grass roots

grass roots
    n 1: the essential foundation or source; "the problem was
         attacked at the grass roots"
    2: the common people at a local level (as distinguished from the
       centers of political activity)
    

55 Moby Thesaurus words for "grass roots":
      agricultural region, arable land, beginning, black belt,
      citrus belt, commencement, conception, corn belt, cotton belt,
      countryside, derivation, dust bowl, farm belt, farm country,
      farmland, fruit belt, genesis, grassland, grazing region, head,
      highlands, inception, lowlands, meadows and pastures, moors,
      origin, original, origination, plains, prairies, provenience,
      province, provinces, radical, radix, rise, root, rural district,
      rustic region, source, stem, steppes, stock, taproot, the country,
      the soil, the sticks, tobacco belt, uplands, veld, wheat belt,
      wide-open spaces, woodland, woods and fields, yokeldom