USDA Rural Development has provided technical assistance in certain countries in this hemisphere to help promote their agricultural development efforts. We expect to continue offering our assistance in a range of disciplines, from production techniques, to marketing, extension, pest and disease eradication, and food safety, among others. In the United States, agricultural cooperatives remain a key component of rural economies. Our rural economy has strengthened and is growing, but remains fragile and uneven. Rural earnings, after a decade of decline, are rising at rates similar to urban rates in some areas, as is per capita income.
Rural unemployment continues to decline, to historically low levels.
However, challenges remain. Even with double-digit percentage growth in the amount of jobs, the incomes remain significantly lower in rural areas relative to urban areas. In June of 1998, when I hosted the Second International Conference on Women in Agriculture, more than 1,000 participants from 50 countries came together to discuss issues facing women in agriculture and to facilitate the exchange of information. During the conference, we established that in rural communities around the world, we have similar challenges, many of which can be addressed by cooperatives. Creating value-added cooperatives can do much to generate additional income for rural people, as shown by the cover story in this issue about how rural women in Alaska are earning income by knitting musk ox wool into beautiful garments.