Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Making a Difference in Rural Illinois
A Foundation for Sustainable Rural Community Development
The National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty (Executive Order 11306) was charged with:
Making a comprehensive study and appraisal of the current economic situations and trends in American rural life, as they relate to the existence of income and community problems of rural areas, including problems of low income, the status of rural labor, including farm labor, unemployment and underemployment and retraining in usable skills; rural economic development and expanding opportunities; sources of additional rural employment; availability of land and other resources; adequacy of food, nutrition, housing, health, and cultural opportunities for rural families; the condition of children and youth in rural areas and their status in an expanding national economy; the impact of population and demographic changes, including rural migration; adequacy of rural community facilities and services; exploration of new and better means of eliminating the causes which perpetuate rural unemployment and underemployment, low income and poor facilities; and other related matters.
Evaluating the means by which existing programs, policies, and activities relating to the economic status and community welfare of rural people may be coordinated or better directed or redirected to achieve the elimination of underemployment and low income of rural people, and to obtain higher levels of community facilities and services.
Developing recommendations for action by local, state or federal governments or private enterprise as to the most efficient and promising means of providing opportunities for the rural population to share in America’s abundance.
Recommended Resource
- United States. 1967. The People Left Behind, A Report by the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty. Issued September 1967. Washington, DC: U.S. Govt. Printing Office.
This publication is available in an alternative media on request. For more information, contact iira@wiu.edu.
