A quarter of the US population lives in rural areas, yet 86% of persistently impoverished communities in America are rural. Can rural communities embrace experiments to test progressive technology, policy, and governance? I believe that rural communities are uniquely poised to do so.

Having grown up in a rural town, I'm well aware of the challenges facing rural communities-- out-migration, complacency, and lack of support from (or even a sense of connection with) the state or federal government. What if rural communities were thought of as unique opportunities for progress? What if rural communities were seen as progressive laboratories for experimental ideas? What if these ideas were piloted by rural communities for rural communities?

One of my closest mentors constantly reminds me to "start small with baby steps." I'm confident that Americans feel a duty to overcome their differences and work together to build a country we're proud of. Perhaps empowering rural communities to experiment with progressive projects is one way to start small with baby steps.

rural ingenuity

My hometown's name is Ochlockney, GA. It's been called Moultrie since 1863 and is the Colquitt county seat. It's a modestly sized county, around 15,000 people.

In highschool, I was lucky to have a mentor, Tommy Hall, who was deeply involved in the state and national science fairs. Tommy ran a small club for to students interested in building science experiments. He hadn't missed a single international science and engineering fair (ISEF) since 1962 and was well-decorated for his dedication. What he created in his classroom over the years was, effectively, a "baby Bell Labs". We invented to our hearts content, and our ragtag group (often made up of kids with C averages who Tommy somehow knew had a winning project in them) often sweeped the fairs we entered, winning all the top prizes.

I like to call this phenomenon "rural ingenuity". We didn't have much, but we used what we did have to the fullest. We made all kinds of crazy (sometimes dangerous) contraptions: from hoverboards made out of lawn mowers to biofuel extractors welded out of tractor parts. It was heaven, and it saved some kids from dropping out of school altogether. Tommy helped more than a few apply to engineering school.

From Tommy and others, I grew up hearing about postwar Moultrie. The nutty parties, a bustling town square, and an even stronger sense of community than I experienced growing up. There was one story of Moultrie's then-mayor, on a diplomatic trip to France, seeking out and offering the then-mayor of Paris a key to the City of Moultrie. As far as I know, he accepted.

Rural communities, out of necessity, make something out of seemingly nothing. They often do it out of pride alone. I felt proud holding science fair trophies not only because I had done good work, but also for the fact that I was often the lone rural student surrounded by what we affectionately referred to as "the Atlanta kids."

In college, I was lucky to work at several startups, each having a profound impact on me. One in particular, Otherlab in San Francisco, changed what I thought it was possible for a company to look like. Surrounded by ingenious inventors, bicycles, and advanced manufacturing equipment, I felt at home-- a feeling akin to the atmosphere Tommy created in his classroom.

I think rural communities hold an often overlooked spirit-- rural ingenuity, a special kind of magic that is difficult to create elsewhere. Indeed, venture capital is beginning to understand that great founders can come from anywhere. "Talent investors" like Entrepreneur First are working to reverse engineer that magic.

Rural communities get left out of a lot of technological progress, most of which is geared toward making urban transactions more efficient and more profitable. For instance, Sidewalk Labs seems to focus exclusively on urban spaces. There is an obvious argument equating population density with leverage, but I think this misses the point. There is so much to gain from engaging rural communities in new technologies. Practically, the initial investment is smaller while the impact on a community could be life-changing for many people. Personally, I belief that truly unique solutions and ideas will be borne from rural ingenuity that would be hard to capture elsewhere.

By supporting communities like Moultrie to build and test solutions to their problems from the ground up, empower them to create small, local, bubbles of innovation that may reap rewards not only for themselves but for communities across the country.

pragmatic laboratories

Exploring new ideas in small communities is obviously not a new idea. John Dewey's pragmatic philosophical pedagogy led to the creation of many progressive schools. These institutions were founded on principles of experimental education where students were encouraged to explore and test hypotheses about the world. Little did I know that Tommy was a pragmatic progressive.

I think these schools, such as the Chicago Laboratory School and the Putney School are models for thinking about how a community the size of Moultrie might lend itself to the same kind of experimentation. There is precedent for this kind of town-level experimental community, such at the Minnesota Experimental City, though these are typically planned communities. A more fruitful direction might be to look to small rural communities as places to host experimental pilot programs and provide feedback and support on their execution. Speaking for Moultrieans in particular, and perhaps rural Georgians in general, the kinds of experiments discussed below would be welcomed with open arms and, I believe, achieve unique success.

democratize energy

One of the most interesting aspects of small communities is the potential for energy independence through the creation of renewable infrastructure. For South Georgia, the potential for solar in particular is massive. The USDA has an energy savings program which provides loans to impact: - The retail electric service needs of rural areas - The power supply needs of distribution borrowers - Eligible purposes including energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy storage or energy conservation measures and related services, improvements, financing, or relending

Funding can be viewed using the USDA Energy Matrix, a one-stop shop for rural energy funding.

This is a no-brainer. We need to launch small-scale renewable energy pilots in rural communities for the purpose of job creation and community profit. Easing the energy bills in rural communities would have second-order impacts on local commerce and beyond. Riskier technologies could be tested in these communities before deploying these projects on a larger scale.

enhance civic engagement

In the 2016 general election, voter turnout in Georgia was 76%, while in Colquitt County it was closer to 50%. I suspect this is true for many rural counties, which combines into a large untapped voter base for any candidate. The nonprofit NeighborWorks cites the example of the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, Texas, which organized a civic-engagement “university” of sorts to train and prepare low-income residents to advocate for their community. Similar educational programs would have a positive impact on communities like Moultrie where some folks are actually frightened to register or engage with authorities for any reason.

Organizations like Fair Fight are tackling such barriers to voter registration and engagement. The Rural Democracy Initiative is devoted to connecting funders with rural leaders to build progressive infrastructure and provides support through grants for projects dealing with organizing, communication, and civic technology.

These initiatives are crucial to transforming our current system into a functioning democracy we all want to live in. These programs are difficult to implement, and could gain from experimenting with new technologies and organizational schemes in rural communities in order to iron out wrinkles. Educating these communities on the impact they can have as civic leaders and volunteers, that their voices are powerful, is crucial to strengthening our democracy.

support small business

Rural communities often use local services and products out of necessity, but also out of pride. Supporting the creation of small businesses and tracking the success of such initiatives is one way to support communities and explore how to best empower small business owners across the country. However, as NeighborWorks notes:

Most local chambers of commerce and economic development agencies spend a significant amount of their resources attempting to recruit existing businesses and industries to relocate or place a hub or plant within their region. For persistently poor rural areas, this is often a losing proposition. Likewise, regulations tend to privilege large-scale producers over small and medium businesses (such as USDA meat-processing regulations that are prohibitively burdensome for smaller facilities)."

Small rural businesses are critical to create a thriving community. Resources like the Center for Rural Innovation focus on supporting new, specifically digital, models of rural innovation. The CRI has a venture fund for supporting rural startups and analyzes data to generate new policy for rural initiatives. The USDA provides community development grants for workshops dealing with rural entrepreneurship and runs "America's seed fund" to support business development.

close the digital divide

A 2016 study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported that a third of adults have less than basic digital skills. According to the findings, over 30% of adults are unable to search and find an email. The study surveyed the skills of over 200,000 people aged 16-65 across 33 industrialized nations between 2011 and 2015. The OECD reports that less than 5% of subjects can be classified as "skilled"-- able to complete tasks that require the use of several applications and tools to solve a problem.

NeighborWorks writes:

Access to a broadband internet connection is often lacking in remote, rural areas. There is a distinct digital divide between higher-income households and those who are low-income, older, disabled, black, Hispanic, Native American or living in rural communities. This is important because employment, banking and educational opportunities, among other enablers, often require computer and broadband access. Limited access to the internet can result in further economic, social and political exclusion for historically underserved populations.

Only 70% of housholds in Colquitt County have access to the internet. Rural communities like Moultrie would be incredible proving grounds for broadband-access-as-a-right, tracking economic effects of an experimental broadband rollout program. NeighborWorks recommends, citing the Department of Housing and Urban Development, adhering to the "three legs of the stool": 1. Broadband access. 2. Computer access. 3. Training and technical assistance.

Working towards a holistic intervention to close the data divide is achievable in rural communities, and would have meaningful second-order effects on entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and education. An important piece of legislation that could be leveraged to fund such projects is the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 in order to provide rural communities with access to financial services.

next steps

Communities like Moultrie are great candidates for exploring experimental programs. Our rural communities are in need, and progressive experiments are an interesting direction for generating innovative solutions to the issues these communities face, poverty and out-migration chief among them. Engaging communities to pursue this kind of lateral thinking could usher in a new futures for our rural communities and produce important insights into initiatives elsewhere. Let's start taking baby steps.