Journal of Rural Studies最新文献

{"title":"How to tackle landownership challenges in Finnish agriculture: Types of landowners and their views on ownership, land tenure and improvement measures","authors":"Pasi Rikkonen,&nbsp;Susanna Lahnamäki-Kivelä,&nbsp;Jussi Leppänen","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A rapid change in farm structure has increased non-farmer landownership during Finland's EU membership. Farm sizes have grown, and there is a clear need to generally improve the functioning of the land and rental market. These improvements include optimising land division, and promoting the appropriate and efficient use of the cultivated field area with the help of new technologies. In Finland, although farming landowners own a significant proportion of agricultural land, a considerable share is also leased from non-farming landowners. Leased land, however, causes short-sightedness regarding maintaining and improving soil fertility and improving the farming sector in general. This study analyses the main motives and values of Finnish farming and non-farming landowners regarding landownership. It examines how these motives vary among different landowner types, their experiences with land tenure and related challenges, and their thoughts and plans for improving land management. We adopted a mixed methods research design to gather the data. First, we conducted nine landowner interviews and a literature review to prepare for the quantitative survey. Second, survey data from 248 landowners was collected through structured telephone interviews in February 2021. To form the landowner groups, we applied principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). The results show that agricultural landownership is motivated by different values depending on whether the landowners are from farming or non-farming backgrounds. Through PCA, we identified three components of landowners' motives: 1) livelihood, active farming, and an effective farm structure; 2) continuity, family farming, and ownership; and 3) concerns in developing property structure. Through clustering, these were interpreted as four types of landowners: 1) optimisers of arable land; 2) rational developers; 3) continuity seekers of family farming; and 4) preservers of ownership. In general, as farming seeks economies of scale through larger units, attaining the optimal techno-economic farm size may be challenging in the future due to a lack of arable land for purchase or rental in Finland's typical mixed agriculture-forest landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103685"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Colonists under Franco: rural masculinity during the dictatorship … and beyond","authors":"Laura Cabezas Vega,&nbsp;Teresa María Ortega López,&nbsp;Gregorio Santiago Díaz","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article examines the construction of rural masculinity in Spain under Franco. Based on oral sources and institutional documentation, it analyzes the effects of the regime's colonization policy on rural men in the post-civil war context. The article explores the dominant ideal of agrarian masculinity used to convey the image of the good farmworker in a new Spain, based on hard work and an idealized relationship between farmers and the land, all promoted by the agrarian reform discourse of the Franco regime. This figure did not only have a critical economic value in times of shortage, but also a social and symbolic value, as it reinforced a patriarchal system that marginalized women, relegating them to tasks considered secondary and establishing discourses that are still prevalent today.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103653"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Norwegian sheep farmers’ perception of the advantages and disadvantages of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technologies","authors":"Michelle C. Reeves ,&nbsp;Lise Grøva ,&nbsp;Lesley Jessiman ,&nbsp;Cathy M. Dwyer","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite enthusiastic industry and policy developments around Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) technology, it is unclear how often the development of new tools is centred around farmers' needs and means. This study aimed to identify the perceived benefits and disadvantages of PLF technology on Norwegian sheep farms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Norwegian sheep farmers who use one or more PLF tool. Participants were between 35 and 70 years old, were from three Norwegian regions and farmed between 20 and 400 ewes. The most used technologies were GPS collars monitoring sheep location and registration software. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and six themes were identified: Resources and Savings, Gaining Control, The User Experience, The Human-Animal Relationship, Trust in Technology and Stewards of the Land. The identified advantages of technology use were time, energy and economic savings that lightened farmers' cognitive burden, offered an increased sense of control gained through access to new data, an improved relationship between the farmers and their sheep, and an increased ability to preserve their farming lifestyle and the land they farm on. However, these benefits were not unanimously agreed upon, with many participants suggesting that the economic costs outweighed the time and energy savings, that farmers’ cognitive burden actually increased, that sellers and digital information could be untrustworthy and that technology posed a risk to the quality of the human-animal relationship. These findings could inform the future development and applications of user-centric PLF products to support the resilience of farming communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103684"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143870177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recognizing complexity in agricultural innovation: Advancing responsible scaling using the Rapid Scaling Tool in Intermediate Value Chains","authors":"E. Van Parys ,&nbsp;J. Molina-Maturano ,&nbsp;M. Rad ,&nbsp;A. Wahlberg ,&nbsp;K. Östergren ,&nbsp;J.C. Laso Bayas ,&nbsp;X. Gellynck ,&nbsp;J.J. Schouteten ,&nbsp;H. De Steur","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to develop and apply the Rapid Scaling Tool (RST), a novel instrument designed to facilitate the responsible scaling of agricultural innovations. The RST integrates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targeted agri-food sustainability indicators into one comprehensive evaluation framework. Developed iteratively through literature reviews, expert consultations, and case studies, the RST relies on stakeholder collaboration from the early stages of innovation development. It provides a three-step process to ensure that scaling efforts align with environmental, economic, and social sustainability targets. This framework guides practitioners through the complexities of scaling agricultural innovations, and uses Intermediate Value Chains (IVCs)as a case study to identify indicators for responsible scaling. The concept of IVCs represents a novel organizational structure within agri-food chains, offering a middle ground between short and long chain structures. This paper details the methodology behind the RST and discusses its implications for transforming agri-food systems, by applying it to a case study involving a Swedish IVC for wild berry picking. The IVC case study illustrates how the RST can aid in preemptively identifying potential negative impacts and developing mitigation strategies, while offering a practical solution for addressing the design paradox in early-stage innovation assessments. Building on its flexible, user-friendly design, this makes the RST an essential tool for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners aiming to achieve impactful and sustainable outcomes for scaling innovations in the agri-food sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103689"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agrarian transformation and artisanal and small-scale chrome mining on Zimbabwe's Great Dyke geological formation","authors":"Grasian Mkodzongi ,&nbsp;Joseph Mujere","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite the growth of artisanal and small-scale chrome mining (ASCM) on the back of Zimbabwe's radical land and agrarian reforms implemented in 2000, there is a dearth of studies on the nexus between the agrarian transformation and the boom in artisanal chrome mining. This paper explores the interface between ASCM and the agrarian transformation engendered by the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe. The article seeks to address the gap in the literature on artisanal mining and rural livelihood by examining how artisanal chrome mining is reshaping rural livelihoods. The article argues that ASCM and agriculture are greatly imbricated livelihoods with people oscillating between the two livelihoods. It demonstrates how base minerals such as chrome are increasingly becoming an integral part of the livelihoods of communities living along the Great Dyke. The article draws on ethnographic data gathered in Mapanzure communal areas in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103675"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not all trails are straight: Residential aspirations and place attachment of rural queer young adults","authors":"Zach Davis ,&nbsp;Mindy S. Crandall ,&nbsp;Jessica E. Leahy ,&nbsp;Kathleen P. Bell ,&nbsp;Catharine Biddle","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103673","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103673","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Young adult out-migration poses challenges for rural communities as they strive to address workforce shortages, population decline, and broader social and economic issues. In addition, certain groups of young people in rural areas, such as queer young adults, face additional identity-based challenges that can influence their migration decisions and distinguish aspects of their decision-making from other young adults. Using a qualitative approach, interviews with 17 queer young adult college students from a rural area were conducted to better understand how this group experiences nature and forms residential aspirations. Results show that queer rural young adults desire to live in communities that value diversity, promote acceptance, and have accessible nature. Our work also showed that queer rural young adults value nature for more than just outdoor recreation; they also value it as a mental health resource. Our findings offer insights for rural communities on how to attract and retain queer residents, such as investing in and connecting queer young adults to a community's natural amenities and by displaying symbols of acceptance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103673"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Challenges and opportunities for the rural Cop in Trinidad and Tobago","authors":"Wendell C. Wallace","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research on policing is typically studied in urban areas to the exclusion of rural locales and this is a feature of the academic landscape in the Caribbean where literature on rural policing is sparse. This dearth of scholarship on rural policing in the Caribbean represents a critical deficit in understanding the totality of policing issues as many police departments are located in rural areas. As a result of this lacuna, the current study was conducted to understand the challenges faced, and opportunities afforded to police officers employed at rural police stations in Trinidad and Tobago. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with thirty (N = 30) police officers employed at rural police stations in Trinidad and Tobago and processes associated with transcendental phenomenology used to analyze the data in order to answer two research questions. The results indicate a host of challenges as well as limited opportunities for rural police officers. Six themes also emanated from the study and these are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103678"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Volunteer tourism in rural France: Examining power dynamics, labour practices, and community interactions","authors":"Thor Björnsson,&nbsp;Jónína Einarsdóttir","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103674","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103674","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent decades, rural château communities in France have grown in popularity among both volunteers and foreign château owners, resulting in shifts in power dynamics within these communities. This study examines the reciprocal nature of the host-volunteer relationship, the potential economic impact of the arrival of volunteers on the local community, and the effect of Covid-19 on this dynamic. Twelve interviews were conducted with château owners (hosts), local residents, and volunteer workers between September and December 2022. The results indicate that residents tend to negatively perceive hosts, as their use of volunteer workers impacts the local labour market; the power-dynamic favours hosts and the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions enforced their hold on volunteer workers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103674"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“But don't think it is a game”: Agricultural videogames and “good farming”","authors":"Simon Foureaux,&nbsp;Thomas Daum","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sustainable agricultural transformation requires profound changes in farmers' behaviour and practices, which are influenced by their values and norms. In this regard, farmers conceptions of what a “good farmer” does can be both powerful barriers and drivers of change. We analyse the view of “good farming” presented in Farming Simulator 22, an agricultural videogame played by millions of farmers (and others) worldwide, which has a significant influence on how the tacit rules of “good farming” are constructed, understood, and internalized - both in the virtual and real world. We systematically examine key videogame elements - narrative, gameplay, and visuals - to explore which notion of the “good farmer” and “good farming” the game represents and how it depicts agriculture-environment relationships. Our findings suggest that the game reflects and reinforces a productivist “good farmer” ideal, primarily by narrowing the goals of farming to achieve high incomes to enable the acquisition of more land and the latest machinery and by overlooking environmental feedback loops, such as those related to soil health and biodiversity conservation, within its “rules of the game”. However, we also find a niche within the gaming community that develops informal plug-ins (“mods”) that introduce new content and tweak gameplay mechanics to incorporate more agro-ecology oriented practices and better depict environmental feedback loops. This suggests that agricultural videogames like Farming Simulator could become powerful tools for imagining, testing, and experiencing alternative forms of “good farming” and changing cultural notions of the “good farmer” – thus contributing to sustainable agriculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103686"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143855148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Internationalization, innovation, and resilience: Financial performance of agricultural cooperatives in southeastern Spain's rural economy","authors":"Antonio Martos-Pedrero ,&nbsp;Francisco Joaquín Cortés-García ,&nbsp;Emilio Abad-Segura ,&nbsp;Luis J. Belmonte-Ureña","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the impact of internationalization on the financial resilience, innovation capacity, and long-term sustainability of agricultural cooperatives in Southeastern Spain, a region with a strong agricultural tradition. Expanding into international markets enhances the economic viability of cooperatives and contributes to rural development. Using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including the Mann-Whitney <em>U</em> test and cluster analysis, this research compares cooperatives with other agri-food enterprises, identifying distinct challenges and opportunities in a globalized context. The results indicate that internationalization drives digital innovation, strengthens export performance, and enhances financial resilience, positioning cooperatives as key drivers of inclusive and sustainable rural economies. This study aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), underscoring the role of cooperatives in promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Furthermore, the analysis is framed within a post-pandemic context, recognizing how COVID-19 has accelerated digitization and reshaped global supply chains, amplifying the strategic significance of cooperatives. The findings highlight the need for supportive policies that facilitate the internationalization of cooperatives and strengthen their ability to navigate global uncertainties, while reinforcing rural economic stability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103682"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}