Strategies and techniques for developing community-based programs for mentally retarded persons in rural areas must take into consideration local circumstances, resources, and characteristics. Rural norms such as overt racial segregation, social conformity, the importance of church, and the stigma of obtaining human services for personal problems must be understood and accepted. Professional programs must win approval of, and work in accordance with, informal or "natural services systems" which often provide services for which there are no formal organizations. Complicated community dynamics make the selection of local staff for rural service organizations a complex problem. Regionalized programs are more easily coordinated and more economically feasible in rural areas (where a"unit" of service costs four times more than in urban areas), but rural parochialism makes acceptance, creation, and maintenance of such programs difficult. "Purchase of Service" contracts are an attractive alternative for providing human services in rural areas if some service organizations exist. Service professionals in rural areas face special problems of professional isolation, broadly generalized skills and knowledge, and community acceptance based on other than professional considerations. Programs and services designed for urban areas must not be exported to rural areas. (SB)