Journal of Rural Studies最新文献

{"title":"Exploring the farmland-livelihood nexus among vulnerable rural households: A case study from a main grain production region of Northeast China","authors":"Li Ma ,&nbsp;Qian Zhang ,&nbsp;Shijun Wang ,&nbsp;Zhipeng Yang ,&nbsp;Lisha Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanisation, land commodification and policy assemblages intersect to redefine the role of farmland in rural residents' livelihoods. This study explores the under-examined question of how the farmland-livelihood nexus impacts vulnerable groups in agricultural restructuring and the potential of farmland as a medium/policy tool for sustainable poverty reduction. A research framework focusing on three key farm characteristics - farmland size, quality, and location - is established. The study focuses on a grain production region of Jilin Province in Northeast China, where significant efforts have been made to reduce rural poverty. Binary and ordinal logistic regressions are used to analyse the survey data collected in 2017-18 from nearly 3,000 vulnerable rural households. The results show that: 1) larger farmland size promotes land cultivation but with a diminishing marginal effect; 2) higher farmland quality favours land transfer; 3) farmland proximity to small towns/large cities facilitates land transfer, but proximity to medium-sized towns promotes land cultivation. Moreover, farmland's role is socially differentiated in rural livelihoods, providing both subsistence security for the vulnerable and transfer dependency for the poorest, with risks of widening inequalities. The study paves the way for future research on nuancing the farmland-livelihood nexus, and it highlights the importance of this understanding for advising poverty reduction work.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 103986"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036311","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":"Fishermen's pro-environmental behavior in southern Iran: An analysis of predictors using an extended VBN model","authors":"Tayeb Piroozeh ,&nbsp;Malihe Falaki ,&nbsp;Masoud Bijani","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103998","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103998","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in southern Iran presents a major environmental challenge, depleting marine resources and harming aquatic ecosystems. This study aimed to identify the key predictors of fishermen's pro-environmental behavior (FPEB) based on the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory, emphasizing environmental value attitudes (EVA). It innovatively integrated place attachment (PA) and environmental awareness (EA) into the VBN framework, providing a theoretical rationale for their inclusion as contextually relevant factors that augment the core VBN sequence. Employing a quantitative, descriptive-correlational and causal-comparative design, the researchers used a survey method. The statistical population consisted of 5369 fishermen in southwestern Iran; a stratified random sample of 357 participants was selected proportionally. Data were collected via a validated questionnaire with content validity confirmed by subject-matter experts and reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) ranging from 0.717 to 0.892. Analysis was conducted in SPSS₂₇ using Pearson correlation, One-way ANOVA, and path analysis. Results showed that a majority of fishermen (50.42 %) held egoistic environmental value orientations, which correlated with weaker PEB, whereas groups with biospheric and altruistic orientations exhibited more favorable PEB. The validated path model identified environmental norms (EN) (β = 0.253) and PA (β = 0.171) as the most influential direct predictors of FPEB. Integrating PA and EA into the VBN model yielded unique insights, indicating that emotional bonds to place and heightened environmental awareness are critical in shaping behavioral norms and directly impacting FPEB, thereby offering novel perspectives for addressing IUU fishing in coastal communities. A predictive model grounded in VBN principles was proposed. The findings suggest managerial strategies that strengthen biospheric and altruistic environmental attitudes, reinforce environmental norms, and foster place attachment to mitigate IUU fishing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 103998"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036312","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":"How digital literacy influence rural residents' demand for low-carbon housing renovations?","authors":"Donghui Chen ,&nbsp;Tao Xu ,&nbsp;Dan Qiao","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Promoting low-carbon renovations in rural housing not only reduces carbon emissions but also enhances residents' quality of life. However, existing studies have largely overlooked the pivotal role of digital literacy, which enables rural residents to effectively access information and solutions for low-carbon renovations, thereby fostering renovation demand. Drawing on 892 field survey responses from Hainan Province and employing an Oprobit model, this study empirically examines the impact of digital literacy on rural residents' demand for low-carbon housing renovations. The findings reveal three key insights. First, digital literacy exerts a significant positive effect on renovation demand, a conclusion that remains robust after addressing endogeneity and conducting robustness checks. Specifically, digital literacy significantly promotes demand for wall and roof renovations, solar installations, and energy-efficient appliances, though its effect on energy-saving doors and windows is less pronounced. Second, mechanism analysis indicates that low-carbon cognition mediates the relationship between digital literacy and renovation demand. Third, heterogeneity analysis shows that digital literacy is particularly effective in stimulating demand among residents with larger dwelling areas, shorter distances to logistics points, and lower satisfaction with existing housing. These results suggest that governments should prioritize improving rural residents’ digital literacy, thereby strengthening their low-carbon awareness and stimulating greater demand for sustainable housing renovations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104033"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036314","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":"Follow the rainbow home: Destabilizing urbanormativity and rural gentrification at LGBT pride in rural New York","authors":"Wren Ariel Gould","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104087","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104087","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studies of gentrification often consider processes within urban sites, with queer/trans, middle-upper class, cohorts sometimes leading gentrification, sometimes termed “gaytrification.” However, queer/trans relationships to <em>rural</em> gentrification are underexplored. Though middle-upper class queer/trans urbanites may participate in rural gentrification by idealizing a romantic, bucolic remove from city life, gentrification may be abetted by rural investments in arts/culture sectors that court a gentrifying creative class, with rural LGBT Pride events constituting one such investment. The present study considers the latter mechanism via critical autoethnography, using retrospection of a queer, mixed class scholar from Otsego County, NY, including observation of Otsego County Pridefest (2024), and auditing of Pridefest (2024)'s sponsorship. Though rural Pride events may risk appealing to urban taste in ways that may court a gentrifying creative class, Pridefest 2024 events implied ways that local political economy could forestall rural gentrification. Rather than merely accommodate the taste of urban queer and trans cohorts, Pridefest 2024 emphasized an underlying political economy of mutual aid, explicitly framing housing as a shared resource in the face of housing crisis and interrupting the displacement endemic to gentrification, both rural and urban. In concluding, the present analysis suggests that gentrification may be forestalled when newcomers treat rural places like a new home rather than like a second property, a message implied by rural organizers who invited attendees of Pridefest (2024) to Follow the Rainbow Home.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104087"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422388","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":"Investigating robot acceptance in UK agriculture","authors":"Jack H. Grant ,&nbsp;Zhuoling Huang ,&nbsp;Leonardo Guevara ,&nbsp;Wyn Morris ,&nbsp;Louise Manning","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104096","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104096","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adoption of robotic technology by the United Kingdom's (UK) agricultural industry offers a potential solution to the persistent labour shortages within the sector. This study investigates robot acceptance in UK agriculture, examining the individual, organisational, and contextual factors impacting levels of acceptance. A comprehensive mixed-methods survey, adapted from previous studies on robot acceptance at work (RAW), was administered to measure RAW across a diverse sample of UK agricultural workers. Key findings reveal significant variation in RAW between farming sectors and job roles, as well as between different contextual scenarios. In particular, the sample expressed a preference for robots designed to assist in tasks, while being particularly averse to robots designed to make operational decisions. Building familiarity emerged as a crucial facilitator of acceptance, whereas significant barriers included cost and fears of job displacement. In contrast to trends in other industries, older individuals showed higher acceptance levels, possibly viewing robots as valuable aids for increasingly demanding physical tasks. In summary, this study provides key insights into robot acceptance in UK agriculture, the drivers and barriers to adoption, and has implications for theory, academia, and industry. Additionally, it offers guidance for policy interventions aimed at promoting technological integration and supporting workforce adaptation. The study also contributes to open science by sharing the data and materials that support its findings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104096"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422390","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":"Resilient communities – mobilisation of rural skills, networks and resources in local responses to wildfires in Sweden (2018)","authors":"Maria Vallström","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104072","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this article, I explore local mobilisation in rural communities during the large and numerous wildfires in Swedish forests in 2018. The aim of the article is to examine how the crisis caused by the forest fires activated rural networks and resource mobilisation in a local context. The study shows strong evidence of social cohesion closely linked to place, history and heritage. Emergent and informal groups emerged as central to the local perspective, as did professionals in forestry and agriculture. Finally, I discuss whether the focus on resilience can mask the lack of national preparedness and the critical potential in speaking of an urban norm. The main contribution of this article is to bring local rural conditions to the fore, showing the importance of timing, local networks and skills in disaster response in a rural context, while also questioning the power hierarchies and structures that lead to the denial and lack of recognition of rural resources and values.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104072"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422393","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":"What drives a sound rural land consolidation program: An analysis from dynamic perspectives of villagers","authors":"Qianyi Wang ,&nbsp;Xinye Teng ,&nbsp;Jing Wang ,&nbsp;Yongjia Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104051","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104051","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The accelerated urbanization process in China has led to a significant outflow of the rural population, resulting in the emergence of “hollowed-out village” phenomenon. Land consolidation, as a crucial strategy to rural revival, has been predominantly leveraged. However, the study of land consolidation is mainly about interpretation of driving mechanism from static point of view. In highlighting people-oriented development mode, the paper attempts to frame out a dynamic driving mechanism analysis framework through identifying both endogenous factors and exogenous factors from villagers’ perspectives grounded by Triadic Reciprocal Determinism Theory, with which it seeks to decode the evolution of driving mechanisms of land consolidation. Taking Shandong Province as a case study and leveraging on structural equation modeling (SEM), it finds that: 1) The land consolidation performance has been improved driven by both endogenous and exogenous driving factors. 2) The driving forces exhibit an evolutionary pattern, with endogenous forces shifting from integrative force to emotional force; and exogenous forces shifting from administrative force to market force. 3) Community committee plays a limited role in rural land consolidation perceived by villagers. These results further develop Triadic Reciprocal Determinism Theory and indicate a balanced and dynamic development view in implementing land consolidation scheme in rural China. It reveals that driving factor identification and transformation clarification is decisive to a functional rural consolidation scheme. Government should shift its political priorities from infrastructure development and propaganda efforts in its initial stage to market construction and culture reshape in later phase.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104051"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190041","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":"Land as destiny: How grassland inheritance drives income inequality in pastoral China","authors":"Hefei Bai ,&nbsp;Zhijian Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's 1980s grassland tenure reform allocated long-term, heritable use rights to pastoral households, creating a durable form of inherited wealth. This paper examines the long-term consequences of that foundational allocation and quantifies how its inheritance shapes contemporary income inequality. Using household survey data from China's pastoral regions and an instrumental variable strategy, we identify a causal link between historically allocated grassland area and present-day income. A 1% increase in historical allocation raises current income by 0.119%. We find this effect operates primarily through two pathways: pastoral production income and area-based ecological subsidies. Our heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the inheritance grassland area shapes income inequality. The income effect is statistically insignificant for households that inherited small allocations, possibly because their holdings fall below a viable production scale. Significant returns appear only among households with the largest allocations, creating a scale-dependent return structure that contributes to current inequality. The analysis also highlights the mitigating role of the grassland rental market. Households that rent in grassland (typically those with smaller historical allocations) can expand to an economically viable scale, weakening the intergenerational link between historical allocations and income.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104058"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146190044","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":"Digital economy–driven empowerment of ecological agricultural technologies in rural China: Implications for sustainable agricultural transformation","authors":"Peiheng Yu ,&nbsp;Xiangzheng Deng ,&nbsp;Youlin Chen ,&nbsp;Yiyun Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104032","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104032","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The promotion of ecological agricultural technologies is essential for transforming rural economies and optimising production systems. Nevertheless, previous studies have rarely explored how multiple dimensions of the digital economy collectively empower ecological agriculture. Thus, this study investigates the impact of the digital economy, including digital sale, digital finance and digital production, on the adoption of ecological agricultural technologies among rural households in China. The findings show that digital finance is adopted more widely than digital sale and digital production. Adoption rates of ecological agricultural technologies vary, with relatively high uptake in straw comprehensive utilisation and pesticide packaging recycling. Notably, digital finance has a significant positive effect on the adoption of ecological agricultural technologies, especially for organic fertiliser application and straw comprehensive utilisation. Furthermore, a significant interaction between digital finance and digital sale suggests a reinforcing relationship that further enhances technology adoption. Socio–demographic and institutional factors, including age, village cadre status, health conditions and cooperative membership, also influence adoption. Intermediary institutions, such as E–commerce companies and agricultural cooperatives, play a crucial mediating role by facilitating market access and information dissemination. Regional heterogeneity is evident, with the digital economy's effects differing markedly across eastern, central and western China. By highlighting the interactive effects of digital tools, institutional mediation and regional heterogeneity, this study provides evidence–based foundation for promoting sustainable agricultural transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104032"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036365","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":"Lethal violence across areas of the rural-urban continuum: Evidence from Pernambuco, Brazil","authors":"Duan Vilela Ferreira ,&nbsp;Vania Ceccato ,&nbsp;Caroline Mota","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2026.104034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the nature and levels of homicides in Pernambuco, a northeastern Brazilian state with a long history of rural violence. Drawing on over 19,870 homicide records (2017–2022), we use spatial data analysis techniques and Negative Binomial regression to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of these killings. Although violence tends to be concentrated in urban centres such as the metropolitan area of Recife, its nature varies markedly across the rural–urban continuum. In remote, impoverished regions, killings often involve bladed weapons, arising from interpersonal male conflicts, but also include femicide, while, in major centres, homicides mainly arise from drug trafficking and disputes between gangs, and are often committed using firearms. Additionally, high homicide rates along state borders point to the role of cross-border interactions and economic activities in driving violence in these areas. Findings reveal the shortcomings of mainstream criminological theories in capturing the normalization of violence in contexts marked by profound socio-economic inequalities and enduring conflict. By challenging the myth of rural areas as homogeneous and inherently non-violent, the study offers a more nuanced understanding of the patterns and drivers of lethal violence in a part of the Global South that has yet to be fully explored in the international literature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 104034"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079841","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}