摘要：Rural society has been subjected t o a series o f forces during the course o f the l a s t two decades. Since the advent o f the 1980s, the economic v i a b i l i t y o f many farm operations has been severely jeopardized. Although a t t e n t i o n has been directed p r i m a r i l y t o the Midwest farm b e l t , farm stress has, i n many respects, been greater i n the South than i n any other region o f the country. Moreover, the c r i s i s i s not s t r i c t l y an a g r i c u l t u r a l one, f o r a large number o f comnunities across the r u r a l landscape, especially i n the South, have been subjected t o crises o f t h e i r own. While the so-called " r u r a l c r i s i s " i n the South has been an outgrowth of the changed economic conditions o f the 1980s, it a d d i t i o n a l l y has been based on deep-seated problems that have existed i n the region f o r decades. Unfortunately, despite the severe hardships facing r u r a l areas of the South, the land-grant i n s t i t u t i o n s o f the South are ill equipped t o respond t o the needs of these communities. Further exacerbating the s i t u a t i o n i s a federal p o l i c y t h a t has reduced support f o r r u r a l development program i n i t i a t i v e s a t the state and l o c a l levels. It i s argued that the land-grant programs o f the South must embrace a r u r a l development i n i t i a t i v e as p a r t o f t h e i r mission and develop new strategies f o r r e a l i z i n g economic development and visionary leadership i n r u r a l communities of the South.
