A "communication system" paradigm for dissemination of appropriate knowledge, information, and technology needed for effective rural development is briefly described. The paradigm describes six categories of interrelated functions, activities, and processes: (1) scientific knowledge production by carrying out basic and applied research; (2) knowledge-management, where information is monitored, screened, indexed, catalogued, packaged, and stored in an accessible and retrievable form; (3) knowledge-translation, which synthesizes and converts scientific research into information useful to product-developers attempting to formulate solutions to practical problems; (4) product development, which combines scientific knowledge with knowledge of user needs, and develops products which have the potential of meeting those needs; (5) product-dissemination, which involves understanding the product and its uses, designing dissemination and communication strategy, distributing, adapting, and installing the product, and monitoring the product performance; and (6) product-adoption/utilization, by which users discover and diagnose problems, locate, try-test, adopt, and assimilate solutions into existing systems. A hypothetical example shows that a linear flow of knowledge information from basic research to the ultimate user need not be assumed in using the paradigm to improve dissemination of information for rural development. (JD)