TY - JOUR AU - Lasley, Paul PY - 2020/11/17 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - The promise of sustainability for Iowa JF - Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development JA - J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev. VL - 10 IS - 1 SE - Review DO - 10.5304/jafscd.2020.101.020 UR - https://foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/896 SP - 285–287 AB - <p><em>First paragraphs:</em></p><p>I was first attracted to graduate school in sociol­ogy in part to help me understand the nagging question of why some people work hard and yet remain poor. When extrapolated to the community level, I was puzzled by why some communities seem to grow and thrive and yet others decline and stagnate. I wish this book had been available during my graduate training.&nbsp;</p><p>Two essential dimensions of community eco­nomic development are the natural resource base of the community and the qualities of the work­force, what is often referred to as the human capi­tal of local residents. Jeopardizing either the re­source base or failing to invest in people generally diminishes the opportunities for economic devel­opment. Likewise, spoil the environment and it becomes less attractive to live in and those who can migrate elsewhere. Failing to invest in educa­tion and skill training often results in a marginal­ized population that cannot fully engage in the growth and development of the community. . . .</p> ER -