Armstrong wanted to start a Rural Program that used research and grassroots organizing to advocate for rural issues rather than define what it was not. His long-term goals were to raise awareness of rural poverty at the national level, help the rural poor improve their circumstances, and make rural poverty a higher priority policy issue. The first proposal he considered was a clean water project because clean water is a basic necessity, the organization was already established, and working with the project's leader Wynonie Edwards could combine issues of poverty and natural resources while also encouraging women in leadership roles and public/private partnerships.
2. Question 1
Armstrong started by defining what
the Rural Program would NOT be
He wanted to use his background of
being an economist and agricultural
specialist
Link grass roots organizing and
advocacy with research
Wants to work on building
something cumulatively and
systematically
3. Question 2
Long term- get rural poverty
on the map
Work with rural poor improve
own circumstances
Make general issue of rural
poverty a higher priority on
the national policy agenda
Clean water
4. Question 3
The first proposal
Clean water is a basic necessity
They are already established
Wynonie Edwards would be a good person to
work with because she is capable and energetic
The project fits well with the program’s interests
Work with this project helped out in other ways
too: public/private partnerships, encouraging
women in leadership roles and combining the
issues of poverty and natural resources
Editor's Notes
He used the name of the program and people’s reaction to it to help define everything the program is notBackground of economist and agricultural specialist but doesn’t want to limit
