An ethanol boom in Latin America would also attract investment to rural areas and create lots of jobs.

ECONOMIST: America and its neighbours discover a common interest

The private sector does not provide services in poor, rural areas, because the investment involved would be unprofitable.

ECONOMIST: Brazil's presidential campaign

It calls for a similar investment at home in drug prevention, drug treatment and law enforcement, particularly in rural areas that have all the problems of big cities but less money to deal with them.

ECONOMIST: Country-boy crackheads

She left a lucrative career in investment banking to found the Future of the African Daughter Project, an organization that lifts up young women in rural and township areas.

WHITEHOUSE: First Lady Michelle Obama Addresses Young African Women Leaders | The White House