Journal of Rural Studies最新文献

In the era of Agriculture 4.0, agricultural cooperatives are struggling to understand the challenges and threats the digital platforms of large agribusiness corporations represent for the competitiveness of cooperative systems. An opportunity in this context is for agricultural cooperatives to enter the platform economy and collaboratively develop their digital platform. This study aims to analyze the process of creating a digital platform through the collaboration of agribusiness cooperatives. The action research method, which involved four interconnected cycles, was followed. The first cycle aimed to generate strategic alignment among thirty cooperatives to promote digital innovation. The second cycle referred to conceptualizing and establishing the project's governance structure and developing three minimum viable products. The third cycle involved the construction of the digital platform. The fourth and final cycle focused on instantiating the platform through diffusion and utilization by the cooperatives. A digital platform was developed, considering the potential for building relationships and adopting cooperative concepts. The platform gives participants access to a digital business ecosystem and direct access to the community of users, the infrastructure and the data. This means the cooperatives can manage them without subordination to large multinational companies that may threaten their long-term survival. The study contributes to theory by proposing a systematic method to create digital platforms following a cooperative approach. It also contributes to the managerial practice by revealing the steps and challenges managers may face when implementing digital platforms in the context of cooperatives. The platform attracted over 13,000 active users in three years and represented more than 1,700,000 ha of land for food production in Brazil.

This paper identifies and examines pathways in which online mental health forums assist in building personal resilience and address the mental ill-health of rural residents. We use a resilience theory to develop a Theoretical Resilience Framework and apply it to empirical qualitative data deriving from three of Australia's online mental health forums as well as interviews with forum users. Using thematic analysis and an abductive approach to generating new knowledge, we develop a logic model illustrating links between factors influencing personal resilience, factors acting upon resilience, and intermediate and long-term outcomes that online mental health forums have on their users. Our study demonstrates that online forums can provide ongoing and timely services to those in need, and they support the adaptive capacity of individuals to cope with stressors and a variety of challenges they face. Embedded in a rural setting, the paper adds understanding to the role of technology and online forums in addressing geographical isolation. Ultimately, our work helps to develop new sources of knowledge about rural resilience and supporting mental health service provision in rural places.

Agricultural policies in OECD countries, which had treated farming as an exceptional sector that needs and deserves extensive state support, have been partially transformed by liberal and multi-functionalist influences since the mid-1980s. The ensuing post-exceptionalist policy arrangements entail significant tensions between old and new ideas, institutions, instruments, and interests. Related changes in relationships between the state and farmers, however, have rarely been analysed. To address this gap, this paper examines state-farmer relations in the implementation of direct payments in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2022, using Germany and the policy instrument that absorbs 75% of the CAP budget as a case. Based on the political sociology approach to policy instruments, we develop a framework to reconstruct the problematizations, subject constitution and modes of coordination underlying policy instruments along three levels of observation: instruments as institutions, techniques and micro-devices. An analysis of policy documents, legislative texts and policy artefacts finds that the differentiation of several direct payment components implies contradictory problematizations at instrument level: farm income, payment distribution, and remuneration of public goods. The techniques and micro-devices used to implement direct payments problematize eligibility and compliance with behavioural requirements. Hence, farmers are effectively constituted as dependent, only conditionally deserving beneficiaries and potential deviants. The non-hierarchical modes of coordination implied in transfer payments are overlaid by hierarchical modes involved in the setting of categorical and behavioural conditions and compliance controls. Analysing state-farmer relations therefore supplements earlier explanations for tensions created between non-aligned dimensions of agricultural post-exceptionalism.

For decades, China's urbanization has primarily involved trans-regional migration from inland areas to major city regions along the coast or within the interior. As urban-rural disparities diminish, China has transitioned to intra-regional urbanization. However, there remains a gap in understanding the effects of this transition of urban-rural relations within China. This study focuses on counties as the fundamental research unit, examining net migration of the Huang-Huai-Hai Area. The spatial differentiation and its influencing factors were analyzed using ArcGIS and linear regression techniques. The results indicated a shift in the net migration trend of counties' populations in the Huang-Huai-Hai Area around 2010. The phenomenon of “counterurbanization” after 2010 changed the underlying rationale for population net migration. Counties' net migration was affected by both their relationship with cities and internal county factors. The close connection with cities promoted population growth in the counties. In-situ urbanization was vital for county development. The industrial structural adjustments were pivotal in population retention. The healthcare and education resources affected the migration patterns. The “counterurbanization” in this area could create new urban-rural dynamics. The revitalization of county populations meant significant implications for rural revitalization. This study, which is one of the first studies ever of the phenomenon of counterurbanization in a developing country, can provide insights for the development of integrated urban-rural areas and rural revitalization efforts.

This study compares the resources and entrepreneurial characteristics of family and solo farmers, and influences of these on subjective success perceptions. Quantitative data were collected in Finland and the research model is comprised of Resource-Based Theory and Entrepreneurial Orientation. T-test for equality of means and Structural Equation modelling were employed for testing the hypotheses. The results indicate that family and solo farmers are heterogeneous in most of their resources, entrepreneurial orientation and success perceptions, only except resources in funding opportunities, innovativeness in products and services and investments, and proactiveness in legislation, and success perceptions in self-determination in own work, personal satisfaction. Covariation between resources and entrepreneurial orientation is stronger for family farmers, but this relationship is positive for both groups. Resources and entrepreneurial orientation impact success positively both for family and solo farmers, while the impact of resources is stronger for family farmers and entrepreneurial orientation is stronger for solo farmers. This study suggests a comparative approach in evaluation of the sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship and its implications, also facilitates the methodological development on the measurement of the theoretical models focusing on the role of family in social and agricultural sustainability.

Climate change is strongly affecting Mediterranean agriculture, prompting urgent adaptation actions to cope with its negative impacts and to enhance the resilience of agricultural systems. Detailed climate risk analyses are essential to inform and guide decision-making on priority actions to be implemented in each territory, tailored on specific local needs. This work applied the impact chain approach to assess the climate-related risks for cereals and livestock sectors in Sardinia, Italy. Impact chains allow analysing and understanding the interrelationships between climate drivers and the related risks, supporting the development of adaptation strategies and plans. In this study, statistical socio-economic indicators were integrated with results from dynamic crop simulation models and climate change scenarios to investigate the risk components, following the IPCC framework, for the agricultural sector by 2050. The results show higher negative impacts for cereals than for livestock, with durum wheat being less climate sentitive than common wheat and maize. Overall, Sardinia has low exposure for both cereals and livestock, while adaptive capacity is criticality low, highlighting the need for urgent action. The outcomes of the analysis were elaborated at both the regional and municipal level, to provide user-friendly information for policy-makers at different administrative levels. The assessed level of risks, in terms of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, has been used to develop the Regional Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (SRACC) for the Sardinia region. These results may leed decision making and help planning and programming interventions also at municipal level.

The depopulation of rural areas is a global problem that is particularly serious in Europe and in large areas of Spain, such as the interior of the Valencia Region. Despite the consensus in the diagnosis of the problem, there is still a debate about the policies and measures to solve it. For this reason, in order to help policymakers, this work carries out an analysis of the determinants that have contributed to the population growth of small rural municipalities in the Valencia Region. The analysis includes variables that have not been used in previous research, such as cultural heritage, cycling and walking routes, organic farming or renewable energy. Among the variables that contribute to the fight against depopulation, in addition to basic public services (education and health), there are variables from the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. There are therefore activities and resources to try to diversify the economic activity to revitalise small rural municipalities.

The transition towards more just and sustainable food systems is a major challenge which requires persuasive policy narratives for motivation and coordination. However, research about how relevant European actor groups view crucial elements of food system transitions is scarce. The consultation on the European Commission's Farm-to-Fork Strategy provided an opportunity to analyze how elements of food system transitions are represented and connected in the policy narratives of European stakeholders. A deductive-inductive content analysis of 164 public responses, using an analytical framework based on the multi-level-perspective of food system transitions, found twelve distinct narratives, mostly focused on agricultural production. Ten of them showed clear connections to three established agricultural policy discourses: neomercantilism, multi-functionalism and market liberalism. While the narratives together provided a comprehensive account of transition drivers, challenges, opportunities and responses, individually they presented rather partial perspectives. For example, market-liberal narratives emphasized the role of value chain actors and “consumer choice”, whereas multifunctionalist narratives called for more regulation. Farmers' associations mainly deployed neomercantilist, NGOs multi-functional and industry representatives market-liberal narratives, revealing dissent on the importance and desirability of change. The findings indicate that shifting the discussion venue away from core agriculture policy arenas broadened entrenched discourses only marginally.

In this article, we assess individuals' fear of crime in Brazil with a focus on rural areas using ordered probit models and data from six waves of the Latino barometer survey conducted between 2008 and 2018 (N = 10.153). Results show that there has been a marked decrease in respondents' perceived safety after 2012, with those living in rural areas experiencing a more significant increase in fear of crime than those in urban areas. While violence in an area does not negatively affect individuals' fear of crime levels, lack of trust in the police and an individual's previous experience of victimisation do. The association between trust in the police and people's perceived safety, particularly accentuated in rural settings compared to urban environments, indicates the importance of institutions in providing public reassurance.