Digital initiatives may have helped to maintain active social networks during restrictive, social distancing measures of the COVID‐19 pandemic. To examine how and under which circumstances digital initiatives can contribute to social cohesion, semistructured interviews with 35 stakeholders of local communities and clubs were conducted. The thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews identified four main themes, characterizing conditions under which digital initiatives successfully contributed to social cohesion. First, preexisting digital routines need to be considered. Information and communications technology (ICT) routines, even if limited, need to be extended for digital initiatives to be successfully integrated into communities. Second, acquiring ICT skills are not a technical but a social problem. Members with limited prior knowledge relied heavily on strong ties to improve their ICT skills to become part of digital networks. Third, social media fatigue is particularly prevalent in those with limited prior ICT experience. Importantly, individual withdrawal from digital networks, resulting from SMF, had a knock‐on effect on others. Finally, communities that were not engaging with ICT dissipated. As such, ICT may contribute to social capital by maintaining social engagement in social networks, particularly if providing additional benefits to the community.
{"title":"The Role of ICT in Maintaining Social Cohesion: Understanding the Potential of Digital Initiatives for Social Networks in Rural Areas☆","authors":"Rita Helena Phillips","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12557","url":null,"abstract":"Digital initiatives may have helped to maintain active social networks during restrictive, social distancing measures of the COVID‐19 pandemic. To examine how and under which circumstances digital initiatives can contribute to social cohesion, semistructured interviews with 35 stakeholders of local communities and clubs were conducted. The thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews identified four main themes, characterizing conditions under which digital initiatives successfully contributed to social cohesion. First, preexisting digital routines need to be considered. Information and communications technology (ICT) routines, even if limited, need to be extended for digital initiatives to be successfully integrated into communities. Second, acquiring ICT skills are not a technical but a social problem. Members with limited prior knowledge relied heavily on strong ties to improve their ICT skills to become part of digital networks. Third, social media fatigue is particularly prevalent in those with limited prior ICT experience. Importantly, individual withdrawal from digital networks, resulting from SMF, had a knock‐on effect on others. Finally, communities that were not engaging with ICT dissipated. As such, ICT may contribute to social capital by maintaining social engagement in social networks, particularly if providing additional benefits to the community.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142007454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rural education researchers have long been interested in the impact of increasing urbanization, with its attendant shifts in policy, culture, and capital mobility, on rural people and communities, but their findings have existed largely to the side of “mainstream” research examining urban and suburban populations. With the publication in 2011 of Critical Rural Theory: Structure, Space, Culture, scholars acquired a new theoretical tool for inquiring into processes of place‐making, identity formation, curricular design, and policy implementation. This article establishes key elements of the theory as they have been applied in both K‐12 and higher education research, giving attention to current gaps in the literature as well as future directions for theoretical elaboration. Essential areas of focus include critical rural theory's applications in K‐12 curricula and policy studies as well as research on community capitals, college transitions, and intersectional identity in higher education contexts.
{"title":"Critical Rural Theory: A Decade of Influence on Rural Education Research☆","authors":"Wendy Pfrenger","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12556","url":null,"abstract":"Rural education researchers have long been interested in the impact of increasing urbanization, with its attendant shifts in policy, culture, and capital mobility, on rural people and communities, but their findings have existed largely to the side of “mainstream” research examining urban and suburban populations. With the publication in 2011 of <jats:italic>Critical Rural Theory: Structure, Space, Culture</jats:italic>, scholars acquired a new theoretical tool for inquiring into processes of place‐making, identity formation, curricular design, and policy implementation. This article establishes key elements of the theory as they have been applied in both K‐12 and higher education research, giving attention to current gaps in the literature as well as future directions for theoretical elaboration. Essential areas of focus include critical rural theory's applications in K‐12 curricula and policy studies as well as research on community capitals, college transitions, and intersectional identity in higher education contexts.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141986236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Joseph Firnhaber, Sandra M. Malone, Anna Donnla O'Hagan, Sinéad O'Keeffe, John McNamara, Siobhán O'Connor
Farming is a stressful occupation with many farmers facing daily uncertainty and high mental health risks. In addition to unpredictable occupations, rapidly changing European and Irish agricultural policies may put farmers in a liminal state. We aimed to identify sources of occupational stress or well‐being for Irish farmers, particularly regarding change in their lives and communities. We collected data online through semistructured interviews with 17 farmers and 1 interview and 3 focus groups with 11 farming stakeholders. We identified four central narratives (N1‐4) through narrative analysis. In N1, participants described how rapid changes could create stress by exacerbating uncertainty and threatening farmers' financial security. Participants described how these changes to standards for “good farming” (N2) and rural culture (N3) result in lost income, identity, and well‐being. In N4, participants identified ways in which work of farming can be therapeutic. Our findings add to literature on the impacts of uncertainty and liminality on farmers by identifying how deeply changes in agricultural models can impact farmers' identities and well‐being as they grapple with new and old occupational pressures. We suggest that economic policy and agricultural governance prioritize farmers' financial security and mental health through policy change and acknowledge their valuable contributions.
{"title":"“People that are Supporting [the] Whole Sector are on their Knees”; Uncertainty and Socioeconomic Change are Occupational Stressors for Irish Farmers☆","authors":"Joseph Firnhaber, Sandra M. Malone, Anna Donnla O'Hagan, Sinéad O'Keeffe, John McNamara, Siobhán O'Connor","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12554","url":null,"abstract":"Farming is a stressful occupation with many farmers facing daily uncertainty and high mental health risks. In addition to unpredictable occupations, rapidly changing European and Irish agricultural policies may put farmers in a liminal state. We aimed to identify sources of occupational stress or well‐being for Irish farmers, particularly regarding change in their lives and communities. We collected data online through semistructured interviews with 17 farmers and 1 interview and 3 focus groups with 11 farming stakeholders. We identified four central narratives (N1‐4) through narrative analysis. In N1, participants described how rapid changes could create stress by exacerbating uncertainty and threatening farmers' financial security. Participants described how these changes to standards for “good farming” (N2) and rural culture (N3) result in lost income, identity, and well‐being. In N4, participants identified ways in which work of farming can be therapeutic. Our findings add to literature on the impacts of uncertainty and liminality on farmers by identifying how deeply changes in agricultural models can impact farmers' identities and well‐being as they grapple with new and old occupational pressures. We suggest that economic policy and agricultural governance prioritize farmers' financial security and mental health through policy change and acknowledge their valuable contributions.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141794575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Melissa S. Jones, John P. Hoffmann, Benjamin T. Wheelock
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are recognized as significant precursors to delinquency. However, to date, no studies have explicitly examined the interconnectedness of ACEs, residency in rural or urban/suburban areas, and delinquent behavior to discern potential variations among youths residing in these distinct areas. This study aims to address this important gap in existing literature. Data from the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS), comprising a statewide representative sample of students enrolled in public high schools in Florida (N = 23,078), were analyzed using negative binominal regression models. Our findings demonstrate a significant correlation between ACEs and delinquent behavior, with notable variations in this association among youths residing in rural versus urban/suburban environments. In particular, the impact of ACEs on the anticipated frequency of delinquent behaviors appears to be marginally greater among adolescents residing in urban/suburban locales compared to their counterparts in rural areas. Implications are provided.
{"title":"Rural–Urban/Suburban Differences in the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Delinquency☆","authors":"Melissa S. Jones, John P. Hoffmann, Benjamin T. Wheelock","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12555","url":null,"abstract":"Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are recognized as significant precursors to delinquency. However, to date, no studies have explicitly examined the interconnectedness of ACEs, residency in rural or urban/suburban areas, and delinquent behavior to discern potential variations among youths residing in these distinct areas. This study aims to address this important gap in existing literature. Data from the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS), comprising a statewide representative sample of students enrolled in public high schools in Florida (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 23,078), were analyzed using negative binominal regression models. Our findings demonstrate a significant correlation between ACEs and delinquent behavior, with notable variations in this association among youths residing in rural versus urban/suburban environments. In particular, the impact of ACEs on the anticipated frequency of delinquent behaviors appears to be marginally greater among adolescents residing in urban/suburban locales compared to their counterparts in rural areas. Implications are provided.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141768622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christian Kelly Scott, Elizabeth A. Mack, Guangqing Chi, Kamilya Kelgenbaeva, Geoffrey M. Henebry
Agropastoralism and international labor migration are livelihood strategies that are interconnected as dominant ways of life across rural Kyrgyzstan. A prevalent rural livelihood strategy—agropastoralism—is closely tied to agrarian semi‐nomadic ways of life that link families and communities to the surrounding mountain environment. Another livelihood strategy—international labor migration—links or telecouples communities and income streams to transnational family structures, international labor markets, and distant economies. This article examines four hypothetical relationships between key elements of these two livelihood strategies. The relationship between remittances, pasture access, and livestock holdings is examined by analyzing 1,815 household surveys from southern rural Kyrgyzstan. We find remittances and livestock holdings have a significant positive relationship when a household is receiving a large amount of remittances, but not when the remittances received are modest. We also find that access to more distant, productive pastures is positively associated with the receipt of any amount of remittances. These findings demonstrate the ways in which migration and remittances can impact livestock management and agropastoral livelihoods at different levels of remittance reception.
{"title":"Remittances and Livestock Management in Agropastoral Households in Rural Kyrgyzstan: Telecoupled Impacts of Globalization☆","authors":"Christian Kelly Scott, Elizabeth A. Mack, Guangqing Chi, Kamilya Kelgenbaeva, Geoffrey M. Henebry","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12552","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12552","url":null,"abstract":"Agropastoralism and international labor migration are livelihood strategies that are interconnected as dominant ways of life across rural Kyrgyzstan. A prevalent rural livelihood strategy—agropastoralism—is closely tied to agrarian semi‐nomadic ways of life that link families and communities to the surrounding mountain environment. Another livelihood strategy—international labor migration—links or telecouples communities and income streams to transnational family structures, international labor markets, and distant economies. This article examines four hypothetical relationships between key elements of these two livelihood strategies. The relationship between remittances, pasture access, and livestock holdings is examined by analyzing 1,815 household surveys from southern rural Kyrgyzstan. We find remittances and livestock holdings have a significant positive relationship when a household is receiving a large amount of remittances, but not when the remittances received are modest. We also find that access to more distant, productive pastures is positively associated with the receipt of any amount of remittances. These findings demonstrate the ways in which migration and remittances can impact livestock management and agropastoral livelihoods at different levels of remittance reception.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141566092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article emphasizes several primary realms of contemporary artistic endeavors in public art, specifically those unfolding outside urban metropolises. I analyzed the examined practices in terms of their functions and goals, the forms they take, and the problematic areas they address. This allowed for identifying certain symptomatic areas of artistic activities; domains shaped by diverse perceptions of the Polish countryside and rural life. Some feature an exploration of folk beliefs, ritual practices, religiosity, liturgy, and a connection to the land and the rhythms of nature—an ethnographic trend. Others delve into themes associated with historical heritage and the legacy of serfdom (an emancipatory trend). Moreover, I identify a trend focused on the specificity of “borderlands” and an ecological trend. The analysis focuses on questions: How does public art manifest itself beyond urban areas, particularly in rural settings? What social functions does it serve? And what significance does the examination of artistic activities hold for advancing research in rural sociology? The main aim of the article is to transpose Polish public art practice into the realm of public art in rural studies.
{"title":"Countryside, Borderlands, Nature—Public Art beyond the City☆","authors":"Karolina Izdebska","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12551","url":null,"abstract":"This article emphasizes several primary realms of contemporary artistic endeavors in public art, specifically those unfolding outside urban metropolises. I analyzed the examined practices in terms of their functions and goals, the forms they take, and the problematic areas they address. This allowed for identifying certain symptomatic areas of artistic activities; domains shaped by diverse perceptions of the Polish countryside and rural life. Some feature an exploration of folk beliefs, ritual practices, religiosity, liturgy, and a connection to the land and the rhythms of nature—an ethnographic trend. Others delve into themes associated with historical heritage and the legacy of serfdom (an emancipatory trend). Moreover, I identify a trend focused on the specificity of “borderlands” and an ecological trend. The analysis focuses on questions: How does public art manifest itself beyond urban areas, particularly in rural settings? What social functions does it serve? And what significance does the examination of artistic activities hold for advancing research in rural sociology? The main aim of the article is to transpose Polish public art practice into the realm of public art in rural studies.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141461903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study delves into the utilization of modern technology in rural policing, offering insights from front‐line police officers operating in the Chinese context. As rural areas globally grapple with unique policing challenges, the significance of this research extends beyond the borders of China. Findings indicate that technology, particularly video surveillance and communication platforms such as WeChat, has enhanced the responsiveness and overall capabilities of rural policing. The study sheds light on the dual nature of this technological adoption, highlighting its positive impact on policing practices while unraveling challenges, such as burnout and sustainability concerns. Notably, the study reveals that despite financial constraints hindering equipment maintenance and technological development in rural police departments, collaborations with commercial entities provide a viable avenue to alleviate such constraints. The global resonance of these findings underscores the broader implications for rural policing practices worldwide, emphasizing the need for strategic technological interventions to address challenges and optimize policing effectiveness in rural areas.
{"title":"Modern Technology in Rural Policing: Qualitative Analysis of Police Officers in Rural China☆","authors":"Haoran Xu","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12544","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12544","url":null,"abstract":"This study delves into the utilization of modern technology in rural policing, offering insights from front‐line police officers operating in the Chinese context. As rural areas globally grapple with unique policing challenges, the significance of this research extends beyond the borders of China. Findings indicate that technology, particularly video surveillance and communication platforms such as WeChat, has enhanced the responsiveness and overall capabilities of rural policing. The study sheds light on the dual nature of this technological adoption, highlighting its positive impact on policing practices while unraveling challenges, such as burnout and sustainability concerns. Notably, the study reveals that despite financial constraints hindering equipment maintenance and technological development in rural police departments, collaborations with commercial entities provide a viable avenue to alleviate such constraints. The global resonance of these findings underscores the broader implications for rural policing practices worldwide, emphasizing the need for strategic technological interventions to address challenges and optimize policing effectiveness in rural areas.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141364282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Rural Primitive in American Popular Culture, by Karen E.Hayden, New York: Lexington Books, 2022. Paperback $39.99. ISBN: 978‐1‐4985‐4762‐8.","authors":"Michael R. Cope","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12549","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12549","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141368916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The international educational agenda that drives the educational expansion in the Global South makes universalist assumptions about the role of education in reducing poverty and promoting social mobility. Challenging these assumptions, this paper asks whether educational expansion in such contexts reduces social inequality across generations by offering individuals, from whatever background, educational opportunities and access to higher status livelihoods. By using Weberian and Bourdieusian theoretical frameworks, and drawing upon the perspectives of the families in rural Punjab, the paper contributes to the literature by revealing how local rural power relations in landownership, caste systems, religious identity, and political patronage, and their manifestation in the cultural realm, enact a form of social closure that closes off resources and opportunities for the disadvantaged to pursue social mobility through schooling. These power relations not only place limits on the assumed equalizing role of education in rural Punjab, but they also tend to perpetuate inequality in and through education. The paper argues that a sociological understanding of the role that education plays in the everyday rural life is crucial for designing a nuanced educational agenda capable of engaging with, rather than assuming away social and economic inequality in hierarchal societies.
{"title":"More Snakes Than Ladders: Mass Schooling, Social Closure, and the Pursuit of Tarraqi (Social Mobility) in Rural Pakistan☆","authors":"Arif Naveed","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12545","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12545","url":null,"abstract":"The international educational agenda that drives the educational expansion in the Global South makes universalist assumptions about the role of education in reducing poverty and promoting social mobility. Challenging these assumptions, this paper asks whether educational expansion in such contexts reduces social inequality across generations by offering individuals, from whatever background, educational opportunities and access to higher status livelihoods. By using Weberian and Bourdieusian theoretical frameworks, and drawing upon the perspectives of the families in rural Punjab, the paper contributes to the literature by revealing how local rural power relations in landownership, caste systems, religious identity, and political patronage, and their manifestation in the cultural realm, enact a form of social closure that closes off resources and opportunities for the disadvantaged to pursue social mobility through schooling. These power relations not only place limits on the assumed equalizing role of education in rural Punjab, but they also tend to perpetuate inequality in and through education. The paper argues that a sociological understanding of the role that education plays in the everyday rural life is crucial for designing a nuanced educational agenda capable of engaging with, rather than assuming away social and economic inequality in hierarchal societies.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141269789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rising stress, mental health issues, and suicide rates among farmers highlight the need to understand factors influencing their job satisfaction. Farming presents distinct challenges with its unique mix of positive and negative characteristics. This study utilized dual‐factor theory to investigate how various factors, such as economic dynamics, farm financial health, stewardship views, experience with extreme weather, and climate change concerns, influence farmers' job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Data from a 2020 survey of Iowa farmers were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression. Financial health, stewardship motivations, and perceived adequacy of conservation practices emerged as significant predictors of both job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Farmers' extreme weather events experiences were positively associated with job satisfaction, indicating successful coping enhances contentment. Conversely, climate change concern was negatively associated with job satisfaction. As a revenue protection strategy, faith in crop insurance was negatively related to job dissatisfaction. In summary, besides the anticipated positive impact of farm financial health, the findings show that job satisfaction in farming is linked to stewardship motivations and perceived adequacy of conservation practices on the farm. The results suggest an opening for policies and programs aligning financial and conservation goals, potentially enhancing long‐term farmer well‐being and sustainable agricultural practices.
{"title":"What's Good for the Land is Good for the Farmer: Investigating Conservation‐Related Variables as Predictors of Farmers' Job Satisfaction☆","authors":"Lijing Gao, J. G. Arbuckle","doi":"10.1111/ruso.12543","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12543","url":null,"abstract":"Rising stress, mental health issues, and suicide rates among farmers highlight the need to understand factors influencing their job satisfaction. Farming presents distinct challenges with its unique mix of positive and negative characteristics. This study utilized dual‐factor theory to investigate how various factors, such as economic dynamics, farm financial health, stewardship views, experience with extreme weather, and climate change concerns, influence farmers' job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Data from a 2020 survey of Iowa farmers were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression. Financial health, stewardship motivations, and perceived adequacy of conservation practices emerged as significant predictors of both job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Farmers' extreme weather events experiences were positively associated with job satisfaction, indicating successful coping enhances contentment. Conversely, climate change concern was negatively associated with job satisfaction. As a revenue protection strategy, faith in crop insurance was negatively related to job dissatisfaction. In summary, besides the anticipated positive impact of farm financial health, the findings show that job satisfaction in farming is linked to stewardship motivations and perceived adequacy of conservation practices on the farm. The results suggest an opening for policies and programs aligning financial and conservation goals, potentially enhancing long‐term farmer well‐being and sustainable agricultural practices.","PeriodicalId":47924,"journal":{"name":"RURAL SOCIOLOGY","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141182933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}