Children's health. Immigration. Land use conflict. Unemployment. Even rural communities with populations as small as 800 struggle with these issues. To help rural community leaders maintain services and establish new ones in the face of shrinking tax bases and limited infrastructures, Cornell's Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) has issued new publications and is continuing a seminar series and training opportunities.

State and local policy-makers need up-to-date information to make the most of limited resources and to respond more successfully to rapidly changing social and economic conditions, says Rod Howe, CaRDI's executive director. He notes that CaRDI's mission is to develop community- and economic-development research that informs program development, policy formation and training programs. To that end, CaRDI has issued three new publications targeted at elected officials and other community leaders on such hot topics as agriculture, food and community development; land use and landscape management; and social and economic trends and analysis.

"The publications are a concrete way for us to reach a wide range of audiences," says Howe. "They provide a vehicle for us to disseminate useful research-based information on topics important to New Yorkers and to highlight the interrelationship between applied research, policy formation and outreach."

Howe hopes organizations will use the CaRDI resources in newsletters, newspapers, policy-making and decision-making. The new publications are:

"The goal of these publications is to build and support capacity among communities and community leaders, resulting in better-informed decision-making and an ability to respond in a locally, regionally and globally relevant manner," says Robin Blakely, the extension associate in CaRDI who edits and manages the series.

In addition, for the second year in a row, CaRDI has hosted the Future of Rural New York Seminar Series, where Cornell faculty, Cornell Cooperative Extension educators and representatives from state and local agencies have discussed such issues as the 2007 Farm Bill, rural sprawl and poverty. The free video program is available on CaRDI's Web site.

CaRDI also is designing training programs in its areas of focus. For more information and copies of publications, see http://www.cardi.cornell.edu.

Aaron Goldweber is a communications specialist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.