03/11/1998 17:59:29 .- A key issue that should frame discussion at this meeting is the issue of extremely imbalanced growth between overcrowded urban areas and deserted rural communities. That is, you should examine the effect of globalization on the regional concentration of economic resources and population. (In Spain, the massive concentration around Madrid and Barcelona, for example, with the abandonment of Soria and throughout rural areas, for example.) This vital issue establishes the context for many of the issues you have identified -- diversification, sustainability, food and sanitation safety. There is a large and rich literature on this key issue of globalization and imbalanced growth but it is too often ignored leaving both the analysis and remedies unnecessarily ineffective.