Mason City Globe Gazette, IA
03/02/06
Speaker says 'neighboring' is key to Iowa's
future
By DICK JOHNSON
Of The Globe Gazette
MASON CITY — After 24 years of conducting the Iowa Farm and Rural Life poll,
painstakingly gleaning information from charts and graphs and from over 3,000
farm families, healing rural Iowa boils down to this for Paul Lasley:
Let’s eat.
“I think that we need to rediscover the art of ‘neighboring,’ of getting to know your
neighbors,” Lasley, a professor of sociology at Iowa State University, said
Thursday during the North Iowa Farm Expo. “And I can’t think of a better place to
get to know your neighbors than over a meal. It’s when you get to know your
neighbors that we begin to address issues of community.”
Lasley discussed the challenges facing rural communities, including the declining
number of farms, increased farm size, the shift toward service industries in rural
communities, lifestyle changes and the growth of a non-farming population, the
changing role of women, hectic rural lifestyles, an aging population, a decline in
civility, and the loss of promising young people who seek opportunities
elsewhere.
“What I really try to do is, is to bring forth the importance of community
involvement and community participation,” he said. “How are we going to create
communities that young people want to move to and put down roots and live in?
The numbers show that we’ve got a big challenge in front of us, because we
need to really think about the concept of community development and
‘neighboring,’ and providing opportunities for the next generation, just as our
ancestors provided us opportunities.”
Lasley said many people speak with him about farmers holding multiple jobs and
the expanding farms.
But they have less time to visit with their neighbors and get involved in
community activities.
The solution? Find a common vision, discuss those opportunities for young
people — and get to know your neighbors.
“I think there’s a bright future in agriculture,” Lasley said, “as the changes move
from agriculture not only producing feed and food but also fuel. The challenge is
going to be to create opportunities so that young people can get a foothold in
agriculture, so that they can take up careers in agriculture.”
Reach Dick Johnson at 421-0556 or dick.johnson@globegazette.com