DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Hillary Rodham Clinton is proposing more money for programs that help new farmers and increase access to fresh food as part of a rural agenda for her Democratic presidential campaign.
Clinton was introducing the plan Wednesday in a daylong tour of Iowa, the leadoff caucus state, during a break in her vacation in the Hamptons. According to a copy of the plan provided by the campaign, Clinton promises to boost rural economic investment, increase agricultural production, promote clean energy and enhance access to health care and education. The campaign material does not say how much her proposals would cost or how she would pay for them.
“We must do more to ensure the vitality of our rural areas_not only because America’s 46 million rural residents make up nearly 15 percent of our population, but also because rural America provides the foundation for the entire country’s economic success,” the plan states.
About 36 percent of Iowans live in rural areas, according to census data, and agriculture is a major driver of the state economy.
Clinton pledges to invest in rural business and infrastructure, including expanding tax credits and grants available to those communities. Money to help farmers who are starting out and for farmers markets and local foods would be doubled under her plan.