To effectively leverage their assets for long-term, shared prosperity, rural communities need a robust local capacity with solid connections at the regional, state, and federal levels. Some rural communities have this strong, connected local capacity, while others do not. Historically challenged rural communities especially lack these critical capacities and connections to alter their future trajectories. Given these realities, how can federal policymakers and their partners best support rural communities as they work to build and maintain the capabilities necessary to create shared economic prosperity in the future?

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While rural America is in no way a monolith, many rural communities have in recent years been confronted by challenging economic, demographic, and climatic trends that have limited their ability to achieve durable, inclusive economic prosperity. And yet, those same rural communities contain valuable assets that, if properly leveraged, could be a foundation on which to build equitable future prosperity and community vitality. But, doing so effectively requires robust local capacity connected to and supported by regional and national partners.

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While economists recommend using market incentives, policymakers often use regulation to achieve agricultural and environmental resource management objectives. In the case of Environmental Policies, we have various forms of command and control. We have semi-market-based policies and regulations in agriculture, such as crop insurance, inventory control, biotechnology regulation, and conservation-reserve programs. Understanding the impact and motivation for these alternative policies is challenging yet valuable.

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Agriculture is unique among most sectors in the economy, as agriculture's mitigation potential from both an enhancement of removals of greenhouse gases (GHG) and reduction of emissions through management of land is significant. Agriculture provides food for humans, fiber, livelihoods for billions of people worldwide and is a critical resource for sustainable development in many regions. However, agriculture also provides many ecosystem services and opportunities for climate change mitigation.

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