take the opportunity to reimagine rural policy down to its roots?
Please join the Center for American Progress and Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, for a conversation on the challenges facing rural America and what it will take to build an agenda that truly delivers for rural people and places. Following a conversation between Sen. Welch and CAP President and CEO Neera Tanden, a panel of rural experts will dig into where the gaps are—and where the possibilities lie—for reducing the cost of living, create jobs, and support farms of all sizes. The panel will explore what it means to invest in rural communities on their own terms and build a rural policy agenda rooted in resilience, opportunity, and shared prosperity.