The Evolution of Rural Policy and Agricultural Policy in North America:1

The broad objective of the paper is to review the development of federal policy affecting rural areas in Canada and the United States, and to assess its effects on rural residents. In doing this the focus goes beyond policies that are explicitly rural in nature. Today broader social policies are the major federal influence on rural areas in both nations. In part this reflects the simple fact that these programs are where the vast bulk of federal outlays occur, but it is also the case that the availability of a set of basic social welfare programs is a vital building block in the rural development process.