The council's primary objective is to work across government to ensure that food, fiber, and energy will be protected and managed by facilitating the flow of capital in the rural areas.
The members of the committee are further responsible for establishing forums within those rural areas for the purpose of engaging “stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, and local citizens, on issues in rural communities.”[1] During such visits, the Rural Council members are expected to “promote and coordinate private-sector partnership” and “find new ways for the government to partner with organizations in solving shared problems, and develop new, innovative models of partnership.”[1] The forum's and town hall meeting's also serve as a means to identify and increase "access to quality healthcare, education, and housing" while strengthening the infrastructure in place within that region.
As many leaders begin to examine and analyze the extent of the effects of the rural decline, the growing consensus among legislators, scholars, and economists reveals that decelerating the impact will be difficult and may require “counties [to] let go of some of their provincial pride and consider consolidating resources, on economic development if nothing else.
Prior to the visit, council members and staff, carefully identified the key leaders specific for the community.
The identified leaders, constituents, and other stakeholders were invited to partake in a community forum or town hall meeting to discuss the various areas of concern.