(a)

The overall purpose of this subchapter is to foster a balanced national development that provides opportunities for increased numbers of the people of the United States to work and enjoy a high quality of life dispersed throughout our Nation by providing the essential knowledge necessary for successful programs of rural development. It is further the purpose of this subchapter to -

(1)

provide multistate regional agencies, States, counties, cities, multicounty planning and development districts, businesses, industries, Indian tribes on Federal and State reservations or other federally recognized Indian tribal groups and others involved with public services and investments in rural areas or that provide or may provide employment in these areas the best available scientific, technical, economic, organizational, environmental, and management information and knowledge useful to them, and to assist and encourage them in the interpretation and application of this information to practical problems and needs in rural development;

(2)

provide research and investigations in all fields that have as their purpose the development of useful knowledge and information to assist those planning, carrying out, managing, or investing in facilities, services, businesses, or other enterprises, public and private, that may contribute to rural development;

(3)

increase the capabilities of, and encourage, colleges and universities to perform the vital public service roles of research, and the transfer and practical application of knowledge, in support of rural development;

(4)

expand small farm research and extend training and technical assistance to small farm families in assessing their needs and opportunities and in using the best available knowledge on sound economic approaches to small farm operations and on existing services offered by the Department of Agriculture and other public and private agencies and organizations to improve their income and to gain access to essential facilities and services; and

(5)

support activities to supplement and extend programs that address special research and education needs in States experiencing rapid social and economic adjustments or unique problems caused by rural isolation and that address national and regional rural development policies, strategies, issues, and programs.

(b)

the ^[1] goals of this subchapter are to -

(1)

encourage and support rural United States, in order to help make it a better place to live, work, and enjoy life;

(2)

increase income and improve employment for persons in rural areas, including the owners or operators of small farms, small businesses, and rural youth;

(3)

improve the quality and availability of essential community services and facilities in rural areas;

(4)

improve the quantity and quality of rural housing;

(5)

improve the rural management of natural resources so that the growth and development of rural communities needed to support the family farm may be accommodated with minimum effect on the natural environment and the agricultural land base;

(6)

improve the data base for rural development decisionmaking at local, State, and national levels; and

(7)

improve the problem solving and development capacities and effectiveness of rural governments, officials, institutions, communities, community leaders, and citizen groups in -

(A)

improving access to Federal programs;

(B)

improving targeting and delivery of technical assistance;

(C)

improving coordination among Federal agencies, other levels of government, and institutions and private organizations in rural areas; and

(D)

developing and disseminating better information about rural conditions