276 OUR USE OF THE LAND 



these activities. The Tennessee Valley Authority in drafting 

 its plans has tried to keep several things in mind. First, it had 

 to make use of the other governing agenpies already working in 

 the area. These government agencies range from the county 

 agents of the Department of Agriculture to the Federal For 

 est Service, the Biological Survey, state agricultural depart 

 ments, state land grant colleges, and so on. These agencies sup 

 plied information to Tennessee Valley Authority specialists 

 and helped them to carry out the Tennessee Valley Authority 

 land-use program. 



The greatest problem in any planning system is the adminis 

 tration. One difficulty is to get the people in the planned area to 

 follow the plan. Another is to keep the plan sufficiently flexible 

 so that it can be made to fit various local requirements. Finally, 

 the administrators must be men capable of applying the plan so 

 that it really achieves its purpose of building up a balanced use of 

 the fesource, and a satisfied population. All of this depends 

 on whether it is possible to find and keep administrators of such 

 high quality. 



On the whole this program has been fairly successful so far 

 as improving the agricultural methods of the region. The land 

 has become more stable. New methods of cropping have taught 

 the people how to grow more and better food for themselves. 

 But the Tennessee Valley Authority has not solved the problem 

 of what to do with surplus crops. If the farmers of this area 

 are to be brought up to the so-called American standard of 

 living, they will have to have some way of earning cash. They 

 will need this not only for the automobile, the electric lights, 

 the radio, the washing machine, and the many other things 

 which city people and prosperous farmers think of as necessities 

 for decent living conditions. They will need it for fertiliser, 

 and machinery, and the other farm materials that are necessary 

 to produce crops and keep up the fertility of the soil. 



The Tennessee Valley Authority has started the farmer on 



