Stories

Rural

  • …So Goes the Nation

    The South’s population is booming, increasing its influence on the rest of the country. The region holds a third of the Electoral College votes needed to take the White House, and it’s expected to gain five more after the 2020 Census. Thanks to immigration and reversal of the Great Migration, the region is becoming ever more diverse and its urban centers are growing. This evolution of the...

    Sophia Bracy Harris
  • John Littles: SEED Approach to Food Systems Work

    Since 2000, John Littles has been Executive Director of McIntosh SEED (Sustainable Environment and Economic Development), a grassroots organization that fosters quality education, housing, recreational facilities, business opportunities and environmental protection for McIntosh County, Georgia, through community development, organizing and advocacy.

    Littles provides technical...

  • Ralph Paige: Critical Juncture

    Ralph Paige served the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund for more than 30 years, 16 as Executive Director. The Federation improves the quality of rural life through housing, community credit unions, cooperatives and training programs. It helps small farmers access the full range of USDA programs and keeps thousands of landowners informed of their rights and...

  • Feeding a New Economy: Local Food Systems in the South

    The local foods movement has become much more than a short-lived dietary or environmental trend. Can it actually fuel the new Southern economy?

    The term “locavore” has become ubiquitous since appearing in the American vernacular about ten years ago. It represents a rapidly growing movement of people choosing locally produced food rather than packaged goods that traveled hundreds of...

    Ralph Paige
  • Ralph Paige: Rural Organizing and Leadership Development

    Ralph Paige has served the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund for 30 years, 15 as Executive Director. The Federation improves the quality of rural life through housing, community credit unions, cooperatives and training programs. It helps small farmers access the full range of USDA programs and keeps thousands of landowners informed of their rights and responsibilities to...