Too many federal definitions of “rural” make it hard for local officials to figure out what programs they qualify for, so Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said he will ask the White House Rural Council and Congress to try to reduce the number.
After a participant in the Council on Foundations conference on rural philanthropy said that variations in qualifications for various rural development programs make it difficult for communities to participate, Vilsack said he would be glad to take the issue to the White House Rural Council, an Obama administration innovation composed of Cabinet officers and leaders of other federal agencies.
Vilsack jokingly asked the audience if they were bothered that USDA has 11 different definitions of rural America. The varying definitions, which depend on population and other characteristics, “provide a convenient excuse not to do something,” he said.
