Participants utilize the internet to communicate with their families back home, to read the on-line newspapers in their community and to do research for their studies at ARI.

Although ARI collects rice and other seeds for planting the following year, for some crops it is much more practical to purchase this critical component of food life.

To supplement human power, ARI uses its tractor for plowing rice fields and making corn silage. This small amount of diesel is very important yet has become increasingly expensive.

A nurse comes to ARI weekly, on a voluntary basis, to consult with Participants about their health. She also keeps ARI's small clinic and emergency kits properly supplied.

ARI budgets $70 a month for community recreation which goes to buy guitar strings, ping pong balls and pay for a monthly excursion.

Vaccinating chickens and pigs is part of ARI training and critical for healthy animals.

ARI subscribes to 17 educational journals for the participants and staff. These supply current information about agriculture, appropriate technology and community development.

ARI grows wheat and receives some in kind donations for flour, but must buy these essential ingredients for making its daily bread.

Each day the ARI community gathers to pray, to organize, and to sing. Participants bring their own songs to ARI which are printed, sung, and added to ARI's growing music library.

The key elements of ARI's training program are distilled into a compact, 100-page Training Handook, which participants use every day.

Classroom lecture notes, participants' final papers, photographs documenting the training program and other materials are compiled on CDs for participants each year.