https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-rural-studies/vol/97/suppl/C
Race and place-making in the rural Global North
Victoria Stead, Rose Butler, Christopher MayesHow effective are cash transfers in mitigating shocks for vulnerable children? Evidence on the impact of the Lesotho CGP on multiple deprivation
Alessandro Carraro, Lucia FerroneLand dispossession, rural gentrification and displacement: Blurring the rural-urban boundary in Chengdu, China
Renhao Yang, Maarten LoopmansAnimal welfare and cow-calf contact-farmers’ attitudes, experiences and adoption barriers
Bjørn Gunnar Hansen, Elise Langseth, Camilla BergeQuantitatively defining and mapping rural: A case study of North Carolina
Timothy Mulrooney, Chyi-Lyi Liang, Lyubov A. Kurkalova, Christopher McGinn, Chima OkoliAdvancing AKIS with assemblage thinking
Lee-Ann Sutherland, Anda Adamsone-Fiskovica, Boelie Elzen, Alexandros Koutsouris, ... Pierre LabartheFarm stress and the production of rural sacrifice zones
Bradi Heaberlin, Annie ShattuckCo-innovation and socio-technological niche development: The case of livestock farming on natural grassland in Uruguay
Verónica Aguerre, Mariela BiancoChanging interventions in farm animal health and welfare: A governmentality approach to the case of lameness
Lewis Holloway, Niamh Mahon, Beth Clark, Amy ProctorNeo-endogenous revitalisation: Enhancing community resilience through art tourism and rural entrepreneurship
Trans in Arcadia: Transgender lives in the countryside and expanding Philo's ‘rural others’ beyond the cis
Evaluating rural municipal climate change plans in ontario, Canada
Dave Guyadeen, Daniel HenstraThe role of social capital in adoption of risky versus less risky subsidized input supplies: An empirical study of cocoa farmers in Ghana
Diana Kos, Robert Lensink, Miranda Meuwissen"We Could Be Much Further Ahead" -Multidimensional Drivers and Barriers for Agricultural Transition
Madita Olvermann, Johanna Hornung, Simone Kauffeld“Women and changing sociolegal landscapes in Rwandan mining formalization”
Health services and eHealth from the perspective of older rural residents of Finnish Lapland
Päivi Rasi-Heikkinen, Ella AirolaAssessing the effect of soil testing on chemical fertilizer use intensity: An empirical analysis of phosphorus fertilizer demand by Irish dairy farmers
Evgenia Micha, Andreas Tsakiridis, Athanasios Ragkos, Cathal BuckleyAttachment to land and its downfalls: Can policy encourage land mobility?
Tracy Bradfield, Robert Butler, Emma J. Dillon, Thia Hennessy, Jason Loughrey‘Getting along’ or ‘getting ahead’? How urban-to-rural newcomers employed at Danfoss in south Denmark build bridging, bonding and linking social capital
Mickala Erlandsen, Gunnar Lind Haase SvendsenAn urban-rural divide (or not?): Small firm location and the use of digital technologies
The fences of Chuschi: The impacts of land enclosure on an Andean indigenous community
Karen Bell, Rossi Taboada Hermoza, Chad Staddon, Bram Willems, ... Lisbeth Pariona FloresWhere do we meet? Exploring how facilities and meeting places in rural areas contribute to quality of life
Evald Bundgaard Iversen, Michael Fehsenfeld, Bjarne IbsenOne size does not fit all: The plurality of knowledge sources for transition to sustainable farming
Rural creativity for community revitalization in Bishan Village, China: The nexus of creative practices, cultural revival, and social resilience
Alternatives to sustainable seafood certifications: Transitions of small-scale fisheries governance in northeastern Japan
Alayna Ynacay-Nye, Shuji Hisano, Anom Sigit SuryawanOut of balance? Understanding resident-municipality relations in rural peripheries through ascriptions of responsibility
Susann Bischof, Anja DeckerThe transformative potential of Seed Commons: Applying the social-ecological transformation framework to agri-food systems
Julia Tschersich, Stefanie Sievers-Glotzbach, Nina Gmeiner, Lea KliemUnderstanding the socio-cultural resilience of rural areas through the intergenerational relationship in transitional China: Case studies from Guangdong
“A lender should not know where you live”: Financial precarity, debt, and everyday life in rural Malawi and Tanzania
Nathanael Ojong, Annelise Gill-WiehlCommunity assets and relative rurality index: A multi-dimensional measure of rurality
Katherine S. Nelson, Tuan D. NguyenBenchmarking the vitality of shrinking rural regions in Finland
Teemu Makkonen, Tommi InkinenDid the pandemic bring new features to counter-urbanisation? Evidence from Estonia
Tiit Tammaru, Jaak Kliimask, Kadi Kalm, Jānis ZālīteEconomically underdeveloped rural regions in Southern Moravia and possible strategies for their future development
Antonín Vaishar, Milada Šťastná“A heart attack away from boarding up Main Street”: How neoliberalization of farming shapes adaptive capacity to climate change in rural and small-town Saskatchewan, Canada
Holly K. Campbell-Gale, Amber J. Fletcher, Maureen G. ReedTowards a sustainable artisanal gold mining sector in South Africa: Proposed developmental initiatives
Gendered mining landscapes and health implications in Ghana's artisanal and small-scale gold mining industry
Janet Adomako, Heidi HausermannStarting the conversation for a town centre management framework for small towns in rural places: An Irish context
David Jordan, Angela WrightYouth in livestock and the power of education: The case of “Heirs of Tradition” from Colombia, 2012–2020
Triana Ángel Natalia, Burkart StefanA formative assessment of vulnerability and implications for enhancing livelihood sustainability in Indigenous communities in the Andes of Ecuador
Ivy Blackmore, Lora Iannotti, Claudia Rivera, William F. Waters, Carolyn LesorogolA collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to knowledge-based rural development: 25 years of the PSDR program in France
André Torre, Frédéric Wallet, Jiao HuangAssessing the economics and finances of Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Guyana
Timothy Laing, René Edwards, Shereeda Yusuf, Colin SparmanDiné-centered research reframes the Gold King Mine Spill: Understanding social and spiritual impacts across space and time
Rebecca J. Clausen, Carmenlita Chief, Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone, Manley A. Begay, ... Karletta Chief‘Love knows no (spatial) boundaries?‘: Investigating diversity in the residential location choices of rural-residing couples upon union formation
Sara Ferguson, Gemma CatneyTime and social space in South Australian rural health social work practice
Michelle Jones, Fiona Verity, Ellen HarveyDoes small-scale irrigation provide a pathway to women's empowerment? Lessons from Northern Ghana
Elizabeth Bryan, Dawit MekonnenThe actions of key agents in facilitating rural super-gentrification: Evidence from the English countryside
Danielle Sheppard, Simon PembertonCoal seam gas extraction and related landscape changes in the agricultural production area of Western Downs (Queensland, Australia)
Giorgia Bressan, Michel DeshaiesConditions facilitating aging in place in rural communities: The case of smart senior towns in Iowa
Ilona Matysiak, David J. PetersAnalyzing social innovation as a process in rural areas: Key dimensions and success factors for the revival of the traditional charcoal burning in Slovenia
Todora Rogelja, Alice Ludvig, Gerhard Weiss, Jože Prah, ... Laura SeccoDoes labour migration necessarily promote farmers' land transfer-in?—Empirical evidence from China's rural panel data
Kai Huang, Sha Cao, Chen Qing, Dingde Xu, Shaoquan LiuRural co-working: New network spaces and new opportunities for a smart countryside
Gary Bosworth, Jason Whalley, Anita Fuzi, Ian Merrell, ... Emma RussellSecond-home owners as local developers: Roles and influencing factors
Manu Rantanen, Adam CzarneckiImproving the design of local short food supply chains: Farmers’ views in Wallonia, Belgium
Laura Enthoven, Miriam Skambracks, Goedele Van den BroeckPlace-based rural development: A role for complex adaptive region assemblages?
Change, connection and community: A qualitative exploration of farmers' mental health
Micaela L. Riethmuller, Peta L. Dzidic, Peter M. McEvoy, Elizabeth A. NewnhamMarginalisation through the eyes of the othered: Young adults choosing to live in rural Northern Sweden
Social acceptance of dual land use approaches: Stakeholders' perceptions of the drivers and barriers confronting agrivoltaics diffusion
Gabriele Torma, Jessica Aschemann-WitzelBeyond clients and citizens: Making claims in rural India
Race and place-making in the rural Global North
Victoria Stead, Rose Butler, Christopher MayesAbstract: Rural places in the Global North are transforming. Geographies of capital accumulation and distribution, environmental catastrophe, the global restructuring of food production, and state-based resettlement policies for people from migrant and humanitarian refugee backgrounds have reconfigured the social and economic landscapes of the rural Global North. Through these transformations, race figures in ways that are both profound and often elided within contemporary theorising of rural places. In this Introduction to the Special Issue, Race and Place-making in the Rural Global North, we attend explicitly to the intersecting logics and practices of race and place-making in an attempt to build upon and extend previous important existing interventions within rural studies. Influential approaches to rural diversity, we argue—including ‘rural cosmopolitanism’—too often fail to disrupt the taken-for-grantedness of rural places as already-made-as-white, and do not sufficiently account for the colonial and imperial foundations of rural places in the Global North. Seeking to centre attention to race and coloniality in more explicit ways, we offer a conceptualisation of contemporary rural place-making in terms of three key modalities: practice, relation, and aesthetic. Through these, we argue for a double move in rural studies' engagement with race and rural diversity. This involves, firstly, a critical move towards interrogating whiteness as a force of power and inequality in rural places; and secondly a move away from whiteness in order to centre Indigenous, Black and Brown rural lifeworlds in their own terms.How effective are cash transfers in mitigating shocks for vulnerable children? Evidence on the impact of the Lesotho CGP on multiple deprivation
Alessandro Carraro, Lucia FerroneAbstract: Shocks can pressure families into negative coping strategies with significant drawbacks for children's lives and development, particularly for children living in disadvantaged households who are at greater risk of falling into a poverty trap. This paper investigates if unconditional Cash Transfers can be effective in protecting children against unexpected negative life events. Using two waves of data, we found that the Lesotho Child Grant Programme (CGP) reduced the incidence and intensity of multidimensional deprivation for children living in labour-constrained female-headed households (FHH) that experienced negative economic or demographic shocks. Programme design in shock-prone contexts should seek to reinforce and widen the protective effect of the Cash Transfer for the most vulnerable.Land dispossession, rural gentrification and displacement: Blurring the rural-urban boundary in Chengdu, China
Renhao Yang, Maarten LoopmansAbstract: Rural China is experiencing rapid socioeconomic transformations, including suburbanisation and rural gentrification. In this paper, we argue that to understand these processes, we have to take into account the changes in rural land rights. Based on an analysis of a pilot case for China's rural collective commercial construction land (RCCCL) reform policy at the edge of Chengdu City, we demonstrate how state-led rural land reform paves the way for stealthy land dispossession and rural gentrification. Our argument in this paper is threefold. First, given the entrenched collective land use rights of rural villagers in China, state-led land commodification, is a necessary condition for rural gentrification in China. Secondly, the prospect of capital accumulation through rural gentrification motivates entrepreneurial public and private actors to promote such reforms in ways that dispossess rural peasants and peasant collectives of their land (use) rights. Thirdly, the particularities of dispossession through state-led land reform result in particular experiences of displacement and displacement pressure on the side of affected rural communities. Our findings contribute to the decentring of rural gentrification theory, in that they underline the necessity to include the particular histories of land commodification and dispossession in our understanding of rural gentrification in contexts where rural land is partly or wholly shielded from market influences. In the case of China, dynamics of rural gentrification are blurring the rural-urban boundary on three dimensions: political economy (land use governance), material infrastructure (landscape and residential architecture), and socio-cultural practices (rural livelihoods and identity).
Animal welfare and cow-calf contact-farmers’ attitudes, experiences and adoption barriers
Bjørn Gunnar Hansen, Elise Langseth, Camilla BergeAbstract: While separating the calf from the dairy cow shortly after birth is common practice around the world, stakeholders have conflicting perspectives on whether this practice is harmful or beneficial for the animals' welfare and production. Therefore, we wanted to explore farmer's perceived barriers to and experiences with keeping cow and calf together the first few weeks after birth. The aim of this study was to explore Norwegian farmers' experiences with cow-calf contact and the perceived barriers to adopt this rearing system. To collect farmer's experiences and opinions we used a survey including a stratified sample of 1038 dairy farmers. Farmers were stratified according to geography, gender and conventional versus organic farming. In addition, the researchers had access to interviews with 13 farmers who practice cow-calf contact. The farmers' responses to questions about providing cow-calf contact, defined as contact beyond 14 days, were analyzed using factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results show that while only about 2.8% of Norwegian farmers practice cow-calf contact today, up to 15.3% want to have or plan to start with this practice. The main barriers to adopt cow-calf contact is poorer financial performance, layout of the cowshed and separation distress. Perceived barriers depend on the farmers' degree of production orientation, attitude towards cow-calf contact, the intention to stay in dairy, and whether the farm is run conventional or organic. Separation distress is also a main reason to discontinue cow-calf contact. Those who practice cow-calf contact experience increased weight gain on calves, better calf health and higher farmer wellbeing, while separation distress is the most prominent disadvantage. Farmers who plan for or want to have cow-calf contact are younger and have slightly smaller farms and share many of the same attitudes towards cow-calf contact as do those who practice it. The study also shows that cow-calf contact is an issue which evokes strong emotions among farmers.Quantitatively defining and mapping rural: A case study of North Carolina
Timothy Mulrooney, Chyi-Lyi Liang, Lyubov A. Kurkalova, Christopher McGinn, Chima OkoliAbstract: Contemporary research has measured differences between rural and its urban/suburban counterparts on the backdrop of social, economic, political and health phenomena. However, given the ambiguity of its definition, varying meanings and applications of the word ‘rural’ exist. In this paper we explored three different popular uses of the term rural on the backdrop of quantitative data with findings highlighting 1) there do exist statistical differences in data depending upon how rural is defined and 2) the definition of rural provided through the USDA’s Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) best aligned with other definitions of rural.Advancing AKIS with assemblage thinking
Lee-Ann Sutherland, Anda Adamsone-Fiskovica, Boelie Elzen, Alexandros Koutsouris, ... Pierre LabartheAbstract: The establishment of effective national agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) became a European policy imperative in the 2010s, lodged in a political ideology which emphasised the importance of innovation to economic growth. We argue that the recent deployment of the AKIS concept in EU policy presents important opportunities for the agricultural sector and associated academic research but has significant weaknesses in terms of the scale of analysis (over emphasis on national levels) and disconnection from academic thinking on innovation processes. In this paper we progress the AKIS approach by utilising assemblage theory. We argue that assemblage concepts – in line with other ‘more-than-human’ approaches - offer mechanisms for recognising and integrating the role of non-human actants in innovation processes. Inclusion of these actants highlight the co-constructed nature of farm knowledge and associated transition processes. Assemblage concepts of historicity and rupture demonstrate how the path dependencies of farming are embedded in the material conditions of production, and the learning processes which occur when path dependencies are interrupted. We illustrate these contentions with empirical case studies of the ‘microAKIS’ – self-assembled farmer knowledge networks and associated processes - characterising four innovations across Europe: the introduction of a new commodity (avocado) in Greece, mainstreaming of robotic milking in Norway, retro-innovation of direct marketing in Latvia, and outsourcing of (dehumanised) farm labour in France.Farm stress and the production of rural sacrifice zones
Bradi Heaberlin, Annie ShattuckAbstract: For years, farmer suicides have made the news as a slow-brewing farm crisis resonates across the rural U.S. with widely varying claims about the cause. Using a suite of qualitative and quantitative methods, we juxtapose data from a farmer-oriented crisis hotline in Nebraska, the Nebraska Rural Response hotline, alongside semi-structured interviews with people working in organizations that respond to the current epidemic of farm stress. Taking these sources of data together, we find that farmers, ranchers, and members of farming communities most frequently seek help for economic distress, and the most common psychiatric diagnosis assigned to hotline callers who seek therapeutic support is connected to both acute external events in rural life and high rates of suicide. We identify a “crisis belt” of high call volume in the Sandhills region of Nebraska and connect this geospatial finding to processes of economic restructuring in that region. Our findings support the claim that the current resources available to farmers in distress target individual farmers' responses to stress but do not address its causes, which can be understood in terms of economic restructuring and consequent adverse changes in the social fabric of rural communities. The mental health paradigm for farm-related distress constrains the possibilities for addressing it. We argue that analyzing this distress in terms of the production of rural sacrifice zones makes room for collective agency and systemic solutions to the root causes of farm-related distress.Co-innovation and socio-technological niche development: The case of livestock farming on natural grassland in Uruguay
Verónica Aguerre, Mariela BiancoAbstract: Achieving sustainable food and nutritional security requires a transformation of the existing agrifood system. In livestock farming based on natural grassland in Uruguay, an ecological intensification strategy could play a radical role in the transition towards more sustainable systems. This study analyzes the continuity of interconnected projects that used co-innovation approaches to promote and evaluate ecological intensification strategies over a period of 15 years (2004–2019). The purpose of the article is to provide evidence on the development of a socio-technical niche in sustainable livestock farming and to identify anchoring points for further regime transformation. Our contention is that interactive research in the context of application based on a sequence of co-innovation projects has the potential to trigger a sustainability transition through ecological intensification of livestock farming based on natural grassland. The research followed a single-case study design with multiple units of analysis, based on the study of documents produced by the different projects and semi-structured interviews. In addition, network analysis was used to examine the linkage of persons and projects. Results show that a socio-technical niche in sustainable livestock farming base on natural grassland was developed in Uruguay, promoted by research institutions and progressively involving other social actors throughout the process. The continuity of projects over 15 years, was fundamental to achieve the three essential processes for a niche conformation: i) an alignment of expectations and the development of a common vision, linked to the sustainable development of family-farming; ii) the creation and expansion of a network of stakeholders, comprising researchers, farmers, extensionists, and other relevant actors; iii) the development of learning processes through interaction, accumulating knowledge around two main axes: a new way of promoting innovation through research in application contexts associated with co-innovation, and a new way of sustainable livestock farming associated with ecological intensification. This study reveals the importance of sequencing co-innovation projects and continuity in the negotiation of visions of change, the creation of a community committed with the direction of change, and the promotion of interdisciplinarity and interactive learning, that foster changes at a socio-technical level. Anchoring challenges, and therefore advancement of the transition process, face the need for significantly expanding trained research and extension personnel to implement co-innovation and ecological intensification practices in livestock systems, and the organization of an extension program to sustain long term transformation of livestock farming in Uruguay.
Changing interventions in farm animal health and welfare: A governmentality approach to the case of lameness
Lewis Holloway, Niamh Mahon, Beth Clark, Amy ProctorAbstract: Lameness is a significant health and welfare issue in farmed animals. This paper uses a governmentality approach, which focuses on how a problem is made governable, to examine an emerging ‘ecology of devices’ introduced to intervene in, and attempt to reduce, on-farm incidence of lameness. These devices are associated with advisers who work with farmers on-farm; they enact lameness as a governable entity, are tools to assess the existence of lameness against established norms, and prescribe actions to be taken in response to evidence of lameness. In doing this they subjectify farmers and advisers into seeing and responding to lameness in particular ways. Using concepts of governmentality alongside other perspectives on the power relations and the simplifications and complexities involved in interventions in animal health and farm practice, the paper draws on in-depth research with advisers including vets and other paraprofessionals who work with farmers, and their cows and sheep. It explores how this set of devices introduces particular techniques and practices in lameness management, and produces farmer and adviser subjectivities. It then explores some of the problematics of this mode of governing lameness, including analysis of the limitations and unintended consequences of attempts to simplify lameness management. The paper concludes by arguing that its approach is valuable in analysing ongoing intensification of interventions in farming practices and in understanding the limits of such interventions and the unanticipated divergences from expected conduct.
Neo-endogenous revitalisation: Enhancing community resilience through art tourism and rural entrepreneurship
Abstract: The decline and socio-economic stagnation of rural communities is a growing concern across the world. To promote community resilience, art- and creativity-based strategies are emerging as important means for rural revitalisation. This study adopts a neo-endogenous perspective to examine how socially engaged art can represent an effective tool for revitalising communities and strengthening their resilience. We examine the case of Japan's Setouchi Triennale, an international art festival which aims at revitalising twelve small islands by promoting socially engaged art and festival tourism. This mixed methods research focuses on the three islands characterised by the best revitalisation outcomes. The tourism opportunities and increased place recognition resulting from the exogenous art festival initiative triggered endogenous community responses in terms of increased entrepreneurship and social innovation, facilitating the emergence of neo-endogenous revitalisation processes. At the same time, different islands are characterized by different response mechanisms, which depend on the initial resources and features of each island. Exogenous, endogenous, and neo-endogenous elements are therefore all necessary to increase rural resilience. Successful neo-endogenous revitalisation through socially engaged art, however, requires long-term co-creation between exogenous art development and endogenous community activities.
Trans in Arcadia: Transgender lives in the countryside and expanding Philo's ‘rural others’ beyond the cis
Abstract: This paper argues that Chris Philo's original 1992 call to recover the geographies of ‘rural others’, and the subsequent focus on marginalised lives that has emerged in rural studies in the three decades since, has yet to lead to a significant body of work on rural trans people. Whilst the straight white middle-aged male perspective dominating rural studies—Philo's ‘Mr Average’—has been interrogated on almost every other score, his likely cisgender identity has not. With the current prominence of the ‘gender-critical’ movement, and the recent decision by the UK government not to ban trans conversion therapy, transphobia in the UK is at fever pitch. Arguments against transgender rights typically claim that anti-trans beliefs are ‘common sense’ and held by most ‘average people’. UK polls indeed show that those most likely to be transphobic are male, over 50, and probably white—Philo's ‘Mr Average’ indeed. This suggests that transphobia is most rife in places where ‘Mr Average’ is concentrated, such as rural areas. So what happens when a trans person not only lives in the English countryside, but publicly transitions there? This paper tells the story of a woman named Valerie as seen through the eyes of the ‘Mr and Mrs Averages’ that otherwise populate her village community, using it both to critique the sweeping assumptions about ‘common sense’ that anti-trans activists rely on, and to demonstrate why rural studies, having explored marginalised lives for over 30 years, should now extend that curiosity and courtesy to trans people too.
Evaluating rural municipal climate change plans in ontario, Canada
Dave Guyadeen, Daniel HenstraAbstract: Climate change poses serious risks to rural communities which rely heavily on climate-sensitive resources. Rural communities are also significant contributors to GHG emissions given the prevalence of agriculture and related activities and are therefore expected to develop courses of action that tackle climate change. This includes either formulating a standalone plan that outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies or integrating these priorities into existing plans. The extent to which municipalities fulfill these planning functions, and how well, has been found to vary considerably from one community to another. In this study, we sought to contribute to knowledge about how well rural municipalities are planning for climate change risks. To this end, we systematically evaluated the contents and quality of rural climate change plans in Ontario (Canada). Using a well-established plan quality evaluation framework, we found that rural plans generally contained strong mechanisms for coordination between departments, and most had outlined specific goals concerning climate change action. By contrast, few plans provided a meaningful fact base to support their goals, many lacked specific policies to guide decision-makers in achieving climate goals, and most contained weak provisions for monitoring and evaluation. After drawing out some key themes from the plan quality analysis, the article concludes by pointing to areas of rural climate change planning that require further attention, and by outlining some areas for further study.The role of social capital in adoption of risky versus less risky subsidized input supplies: An empirical study of cocoa farmers in Ghana
Diana Kos, Robert Lensink, Miranda MeuwissenAbstract: This study evaluates the effect of social capital on farmers’ adoption of subsidized seedlings and fertilizer for cocoa farmers in Ghana. We distinguish three types of social capital: network social capital, relationship social capital, and community social capital. Network social capital refers to the peer-to-peer information flow about product benefits reaching farmers, therefore closing the information asymmetry that prevents farmers from social learning about crop risk management through inputs adoption. Relationship social capital considers the role of social status in getting facilitated access to inputs through connections with extension officers who facilitate information dissemination about input benefits, and moreover potentially help bypass the government criteria in getting access to inputs themselves. Finally, community social capital concerns the community collective income, community size and reachability relative to the cooperative main office.
We find that network social capital has a significant effect on adoption of subsidized seedlings, to an extent where it allows farmers to bypass subsidy qualification criteria for access to seedlings imposed by the government. This applies even more so for group and village leaders. Subsidized fertilizer uptake, on the other hand, is less dependent on social capital. We argue that this difference results from the risk involved in adopting seedlings versus fertilizer. In the case of seedlings adoption, relying on information provided by the social network promotes sharing of benefits of hybrid varieties, and thus reduces the risk of its application. Adoption of fertilizer, on the other hand, is not correlated with social capital because fertilizer application is less risky to farmers. They can easily switch from using fertilizer to not using fertilizer. Access to both inputs is influenced by government inputs’ eligibility criteria, namely having mapped farm. However, we find that 15% and 29% of farmers respectively have access to seedlings and fertilizer, even though their farms are not mapped. Our findings suggest that for governments to stimulate uptake of substantive inputs, such as seedlings, subsidies should coincide with attention to social capital and fair distribution of inputs.
"We Could Be Much Further Ahead" -Multidimensional Drivers and Barriers for Agricultural Transition
Madita Olvermann, Johanna Hornung, Simone KauffeldAbstract: Agricultural transition toward sustainability is subject to individual and political constraints, spurring the need to understand system dynamics from both a psychological and a public policy angle; however, empirical data remains limited. The present paper empirically contributes to theoretical frameworks on sustainability transitions and analyzes multiple dimensions related to the success of agricultural transition. This investigation employed a multidisciplinary, multimethodological approach that combined two empirical studies. The first study focused on electrically driven field cultivation as one transition process to uncover potential drivers and barriers from an actor-centered perspective via semi-structured interviews with farmers and sectoral actors (N = 33). Next, study 2 validated and complemented the context conditions that emerged from the interviews as relevant to agricultural transitions through a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) that uncovered configurations leading to agricultural transition in 38 OECD countries. Results show that for an agricultural transition, it is necessary to have a successful research and innovation policy. Furthermore, the inclusion of a green party in government is sufficient for an agricultural transition, whereas all other cases of agricultural transition are explained through a combination of different policy, polity, and politics factors. The results provide vital theoretical and practical implications for interdisciplinary research on agricultural transition processes and highlight the importance of regulative policies and political investments.“Women and changing sociolegal landscapes in Rwandan mining formalization”
Abstract: Rwanda has closed artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in favor of larger corporate enterprises over the last decade. The government and companies argue that his increase in state legal regulation improves outcomes for the estimated 50,000 women near mining sites, including improved protection from discriminatory employment and gender-based violence. This study uses a framework of feminist critical legal pluralism (CLP) to explore how formalization impacts the sociolegal landscapes rural women navigate in extractive communities. Drawing directly from semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observations, and indirectly from social mapping workshops, the qualitative data from six mine sites were analyzed in NVivo using content analysis. The results demonstrate how formalization changes the justice pathways for women to remedy their mining-related grievances. The key findings indicate that women perceive mining companies not to be regulated by law but to be creators of law and conflict resolution networks, with companies termed here as “legal architects” and “legal managers.” Thus, formalization has not necessarily given women better justice access for mining-related conflicts. Instead, it has altered their challenges from localized stigma and traditional norms with local leaders to unclear conduits vis-a-vis formal mining management. Considering the historical, geographical, and economic dynamics of this sociolegal change, this article contributes to the growing scholarship on the connections between natural resource economies and localized traditional authorities in post-colonies. It calls attention to the dynamic and delicate everyday legalities that determine behaviors and power dynamics in extractive spaces. It argues that such sociolegal realities must be mainstreamed in formalization policy and implementation to better account for rural women.Health services and eHealth from the perspective of older rural residents of Finnish Lapland
Päivi Rasi-Heikkinen, Ella AirolaAbstract: This study explored from a life course perspective what kind of relationship older people taking part in the study had toward health services and eHealth. The study sought to answer the following questions: What kind of challenges, positive experiences, and expectations are related to health care in a remote area, according to the respondents? How do the respondents presently conceive and use eHealth? What kind of memories of past life and health services do the respondents report, and how do these express their distinct identities, history, and culture? The research data consisted of written accounts by older residents of Finnish Lapland. Nearly all the respondents reported challenges related to the availability, quality and costs of health services, although they balanced their accounts with positive experiences of well-functioning health services. The respondents' outlooks on eHealth and health services were diverse and built on their temporal self. In terms of the respondents' use of eHealth, only a few of the respondents reported that they presently used eHealth services. Finally, respondents’ memories of past life experiences and health services expressed their distinct identities and culture, as the cultural values of resilience and self-reliance were interpreted from the data.
Assessing the effect of soil testing on chemical fertilizer use intensity: An empirical analysis of phosphorus fertilizer demand by Irish dairy farmers
Evgenia Micha, Andreas Tsakiridis, Athanasios Ragkos, Cathal BuckleyAbstract: Phosphorus (P) is considered the second most important nutrient for grass growth following nitrogen (N) and it is applied on grasslands mainly through chemical fertilizers. Irrational use of chemical fertilizers, however, lead to severe and often irreversible environmental degradation, which has, consecutively, an impact on the overall sustainability of the world. Farmers are responsible for the amount of P fertilization on their farm, and despite the efforts to design policies to assist them with precise chemical fertilizer use, chemical P use is still high, particularly on pasture fields where grass needs to be constantly maintained. . In Ireland, where agriculture is majorly pasture based, soil testing is highly recommended, as part of the Irish rural development plans, in order to encourage efficient nutrient management. This study uses an econometric model on data from the Irish national farm survey to examine the examines the relation between soil testing and chemical P fertilization in Irish pasture based farm systems. Results indicate the soil-testing leads to the use lower amounts of chemical fertilizers, which is also correlated with landscape characteristics and farm intensity, indicating the need for targeted management approaches to farm level management decision making.Attachment to land and its downfalls: Can policy encourage land mobility?
Tracy Bradfield, Robert Butler, Emma J. Dillon, Thia Hennessy, Jason LoughreyAbstract: Sentimental ties to land in Ireland result in less than 1 percent of agricultural land being sold each year and land rental is among the lowest of countries in the European Union. The findings highlight that longer leases are associated with large farms and those with a high percentage of land rented in, but revised policies are required to encourage more landowners to rent out their land. Improved land mobility can reduce issues such as barriers to entry for farmers, the economic vulnerability of farms, low farm succession rates, low pensions and an ageing farmer population. The history of land in Ireland and the non-pecuniary benefits of farming are also discussed.‘Getting along’ or ‘getting ahead’? How urban-to-rural newcomers employed at Danfoss in south Denmark build bridging, bonding and linking social capital
Mickala Erlandsen, Gunnar Lind Haase SvendsenAbstract: The ability to attract skilful workers to a rural area is of fundamental importance for achieving local economic growth (e.g., Aure et al., 2018). However, firms in rural areas often experience difficulties with both recruiting workers and integrating them, to ensure that they will stay long-term (e.g., Gieling et al., 2017). The specific role of a major firm in a rural area for attracting and integrating newcomers is however understudied. This is unfortunate, as such firms appear crucial for local demographic and economic growth. We contribute to fill this gap by exploring how newcomers employed at the Northern Als headquarter of Danfoss – a company with 40,000 employees worldwide that produces thermostatic and refrigeration units – are integrated in various local, family/friendship and firm-related social networks. Based on 10 semi-structured interviews, observations and 35 informal conversations, we investigate how these Danfoss newcomers build bridging, bonding and linking types of social capital (Putnam, 2000). We found two newcomer ideal types. The Bridging Newcomer was most successfully integrated in local communities. The Bonding Newcomer either participated in firm-related networks or sought company with family and close friends outside Northern Als.An urban-rural divide (or not?): Small firm location and the use of digital technologies
Abstract: Regarding the spatial impact of digitalization, the concern is often expressed that rural areas and the companies located there are disadvantaged by a digital divide compared to urban regions. Against this background, this paper explores the role of the urban/rural location of a small firm in the use of digital communication and information technologies (ICT). With the help of a cluster analysis approach, different modes of digitalization in the German small enterprise sector are identified. According to this, four groups of small firms can be distinguished in accordance to the maturity level concept of digital transformation: non-digital firms, digital beginners, platform-oriented firms and digital manufacturers. From a spatial perspective, it can be seen that the members of the platform-oriented group are relatively often located in urban regions, whereas the digital manufacturers are relatively often found in rural areas. These findings are interpreted as an indication that small firms at least partially consciously assign themselves to one of these digitalization modes, depending on which business model is most effective in the respective (urban or rural) business environment. By contrast, whether a small firm has not yet done anything in terms of digitalization or is only at the beginning of the digital transformation process does not significantly depend on the location of the company. The paper concludes with implications for policy and research.The fences of Chuschi: The impacts of land enclosure on an Andean indigenous community
Karen Bell, Rossi Taboada Hermoza, Chad Staddon, Bram Willems, ... Lisbeth Pariona FloresAbstract: In this study of the Andean town of Chuschi and its surrounding district of the same name, we consider the impacts of the proliferation of fencing on once open land. The paper contributes to a growing body of literature on the practice and impact of land fragmentation through fencing around the world, with positive and negative impacts having been noted. The analysis is based on 23 semi-structured interviews with community members and community leaders of Chuschi and the surrounding towns of Yanaccocha, Huaracco, Chaquiccocha, Pucruhuasi, Wacraccocha, Lerqona and Yupana. Some of the interviewees considered the fencing off of parcels of the communal land to be beneficial for land management, while others felt the practice was not ecologically or socially beneficial overall and created tensions in the community. In particular, some interviewees noted resentment towards those perceived to be ‘ambitious’ in terms of acquiring exclusive use of additional land. In conclusion, it appears that fencing, as practiced in Chuschi, may be a calculated approach to land management that some perceive to have overall collective benefits but, if not well governed, it also has the potential to be invasive and disruptive for communal Andean life. The paper addresses a gap in the literature on the motivations for, and impacts of, fencing in rural communities in Peru and contributes to wider debates on the social justice implications of enclosures.Where do we meet? Exploring how facilities and meeting places in rural areas contribute to quality of life
Evald Bundgaard Iversen, Michael Fehsenfeld, Bjarne IbsenAbstract: As a result of structural and demographic changes in rural areas, fewer facilities and meeting places exist in Denmark. In this article, we assess which role facilities and meeting places in rural areas might have for the self-assessed Quality of Life (QoL) of the individuals living in the rural areas. Based on 27 semi-structured qualitative interviews with persons from three different rural areas in Denmark, we show how facilities and meeting places in rural areas play a role in relation to self-assessed QoL via two different types of mechanism: 1) through providing a framework for activities and 2) through the symbolic role facilities and meeting places might have to indicate that one is part of a thriving village. We argue that it is important to acknowledge both mechanisms when assessing the role of facilities and meeting places for QoL in rural areas. The findings in this study focus on the users of the local facilities. Further qualitative research could explore which role the presence of facilities and meeting places might play for the inhabitants who do not use the local facilities and meeting places to the same extent as the interview persons in this study.One size does not fit all: The plurality of knowledge sources for transition to sustainable farming
Abstract: Sustainable farming encompasses diverse practices that draw on various knowledge stocks. This knowledge must be adapted to suit the farmers’ crops, the local environment and the farming system. To achieve this requires farmers to build on their knowledge and invest in acquiring knowledge from external sources. It should not be assumed that different farmers cultivating different crops adopt the same knowledge sourcing strategies. Therefore, the present paper conducts a crop level analysis to study the relationship between knowledge sourcing and innovation in sustainable farming practices, for different crop categories. We exploit a French Ministry of Agriculture cross-sectional dataset on farming practices in 2017 and run a multivariate probit regression and equality of means test. The results reveal that the importance of different knowledge sources is ranked differently by different growers cultivating different crops and adopting different practices. The findings show, also, that farmers use the same knowledge sources with the same intensity to diversify their crop types. These results have two implications. First, since knowledge is a primary driver of innovation, farmers must capitalise on their knowledge. Second, policies must be flexible and co-designed with farmers in order to support them and respond to their needs. In formulating policy, an account should be taken of differences in the knowledge sourcing strategies related to different crops to ensure a quick transition to sustainable farming.Rural creativity for community revitalization in Bishan Village, China: The nexus of creative practices, cultural revival, and social resilience
Abstract: This paper reports a case study of the community revitalization initiative in Bishan Village, Anhui Province, China, which is art-oriented and overseen by the renowned art curator Ou Ning and his colleagues. The Bishan Project, launched in 2011, is analysed as an attempt to revive the countryside through cultural and creative innovations. This responds to the recent emphasis in rural studies on arts and creativities as effective interventions into rural revival and development. To comprehend the vibrant, resilient, and innovative ruralities that are proliferating around the world, the post-productivism thesis casts important light on the revival and revalorization of rural places by way of the diversification of rural livelihoods and economies. However, the focus on cultural consumption by urban consumers cannot account for the varied constellations of economic, social, and cultural innovations that contribute to the swift reinvention of rurality. Engaging instead with the literature on rural creativity, which examines the crucial role of creative practices in restoring rural subjectivities and remedying the social fabrics in rural regions, this study suggests that creative initiatives intervene in and catalyst the restoration of local cultures and social relations, and contribute to an evolutionary resilience that is nonetheless contested and indeterminate, revolving around tensions between the cultural authority of artists and villagers’ uneven participation; and between local villagers’ aspiration for economic development and artists’ reluctance to capitalize on rural creativities.Alternatives to sustainable seafood certifications: Transitions of small-scale fisheries governance in northeastern Japan
Alayna Ynacay-Nye, Shuji Hisano, Anom Sigit SuryawanAbstract: Landscape pressures in fisheries governance systems ranging from the impacts of climate change to the detrimental impacts of overfishing are beginning to pressure regime actors to act. One way regime actors have responded to fisheries issues is through the promotion of sustainable seafood certification. In this paper, we utilize the Pathway for Transitions (Geels and Schot, 2007) as a theoretical lens to examine how the sustainable seafood certification innovation represents a transformation pathway through regime actors' power. In addition, we bring light to alternative niche groups which base their governance strategies on local ecological knowledge and work to be inclusive of small-scale fishers. In many traditional fishing communities in Japan, local knowledge structures regarding social-ecological systems are crucial for sustainable governance. While some studies have been done on sustainable seafood certification, how they impact local knowledge structures has yet to be fully examined. We found, despite local knowledge structures theoretically acknowledged, powerful political-economic actors do not draw from them, but instead push for sustainable seafood certification as a way to cope with external shocks. Our research illuminates three groups which highlight important aspects of sustainable governance at the niche level, demonstrating the need to incorporate power dynamics as a factor in sustainability transitions. They include; 1) a NGO actively governing through local knowledge, 2) inclusive governance activities, and, 3) a platform for small-scale fishers’ agency. If regime-level innovations, such as sustainable seafood certification, continue to determine how sustainability should be practiced, local knowledge structures will be lost to standardization. We contend that by acknowledging and utilizing local knowledge from local actors, it could contribute to a more just form of governance through equitable participation of small-scale fishers and their local ecological knowledge validated.Out of balance? Understanding resident-municipality relations in rural peripheries through ascriptions of responsibility
Susann Bischof, Anja DeckerAbstract: Rural governance increasingly involves a broad range of political agents – but whom do rural dwellers consider responsible for creating and maintaining local opportunity structures? Focusing on the issue of places to socialise, our paper investigates resident-municipality relations in peripheralised rural regions of Czechia and eastern Germany. We draw from problem-centred resident interviews using an actor-centred, multimodal concept of responsibility. Analysing residents’ ideals of active citizenship, mutuality, and municipal care, we find that despite the considerable differences in the ways rural dwellers conceptualise the relationship between the municipality and its residents, the provision of local opportunities to socialise represents a realm in which they perceive the local state as both powerful and responsible for taking action. We conclude that a multimodal understanding of responsibility can provide insights into the normative conditions on which local attributions of responsibility are based. We further argue that research on rural facilities should take into account the symbolic and political meaning that third places have for rural residents.The transformative potential of Seed Commons: Applying the social-ecological transformation framework to agri-food systems
Julia Tschersich, Stefanie Sievers-Glotzbach, Nina Gmeiner, Lea KliemAbstract: In this paper, we argue that small initiatives can contribute to larger transformations if they challenge and unmake incumbent unsustainable paradigms, and we demonstrate how the application of the social-ecological transformation framework helps to operationalize the analysis of paradigm shifts across different levels of transformation. Empirically, we assess the contribution of Seed Commons initiatives to agri-food systems transformations, taking the case of the organic breeding association Kultursaat e.V. At the macro level, the analysis reveals that the paradigms of ‘materialistic culture and growth’, ‘control and autonomy of humans over nature’ and ‘expert knowledge and specialization’ are deeply embedded in the dominant agri-food system. Kultursaat challenges them by promoting alternative narratives such as agroecology, food sovereignty, farmers' rights and resilience. At the micro and meso level, we apply a set of evaluation principles that reveal the transformative character and partial transformative impact of Seed Commons. Applying the framework to agri-food systems can bring an enhanced theoretical understanding of dynamics of change into the agri-food transformation discourse, link small-scale initiatives to wider processes of transformation, and provide a systematic research approach to enhance comparability across case studies. The framework is well suited to bring together even evolving transformation literatures.
Understanding the socio-cultural resilience of rural areas through the intergenerational relationship in transitional China: Case studies from Guangdong
Abstract: While rural resilience is considered valuable in global sustainable development and is gaining increasing attention, socio-cultural resilience in rural contexts has attracted limited scholarly attention. Intergenerational relationship as a crucial indicator of socio-cultural resilience and transformation in rural areas, is under-studied. Drawing on a qualitatively based and multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in two villages in Guangdong, China, this article interrogates how rural residents understand and practice intergenerational relationship, further observing rural resilience from the socio-cultural perspective. The findings revealed the following: 1) changes in intergenerational relations in rural China are neither simple nor linear, but rather highly diversified and contextualized; 2) the status of intergenerational relationships in the villages is highly related to a series of external factors, including demographical features, economic condition and geographical location, etc.; 3) intergenerational relationships and the way rural families operate, interact, and are defined are closely related. Changes in intergenerational relationships not only reveal important shifts in the social and cultural makeup of rural communities, but they also serve as a significant indicator of the resiliency of both rural communities and families. This article, through those results, echoes the rising diversity of contemporary rural family life in China, arguing that intergenerational relationship provides a nuanced, humane perspective to probe social and cultural changes and rural-urban relations in rapidly urbanizing societies. We call for collaborative action to cultivate the positive intergenerational relationships, enhance the rural resilience from socio-cultural perspective, further contribute to the revive of countryside.“A lender should not know where you live”: Financial precarity, debt, and everyday life in rural Malawi and Tanzania
Nathanael Ojong, Annelise Gill-WiehlAbstract: This paper examines the loan sources used by rural solar home system adopters to meet their everyday needs, as well as the motivations for using these sources. The findings show that people in rural areas take into account social and economic factors when making a decision regarding where to seek a loan. People borrowed money from individuals with whom they had strong ties, which could be parents, siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, friends, or neighbours, and there was heterogeneity regarding where people situate family members along the weak/strong tie continuum. The results show that people preferred borrowing money from individuals with whom they had relationships based on the principle of reciprocity, suggesting their preference to avoid dependency in favour of equality. The findings also show that spatial and social proximity are intimately interconnected, and that both play an important role in determining where people turn to when in need of a loan. In several cases, the provision of a loan was based on a combination of both dimensions of proximity. Our findings have implications for energy policies that increasingly require households to bear the financial demands of access to basic energy services.Community assets and relative rurality index: A multi-dimensional measure of rurality
Katherine S. Nelson, Tuan D. NguyenAbstract: Rurality is often viewed as presenting challenges to community sustainability, well-being, and equity. To address the unique challenges of rural areas, policies and practices have been designed specifically for application in places designated as “rural”. Yet what is “rural”? Some recent measures of rurality have gone beyond a dichotomous rural-urban divide conceptualization of rural communities. However, most measures still emphasize proximity to metropolitan areas and population density as the primary components of rurality. Few studies consider the critical role that services and amenities play in the life of a community. We suggest a new measure based on the concept of sustainable development that integrates measures of environmental, social, and economic resources. We present the Community Assets and Relative Rurality index for census block-groups in the coterminous United States and illustrate how this measure is consistent with existing measures of rurality yet offers additional insight into issues of sustainable rural development.Benchmarking the vitality of shrinking rural regions in Finland
Teemu Makkonen, Tommi InkinenAbstract: Depopulation, commonly labelled as shrinkage, of rural areas can lead to a self-reinforcing vicious cycle of decreased regional vitality. However, some regions have been able to adapt to shrinkage and maintain their vitality despite the population loss. Thus, they have been able to “shrink smart”. While there is a growing interest in this topic and particularly in the policies facilitating adaptation to depopulation, there is no commonly agreed measure to depict smart shrinkage. This paper aims at devising novel metrics for benchmarking the (full) development potential of depopulating rural areas as a way forward in the study of smart shrinkage. The proposed metrics, tested with data from Finnish municipalities, provides a good overview of which regions are doing well in terms of their economy and community vitality despite shrinkage, and helps in the selection of interesting case regions for further in-depth analysis.
Did the pandemic bring new features to counter-urbanisation? Evidence from Estonia
Tiit Tammaru, Jaak Kliimask, Kadi Kalm, Jānis ZālīteAbstract: This paper aims to shed new light on changes in counter-urbanisation over the past three decades. A specific focus will be placed on new features of domestic migration to non-metropolitan rural areas which have become apparent during the global coronavirus pandemic. We focus on the intensity, origins, and destinations of counter-urban moves, and on the individual characteristics of counter-urban movers. Based on a case study of Estonia, our main findings show, firstly, that urbanisation has been the predominant migration trend across the past thirty years, with the main destination of domestic migrants being the capital city and its urban region. Secondly, we find that counter-urban moves have gained importance over time and especially during the periods of economic bust. The most important new features of counter-urbanisation during the pandemic relate to the increased migration of families with children and people who have high-income occupations to non-metropolitan rural areas. These new features of domestic migration could serve to slow down or even reverse the long-term problem of population aging in the countryside and the loss of educated people there.Economically underdeveloped rural regions in Southern Moravia and possible strategies for their future development
Antonín Vaishar, Milada ŠťastnáAbstract: The Regional Development Strategy of the Czech Republic 2021+ set aside economically and socially endangered rural regions. This paper aims to analyse the situation of these regions in the South Moravian Region in more detail to specify individual threats and possible approaches to rural development. In addition, the paper seeks to determine whether these regions are significantly differentiated internally, allowing the neediest areas to be focused on for growth. The research used geographical analysis and synthesis methods to identify the two most peripheral microregions as the most endangered. Their most significant strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were summarised, and possible strategies for further development were indicated. Although the conditions and development assumptions in the two microregions were different, the significance of tourism development was indicated as the most important direction in one case and as a second direction in the other.“A heart attack away from boarding up Main Street”: How neoliberalization of farming shapes adaptive capacity to climate change in rural and small-town Saskatchewan, Canada
Holly K. Campbell-Gale, Amber J. Fletcher, Maureen G. ReedAbstract: Research shows that climate change vulnerability is constituted not only by exposure to adverse climate conditions, but also by social and economic factors. Even for areas that currently have limited exposure, social and economic structures have a role in shaping adaptive capacity. Focusing on two rural municipalities in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, this study explores how social and economic trends, identified as the neoliberalization of farming, have affected adaptive capacity to climate change in one of Canada's primary agricultural regions. Using interview data and participant observation, this study explores farm consolidation, patterns of consequent depopulation and weakened infrastructure, and how these realities operate in conjunction with disaster exposure to create conditions of reduced adaptive capacity, ultimately increasing vulnerability for small prairie communities. This research makes a contribution toward linking climate change adaptive capacity to broader patterns of neoliberalization in agriculture using empirical qualitative data.Towards a sustainable artisanal gold mining sector in South Africa: Proposed developmental initiatives
Abstract: South Africa's Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) of 2002 addresses the socio-economic injustices of the post-Apartheid (after 1994) era. Additionally, the Act stipulates that a mining permit or licence is required to mine lawfully. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities that occur without a mining permit, therefore, are illegal and criminalised. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in South Africa recently released the draft Artisanal and Small-Scale mining policy for implementation in March 2022. The announcement of this policy is the first step in formalising the artisanal mining sector in South Africa. Yet, formalisation strategies often fail in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of Africa. Consequently, the artisanal mining sector continues to operate informally or, in many cases, in an illegal setting. This paper argues that efforts should be directed toward addressing the sector's challenges, and the formalisation process ought to be viewed as an ongoing process. This article outlines developmental initiatives that industry players can apply to support the sector's challenges as part of a formalisation strategy. Ultimately, this will create opportunities where historically disadvantaged people can benefit from South Africa's mineral resources.
Gendered mining landscapes and health implications in Ghana's artisanal and small-scale gold mining industry
Janet Adomako, Heidi HausermannAbstract: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has expanded rapidly in recent decades, with scholars suggesting increasing feminization of the industry. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Ghana, we examine gendered dimensions of mining, from state officials' claims that mining is “men's work,” to on-site gendered divisions of labor. We then show how gendered extractive practices combine with the material environment (pits, dust, tunnels, etc.) to expose men and women to different health issues. For instance, pit collapse and related injuries and deaths are predominant among men working in underground spaces. By contrast, women 'shankers' are most vulnerable to dust inhalation and related respiratory diseases. We draw from feminist geography to demonstrate that ASGM-related health conditions are unevenly experienced and shaped by gendered divisions of labor and mining materialities.Starting the conversation for a town centre management framework for small towns in rural places: An Irish context
David Jordan, Angela WrightAbstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the current Town Centre Management [TCM] practices within Ireland's rural towns since the abolition of Town Councils in 2014. This new study finds that Ireland's approach to TCM is much more complicated and multifarious with varying practices across the samples. The findings highlight a fractured TCM partnership between the public sector (Local Government), and opposing sectors, (Retailers, Volunteering Groups, Citizens, and Business Owners). Adding to the knowledge on TCM schemes in Ireland, this paper finds that despite respected recommendations from semi-state bodies to drive town centre management by local ‘dynamic leaders’, no model has been developed to attract, support, and retain such a person. This post-positivistic study with a descriptive qualitative design was drawn from a series of in-depth interviews with significant key stakeholders, across a stratified sample of rural towns, that have experience in TCM practices. The results which emerge facilitate a theoretical management framework as a guide for town centre stakeholders to analyse the unique elements of their situation and implement a strategy towards a TCM scheme. This research demonstrates that TCM with the right structure and support from local government is a viable solution to rejuvenating towns in rural Ireland.Youth in livestock and the power of education: The case of “Heirs of Tradition” from Colombia, 2012–2020
Triana Ángel Natalia, Burkart StefanAbstract: Low schooling rates among livestock producing families are found to be key in preventing an effective generational transfer and gender and social equality in Colombia. Simultaneously, this low literacy rate is now understood as a critical factor hindering the sector's productivity and sustainability. While academic approximations to Colombian rurality have considered the importance of education as a means to integrate national peasantry, coverage still falls short. In this study we approach such subjects through the examination of the case study Heirs of Tradition, an initiative carried out by Alquería, a major dairy company. Our objectives are to assess the impact achieved in terms of generational transfer and gender equity in a modernizing dairy sector, right in the midst of armed confrontation. We based our analysis on in-depth interviews and the review of primary and secondary sources. Findings suggest that, first, cooperation between actors is crucial to address generational transfer and second, education and technical support can both transform the low schooling rates amongst rural producers and contribute to closing the gender gap that persists in the sector. We also highlight the achievements and lessons learned, underscoring the issues that could be better addressed and overall emphasizing how the continuity of such ventures favors knowledge transfer and empowers communities.A formative assessment of vulnerability and implications for enhancing livelihood sustainability in Indigenous communities in the Andes of Ecuador
Ivy Blackmore, Lora Iannotti, Claudia Rivera, William F. Waters, Carolyn LesorogolAbstract: Through the creation of a livelihood asset index, this study investigates the degree of livelihood vulnerability among indigenous farming households in the rural parish of Guangaje, Ecuador. The use of an asset index enables the estimation and description of the different areas of vulnerability in three communities across livelihood asset types. A unique feature of this article is that it provides a case study of how asset indexes can be used as part of a formative assessment, prior to intervention design, to understand local context. We find low levels of livelihood assets in Guangaje, especially in the categories of human, physical, and financial capital. There is significant variability among the communities linked to differences in access to clean reliable sources of water, the presence of governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), access to credit, and amount of productive capital. The community with the highest composite asset score also had the highest level of social capital, suggesting an important role for social capital in asset creation. Improving social and financial capital, especially access to credit, and increasing human capital through improved educational attainment could be effective approaches for decreasing vulnerability and improving livelihood outcomes in the three study communities and similar indigenous subsistence farming communities across the world.A collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to knowledge-based rural development: 25 years of the PSDR program in France
André Torre, Frédéric Wallet, Jiao HuangAbstract: The uneven rural development and the investigation of the place of rural areas in the modern knowledge-based economy raise an important question. How can we foster knowledge emergence and dissemination in peripheral areas that are often considered less innovative due to their remoteness and weak technological creativity? This paper aims to present the contributions of the French PSDR program to rural knowledge creation and dissemination in France based on a comprehensive and synthetic analysis of its participatory research projects. We identify five key components of the knowledge-related PSDR approaches which have significantly contributed to rural innovation in France linked to (1) the governance of agricultural lands, (2) the territorial attractiveness and well-being, (3) the agroecological transition in the territories, (4) the territorialized food systems, as well as (5) the bioeconomy and circular economy. We emphasize the need to combine technological, organizational, and territorial innovation and involve local partners in the design and elaboration of research programs. Rural areas can thus produce new knowledge beneficial to local communities and transferable to other sectors or territories. Finally, we suggest a comprehensive territorial vision for knowledge-based rural development and discuss the importance of a national multidisciplinary and participatory research program.
Assessing the economics and finances of Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Guyana
Timothy Laing, René Edwards, Shereeda Yusuf, Colin SparmanAbstract: Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a vital source of non-farm rural income across much of the Global South, and a key provider of jobs and livelihoods in South America, Africa and Asia. Despite this importance, however, there is very little research into the economics and finances of these small (and often medium-sized) operations. This paper summarises the result of a survey of ASM gold miners in Guyana in late 2020 that delved into the costs, revenues, financing and profitability of a range of small and medium-size miners in the country, for which the industry is a vital source of foreign exchange, economic growth and employment. The results from the survey highlight a potentially lucrative sector with some operators making large profits. However average figures mask a long-tailed distribution with many miners operating at the margins of profitability or a loss. These challenges are amplified by the large capital costs associated with operating in the sector, which are compounded by the difficulties miners face accessing capital markets. Beyond the headline figures, the survey highlights the potential attractiveness of the sector in terms of wages, and also the very small share of costs relating to the use of mercury – highlighting the challenge of utilising economic policy to reduce and eliminate the use of the chemical. The results demonstrate the need to collect more economic and financial data on the sector in order to best understand how to drive change in the sector, helping to mitigate its negative social and environmental impacts, whilst maximising the economic benefits it can bring.Diné-centered research reframes the Gold King Mine Spill: Understanding social and spiritual impacts across space and time
Rebecca J. Clausen, Carmenlita Chief, Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone, Manley A. Begay, ... Karletta ChiefAbstract: This paper explores how Indigenous-led research reframes the impacts and response to environmental disasters in the context of acid mine spills in rural communities of the Southwest United States. The collaborative research project addressing the Gold King Mine Spill (GKMS) designed qualitative methodologies that center Indigenous worldviews and contribute to broader understandings of environmental justice. The research team, led by Diné scholars and community leaders, gathered qualitative responses from 123 adult participants in twelve focus groups from three rural communities on the Navajo Nation. The project incorporated fluent Diné speakers and cultural consultants to lead focus groups in a manner consistent with cultural worldviews. The analysis of the focus group data resulted in original findings that reframe previous understandings of environmental harm by broadening the boundaries to include: 1) social relations across time; 2) social relations across space; 3) spiritual relations; and 4) restoring balance. The findings allow for greater insight into the colonial context of disaster on rural and Indigenous lands and confronts colonial-rooted disasters through Indigenous-informed political action.‘Love knows no (spatial) boundaries?‘: Investigating diversity in the residential location choices of rural-residing couples upon union formation
Sara Ferguson, Gemma CatneyAbstract: This paper focuses on the residential location choices made by rural-residing couples with diverse residential biographies at union formation. We explore how this decision-making process is navigated and negotiated as a newly formed household. The study is informed by prior research that has aided our understanding of the relational nature of moving and staying processes, and the integral role of life course transitions in shaping residential decisions. We use data from the wider STAYin(g)Rural project, including a large household survey and in-depth interviews with individuals living in rural Northern Ireland (specifically, the case study site of the Clogher Valley, County Tyrone) who have undergone union formation, and decided to either move to, or stay within, the area. We find that, despite considerable heterogeneity within and between couples in their residential biographies, several common, often inter-related, themes dominated their rural residential location choices. Underpinning much of the desire to live and stay in the rural was a strong sense of belonging and attachment to the area, with a complex interplay of economic, environmental, geographical, and social factors acting to enable staying. Clear generational differences in the decision-making process emphasise the importance of exploring distinctions between and across life course stages in studies that aim to understand the process of (rural) staying.Time and social space in South Australian rural health social work practice
Michelle Jones, Fiona Verity, Ellen HarveyAbstract: To gain a deeper understanding of rural health social workers' professional judgement and decision-making in the complex rural and regional environments within which they work. Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken with South Australian rural health social work leadership team members (n = 10), with focus groups (n = 14) before and after the interviews. Findings: Rural health social workers drew on both spatial and temporal understandings of their professional judgements and decision-making when explaining their rural health social work practice. Concepts of rural time, rural social space and acts of resistance were identified within the rich descriptions of professional judgement and decision-making in practice provided by the rural health social workers. ‘Rural time’ refers to the additional work that is done by rural health social workers across both their rural personal and professional social spaces. Conclusions: Institutional, systemic and spatial factors, constituted as they are of power dynamics, have implications for the skills needed to maintain a social justice practice. Clear-sighted analysis of these complexities, in the context of social power, can support this ongoing and longer-term project.Does small-scale irrigation provide a pathway to women's empowerment? Lessons from Northern Ghana
Elizabeth Bryan, Dawit MekonnenAbstract: Given persistent gender inequalities that influence how the benefits of technologies are distributed, the expansion of small-scale irrigation technologies requires the consideration of important gender dynamics and impacts. Women's lack of agency and access to resources relative to men, and other social constraints, often limit their ability to adopt and benefit from agricultural technologies. At the same time, expanding access to agricultural technology to women may provide a pathway for empowerment. This paper explores the potential for small-scale irrigation technologies to increase women's empowerment by evaluating the impacts of an intervention that distributed motor pumps to small groups of farmers in Northern Ghana. The paper draws on two rounds of survey data that included the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index, before and after the motor pump intervention was implemented. To control for possible selection bias at the baseline, the difference-in-difference method is used to estimate the impact of the program on indicators of women's empowerment. Spillover effects are estimated by comparing outcomes of farmers in treatment villages that did not receive the pumps with farmers in control villages, where no motor pumps were distributed. The results show no significant impact of the program on measures of women's empowerment. However, there are potential negative impacts, including among households that did not benefit from the intervention. The results highlight the need to pair interventions that distribute agricultural technologies with complementary investments in infrastructure that increase access to water for irrigation, as well as other activities and approaches that ensure women can reap the benefits.The actions of key agents in facilitating rural super-gentrification: Evidence from the English countryside
Danielle Sheppard, Simon PembertonAbstract: Whilst the process of gentrification in rural spaces is widely recognised, there has been less focus to date on the emergence of rural super-gentrification - defined as the displacement of the wealthy from rural communities by the super-wealthy. Of the limited work which has been conducted on super-gentrification, this has focused on the nature and outcomes of displacement taking place in different rural settings without considering the actions of key agents, such as planners and estate agents. Consequently, this paper explores the role of gentrifying agents - namely planners and estate agents - in shaping processes of rural super-gentrification in the English countryside. The paper highlights how restrictive planning regimes, including constraints on higher plot densities, contribute to ‘rural exclusivity’ and rural super-gentrification. Within such contexts, the promotional and steering strategies of estate agents - based upon incomers perceived economic and cultural capital - also facilitate rural super-gentrification. In such a way, the paper advances existing consumption-side theories of gentrification by highlighting desires by super-wealthy incomers for consuming rural village locations with local services, a slower pace of life and a ‘sense of community’. In addition, the importance of privacy and seclusion, urban proximity and connectivity and access to educational circuits by incomers also shape the promotional and steering strategies of estate agents. Consequently, the paper highlights how more localised ‘micro-geographies’ of rural super-gentrification are of relevance to rural areas in comparison to urban contexts, where super-gentrification is argued to be a neighbourhood-level phenomenon.Coal seam gas extraction and related landscape changes in the agricultural production area of Western Downs (Queensland, Australia)
Giorgia Bressan, Michel DeshaiesAbstract: In Australia, coal seam gas (CSG) could help to meet growing demands for cleaner alternatives to coal, thus making it important for the energy transition. By developing such an industry, not only does an energy resource become available, but large water volumes are also extracted, especially in the first stages of production. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts of a large-scale coal seam gas industry on the landscape. Specifically, the research intends to explore how coal seam gas has changed the landscape of the agricultural production area in Western Downs, Queensland. In this Australian State, the water associated with coal seam gas production is considered an asset and the legislation in force encourages beneficial use of such resources. Comparison of aerial pictures highlights how, in a short timeframe, the local rural landscape has changed considerably due the extensive development of unconventional gas resources. The coal seam gas industry has provided the host region with opportunities for local development, but the issue of the sustainability of these new mining and non-mining activities still needs to be properly addressed.Conditions facilitating aging in place in rural communities: The case of smart senior towns in Iowa
Ilona Matysiak, David J. PetersAbstract: The article explores why some small rural communities affected by population aging deal better with this challenge than others, by analyzing the data from the Iowa Small Towns Project (ISTP). The analysis is based on comparisons between ‘smart senior’ towns and ‘vulnerable senior’ towns. The former are defined as aged, but provide good quality senior services according to senior citizens, while the latter are also aged but senior services are rated much lower. Drawing from the aging in place and quality of life literatures, the analysis is focused on several domains, including local services, social capital, as well as opportunities for socializing, leisure, and community engagement. It also encompasses comparisons between two main age groups: residents aged 65+ and those under 65. The findings indicate that smart senior towns score higher on most indicators compared with vulnerable ones. However, the assessments of older residents are significantly more positive than those of younger cohorts.Analyzing social innovation as a process in rural areas: Key dimensions and success factors for the revival of the traditional charcoal burning in Slovenia
Todora Rogelja, Alice Ludvig, Gerhard Weiss, Jože Prah, ... Laura SeccoAbstract: In rural areas, the social innovation (SI) process emerges as a response to negative socioeconomic trends or gets triggered by open windows of opportunity, bringing solutions that revitalize the rural fabric through the voluntary involvement of the local community. As such, SI is increasingly recognized as a tool to support rural development and transformative change. Regardless of increased interest and research, there are still calls for empirical evidence on the SI process, its effects, and the success factors. Our study responds to this research gap by providing empirical evidence on the 20 years of the development of a remote rural area – Charcoal Land – that sparked the revival of traditional charcoal burning in Slovenia. To better understand how such processes roll out on the ground, we conducted the case study, using a combination of document reviews, key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews, and participatory observations. Using event sequence analysis, we mapped key events in the development of the Charcoal Land and distinguished five key dimensions (Context, Trigger, Agency, Phases, and Effects) based on a framework for analyzing SI as a process of SI. Then, we inductively recognized three key success factors that were crucial for the revival of traditional charcoal burning in Slovenia: the embeddedness of innovators in multiple networks, strategic use of narratives for obtaining resources, and legitimization by the local community and public actors. Our results indicate that the development of the Charcoal Land can be regarded as an SI process that sparked the reconfiguration of traditional charcoal burning and its revival in Slovenia. The voluntary engagement of various actors (e.g., charcoal burners, foresters, local authorities) led to the formation of evolving agencies with the capacity to repetitively rearrange around common projects and goals. Through diversification of activities, traditional charcoal burning started being performed small scale and for educational, touristic, culinary, cultural, and commercial purposes. Over the last 20 years, traditional charcoal burning scaled up and out of the local territory of the Charcoal Land to other geographical and policy levels. Due to three success factors, and through institutionalization, traditional charcoal burning became recognized as an intangible cultural practice, as well as monitored forestry and agricultural practices.Does labour migration necessarily promote farmers' land transfer-in?—Empirical evidence from China's rural panel data
Kai Huang, Sha Cao, Chen Qing, Dingde Xu, Shaoquan LiuAbstract: With rapidly advancing urbanization and agricultural modernisation in China, some of the rural labour force has transferred to urban non-agricultural sectors for employment, resulting in the transformation of rural land-use patterns. Based on data from the China Labour-Force Dynamics Surveys from 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, IV-Probit and IV-Tobit models were constructed to determine the impact of labour migration (off-farm employment and part-time employment) on land transfer-in (whether farmers opt for land transfer-in and the scale of land transfer-in). The results were as follows. (1) Off-farm employment had a significant negative impact on the occurrence and area of farmers' land transfer-in; the inhibitory effect of off-farm employment on whether farmers had land transfer-in and the area of land transfer-in by farmers generally increased. The impact of part-time employment on the occurrence and area of farmers' land transfer-in was negative but this effect was not significant in 2012 and 2014. (2) Mediation analyses showed that off-farm employment could suppress land transfer-in either by increasing per capita income or by improving employment stability; both of these were partial mediating effects. Part-time employment reduced the probability of farmers opting for land transfer-in by increasing per capita income and improving the stability of off-farm jobs but only in 2016 and 2018. (3) Heterogeneity analysis showed that the impacts of off-farm and part-time employment on farmers’ land transfer-in in suburbs were greater than for non-suburban farmers. Additionally, the inhibition effect of rural off-farm employment on land transfer-in in mountainous areas was greater than on the plains and in hilly areas.Rural co-working: New network spaces and new opportunities for a smart countryside
Gary Bosworth, Jason Whalley, Anita Fuzi, Ian Merrell, ... Emma RussellAbstract: Coworking has been a largely urban phenomenon although new initiatives are emerging in rural areas. Rural coworking is partly a response to the growing need for ICT, which is unevenly provided across rural areas, and partly to the social needs of freelancers and home-workers. By combining technological and social functions, coworking spaces can play key roles in the progress of a Smart Countryside, supporting digital, knowledge-based and creative entrepreneurs within rural places, thus reducing the need for extensive commuting and out-migration, particularly among younger and higher-skilled workers.
As working practices evolve in the aftermath of Covid-19, these new physical spaces are expected to facilitate new network connections. Castells’ Network Society provides a valuable lens through which to investigate how coworking founders and managers promote a mix of internal and external networks that might create new, and superior, entrepreneurial opportunities. The research highlights strategies to promote collaboration as well as methods of adapting to meet new demands from rural workers in a range of rural settings. As an array of different rural coworking models evolve, we also reflect on the importance of inclusivity and identity in determining their relationship with other actors in the local economy.
Second-home owners as local developers: Roles and influencing factors
Manu Rantanen, Adam CzarneckiAbstract: This study analysed the variety of pro-development roles of second-home owners in their host municipalities in Finland. The roles had not been identified previously, despite the policy expectations concerning the economic and social advantages of second-home owners for rural development. Moreover, this article examined how factors such as place attachment explained the roles. The data was collected from the postal survey (N = 2500). The roles and the place attachment constructs were defined by exploratory factor analysis (EFA), while the roles were explained by multivariate regression analysis (MRA). Five roles were identified: Potential Developer, Aware Consumer, Ordinary Member of association, Responsible Member of association, and Developer outside associations. The key components of second-home owners’ place attachment were identified as Community belonging, Rootedness, Place dependence, Family history at the second home, Rural leisure roots, Second-home community belonging and Economic embeddedness. Most roles were shaped to some extent by Community belonging, thus emphasising the co-operative nature of local development processes. The importance of Rootedness as well as of personal agency was proven. In addition, some features of the local context encouraged second-home owners to assume these roles.Improving the design of local short food supply chains: Farmers’ views in Wallonia, Belgium
Laura Enthoven, Miriam Skambracks, Goedele Van den BroeckAbstract: While consumers' preferences and willingness to pay for local food have been widely explored, farmers' choice of marketing channels in high-income countries has received far less attention. This study identifies important factors affecting fresh vegetable farmers’ decisions to participate in local short food supply chains in Wallonia, Belgium. We use quantitative data from a farmer survey comprising a discrete choice experiment complemented by qualitative data to conduct our research. We show that farmers are not eager to participate in newly established short food supply chains, especially if it involves selling large shares of their yield through these channels. Farmers are interested in internal certification systems with label, such as Participatory Guarantee Systems, and direct-to-consumer selling on-farm. Commitment from the buyer before planting is highly valued, even more than a high selling price. Preference heterogeneity is linked to farm size and current organic certification status. Our findings allow to evaluate the relevance and improve the design of local food initiatives, including newly established short food supply chains and certification systems.Place-based rural development: A role for complex adaptive region assemblages?
Abstract: Tackling spatial inequalities needs to make sure that it improves the lives of people in rural and peripheral regions. Whilst local metrics and key indicators may be improved by measures implemented, this does not always translate to local people ‘feeling’ that development has improved their lives. Using ethnographic fieldwork and embodied and conversational research techniques, this paper adds to the place-based, evolutionary economic geography and resilience literature to develop the concept of the complex adaptive region assemblage, which draws on Deleuzian-based theory. I question whether this might be a lens to explore and better understand the measures that can be put in place in order to address the gap between regional development programmes, and the experiences of members of the public. The starting point was to explore the positionality of local people, and the paper finds that in the case studies (Cornwall UK and Southwest Virginia USA), systems put in place to revitalise these areas could be more effective if they pay attention to connecting spaces between local residents, and how they navigate their localities.Change, connection and community: A qualitative exploration of farmers' mental health
Micaela L. Riethmuller, Peta L. Dzidic, Peter M. McEvoy, Elizabeth A. NewnhamAbstract: Western Australia is a geographically diverse area and major contributor to Australia's agricultural production, however the specific challenges and resources associated with farmers' mental health have not been examined. Farmers face significant challenges such as variability in weather, unpredictable commodity markets, and increasing isolation as rural community populations decline. This qualitative research study adopted a social constructionist epistemology to explore the main risk and protective factors for the mental health of farmers in Western Australia. Sixteen farmers (37% female; 28–64 years old, M = 41.75 years) and thirteen service providers (38% female, 27–64 years of age M = 47.23) participated in semi-structured interviews. Through inductive thematic analysis the findings suggest that the main risk factors contributing to poor mental health of farmers included rate of change, family business, declining communities, drinking culture and weather variability. Our findings indicate that communication and connection with others and taking time away from farming were important protective factors for farmers' mental health. However, different aspects of some factors comprised both mental health risks and protections. These findings highlight mental health as a significant concern in rural areas and that building community awareness and initiatives around mental health are vital to support farming communities.Marginalisation through the eyes of the othered: Young adults choosing to live in rural Northern Sweden
Abstract: Recent years have seen increasing debate and research into identity and belonging in rural areas. The northernmost region of Sweden, Norrland, has been identified as the rural internal other to the modern, progressive, youthful and urban Swedish state (Eriksson, 2008). Young adults are underrepresented in and often expected to leave small municipalities, but an increasing body of international research focuses on rural stayers. This study aims to investigate how young adults choosing to live in rural Northern Sweden negotiate their identity in relation to representations and Othering of Norrland and the rural. The research is based on eleven semi-structured interviews with people between 19 and 25 years old living in the counties of Norrbotten, Västerbotten and Västernorrland. The findings show that young adults are aware of prejudice and negative representations surrounding their localities. These representations are approached in different ways, either seen as true, upsetting or irrelevant. The concept of Norrland was often understood as oppressive, prejudiced or one-dimensional when used by people who do not live there. Participants perceive that they and their places do not matter to authorities at any political level and worry about losing access to public services. As an effect of stigmatisation and generalisation of rural Norrland, injustice was seen as natural and difficult to complain about. These findings are important as they give voice to people who are often made invisible and because it shows alternative reactions to rural marginalisation than radicalisation.Social acceptance of dual land use approaches: Stakeholders' perceptions of the drivers and barriers confronting agrivoltaics diffusion
Gabriele Torma, Jessica Aschemann-WitzelAbstract: Agrivoltaics is a dual land-use approach, combining food and energy production. It is a yet underexplored innovation with high potential to address land-use conflicts. Understanding the basis on which stakeholders judge and decide on such innovations is crucial to understanding perception and adoption, especially when the potential value of an innovation is not solely on an individual level but also on a societal level. Therefore, we combine two theoretical lenses, the innovation diffusion theory for an individual and the social acceptance perspective for a societal lens. Through 27 semi-structured stakeholder interviews, we explore perceptions of agrivoltaics by different stakeholder types in three countries (Germany, Belgium, and Denmark) and different agrivoltaics system designs (vertical, horizontal, and as replacement of cover installations). We categorize our emerging themes into drivers and barriers of agrivoltaic diffusion in five subdimensions based on the known characteristics of innovation diffusion (Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Trialability, and Communicability) and find social acceptance is the overarching dimension that embraces the five subdimensions by either strengthening or weakening acceptance on the micro, meso or macro level. Based on this categorization, we develop a conceptual model to highlight the need to address perceived drivers of, and barriers to, innovation adoption on different social acceptance levels. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of which perceptions play an essential role to whom. First, such a more holistic perspective can support policymakers' decisions on how to boost agrivoltaics as a potentially valuable innovation. Second, it can help researchers decide what to focus on when designing pilot studies, and third, it can support product and project developers decide on how to design agrivoltaic projects with better acceptance rates from all the involved stakeholder groups.相关阅读:
Journal of Rural Studies 2022年第96卷目录及摘要
Journal of Rural Studies 2022年第95卷目录及摘要
《农村金融研究》2023年第1期目录及内容摘要【转】
《农村经济》2022年第12期目录及摘要
《南京农业大学学报（社会科学版）》2023年第1期目录及摘要
编辑：秦运兰
审核：龙文进