Journal of Rural Studies最新文献

{"title":"Barriers and opportunities for creative non-fiction storytelling in agriculture research extension","authors":"Michael Thomson ,&nbsp;Amy Cosby ,&nbsp;Bobby Harreveld","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103547","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103547","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Australian agriculture research and development agencies use extension and communication programs to maximise adoption of new technologies and practices by farmers. This paper explores the potential of creative non-fiction (CNF) storytelling techniques, which have proved effective in other industries but are not widely utilised in agriculture. Semi-structured interviews with 14 agriculture extension practitioners and research communicators from across Australia revealed a belief that inclusion of CNF storytelling techniques in their practices would enhance farmer adoption of new technologies and practices and could be applied in a wide range of situations. However, they identified barriers preventing the technique being used including cultural norms which prefer objective information over subjective or creative expression of knowledge and experiences. Using thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, interpreted through the lens of social cognitive theory, this paper presents a conceptual model to demonstrate the potential of CNF to stimulate internal mental and external physical embodiment of ideas and the flow-on socialisation of this knowledge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103547"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impacts of social network on non-farm self-employment: Evidence from Vietnam","authors":"Chung Thanh Phan ,&nbsp;Devmali Perera ,&nbsp;Richard Ramsawak ,&nbsp;Tra Pham","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Non-farm self-employment serves as a critical safeguard for rural communities, by reducing income fluctuations due to unexpected shocks and contributing to the overall enhancement of household well-being for sustainable development. Several factors influence rural households' decisions to pursue non-farm self-employment. Past research has shown a positive relationship between social networks and the choice of non-farm self-employment, underscoring the importance of understanding how these networks affect the economic shift from agriculture-centric occupations to diversified non-farm roles. Our research employs a heteroscedasticity-based instrumental variable model to assess household decisions to transition between farming and non-farm self-employment. Our results confirm that social networks' size and quality significantly influence the choice of non-farm self-employment among households in rural Vietnam. Specifically, we find that social networks tend to deter the transition from farming to non-farm self-employment. Rather social networks promote the movement from non-farm activities to farm-based activities. Not surprisingly we find that social networks also provide better access to credit and higher income for those engaged in farm-based activities but do not significantly benefit households engaged in non-farm self-employment. These findings shed light on the impact of social networks on the economic choices of households in rural Vietnam, offering valuable insights for policymaking aimed at poverty reduction and enhancing the income-generating capacity of rural families, particularly in the context of rural Vietnam.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103530"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"To milk, or not to milk? Exploring just and sustainable transition pathways for Aotearoa New Zealand's dairy sector","authors":"Milena Bojovic,&nbsp;Andrew McGregor","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103540","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103540","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aotearoa New Zealand's dairy industry is grappling with significant socio-ecological challenges due to increased intensification of production and global demand for its high-quality milk powder. Mounting social, environmental, political, and economic pressures, along with the urgency of addressing climate change impacts, bring attention to the need for policymakers to plan for just and sustainable transitions. This paper draws on the concept of transition pathways from the sustainability transitions literature and concepts of non-human, ecological and cosmopolitan justice from the just food transitions literature, to explore possible futures for the sector. The findings are informed by 60 interviews with key stakeholders across Aotearoa's dairy ecosystem as well as field walks on dairy farms. Three transition pathways were identified: de-intensification, diversification and the development of dairy alternatives (plant-based and precision fermentation). Each is accompanied by a range of justice issues that we discuss in depth. While the applicability of these pathways will vary across contexts, they nonetheless establish a foundational framework for pursuing just and sustainable transitions within Aotearoa's dairy sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103540"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131537","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 tourists change farms: The impact of agritourism on organic farming adoption and local community interaction in the Tyrol-Trentino mountain region","authors":"Giulia Grillini ,&nbsp;Thomas Streifeneder ,&nbsp;Rike Stotten ,&nbsp;Markus Schermer ,&nbsp;Christian Fischer","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103531","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103531","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agritourism, a growing trend in rural tourism, offers various agricultural activities designed to draw visitors to farms. However, the impacts that tourists have on agricultural operations and farm families are still largely undocumented. This study focuses on the mountainous Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion (IT – AT), aiming to explain how agritourism affects farms' adoption of organic production and engagement with local communities as proxies for environmental and social sustainability. We gathered data from 493 farms with and without agritourism through an online survey. A deeper analysis of the 229 agritourism operators, using logistic regression analysis, revealed that activities in agritourism encourages the adoption of organic farming practices, thus aligning with the farm families’ preferences for a more sustainable production. At the same time, hosting, and catering for holiday guests on the farm significantly reduces family free time and decreases the family interactions with the local community. Our findings shed light on the various indirect ways how tourists influence farms and their development strategies, emphasizing the need for further research to understand the broader and lasting effects of this shift from traditional farming to more complex farm settings that include service-oriented activities in rural areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103531"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pathways of displacement: A pan-Canadian perspective on the nature and dynamics of rural and remote homelessness","authors":"Cheryl Forchuk ,&nbsp;Sara Husni ,&nbsp;Leanne Scott ,&nbsp;Richard Booth","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Homelessness is often described as a ‘wicked problem’. It is a complex, ill-defined and seemingly intractable public health crisis, crossing multiple sectors, with no immediate or easy fix. The issue of homelessness in Canada's rural and remote communities remains largely a hidden phenomenon receiving little attention from researchers, policymakers, and government officials. This oversight is alarming in light of the fact that the prevalence of homeless populations in rural and remote areas is significant, with rates equal to or higher than those of urban centres. The aim of this research is to address this knowledge gap by highlighting specific characteristics and contemporary trends of rural and remote homelessness. Understanding the nuances of this context is essential for developing targeted policies and interventions to prevent and reduce homelessness. Focus groups were held with service providers from ten distinct communities across Canada in 2021–2022, spanning five provinces and all three territories, and all falling within the Statistics Canada geographic classification of <em>small population centres</em> on the urban-rural continuum. From the focus groups, data on rural and remote homelessness were classified into the primary categories of who, help, where, and culture/context. Recent challenges, like COVID-19 and changes in the housing market, have significantly altered the conventional factors affecting homelessness in these settings. To decrease homelessness in these communities, a diverse approach is needed accounting for the social, structural, cultural, and contextual elements that influence rural and remote homelessness, instead of applying a blanket solution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103542"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"(Re)enclosure, structural violence and commoning in marine fisheries in the Gulf of Mottama, Myanmar","authors":"Eaindra Theint Theint Thu ,&nbsp;Carl Middleton","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we analyze the dynamics of enclosure and commoning of marine fisheries in the Gulf of Mottama (GOM) of Myanmar, forms of structural violence, and the implications for small-scale fishers' livelihoods. We draw on qualitative and quantitative findings on fisheries livelihoods and resource governance in the GOM collected in 2022, and primary and secondary document analysis. Since Myanmar's independence from Britain, until 2011 there was a progressive commodification and enclosure of marine fisheries. During the semi-civilian government period (2011–2021), the previous national fisheries laws that centralized authority and privileged elites with large commercial fishing boats were replaced with laws that decentralized fisheries governance and established fisheries co-management practices. These laws, together with technical and financial resources from the ‘GOM project’, redistributed – to a degree – power towards local fishing communities. Livelihoods were beginning to improve through commoning of the fisheries and recovery of fish stocks, even as legislative and governance shortcomings remained. The military coup in 2021, however, reversed these gains effectively ending co-management on-the-ground, leading to a re-enclosure of the commons and the reassertion of structural violence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103550"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131510","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":"The blooming of local food councils across Europe and the Americas: Insights on an emerging literature and its divides","authors":"Karine Nunes ,&nbsp;Claire Lamine","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103488","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103488","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Local food councils (LFCs) have been studied through different lenses and different disciplines across the social sciences since their beginning in the 1980s in North America. Given their worldwide expansion, there is a need to assess the current state of knowledge on these local food councils and the potential differences between the North American literature and experiences and those anchored in other contexts, namely Europe and Brazil where they are also quite present. Based on a focused literature review, this paper suggests three analytical entrees that allow for the characterisation of research on local food councils: (i) their functions, in relation to their origins and degrees of institutionalisation; (ii) the way they address the participation and inclusion of various actors of the agri-food system, and especially of local communities and civil society and (iii) their framing of the agri-food transitions. This characterisation gives a richer view of the diversity of local food systems, beyond the most well-known cases of North American food policy councils, which results in a new typology of these experiences, articulating their origins, degrees of institutionalisation and their sets of functions (advising, advocating for change, experimenting, networking, etc.). Moreover, our analysis shows that the way local food councils address the issues of participation and inclusion and frame the agri-food transitions as well as their functions depend upon their specific trajectories and national contexts, and that the way these aspects are tackled by the literature differs across the three world regions included in our review (North America, Brazil and Europe). We overall observe a persistent lack of consideration of power relations and imbalances, of the right to food as well as of systemic perspectives to agri-food transitions. This minimizes local food councils’ potential for promoting and acting to a thick food democracy and for supporting just ecological transitions. Finally, we identify some priorities for further research and action-research such as the need to include more “informal” as well as more rural cases and identify their specificities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103488"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Agrifood policy after Brexit: The growing role of agroecology in Wales","authors":"Bernd Bonfert","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103559","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103559","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The UK's exit from the Common Agricultural Policy has created an opportunity for significant agrifood policy change. In Wales, plans to implement a ‘Community Food Strategy’ promise to lend more support to domestic, community-based, and ecologically sustainable food provision, echoing policy demands made by agroecological organisations. However, The Welsh agrifood system's specialisation around meat production and trade stand in direct opposition to these ambitions.</div><div>This paper analyses the Welsh government's reforms in light of these tensions to explain what achievements and challenges a small, trade-dependent nation faces when attempting to change its agrifood system. It examines policy claims and advocacy activities by agroecological organisations, assesses to what extent the government addresses those claims, and discusses the overall trajectory of Welsh agrifood policy. The paper draws on ‘Foundational Economy’ scholarship to conceptualise agroecology as a socio-ecological innovation capable of informing large-scale sustainability transitions through active citizenship and policy change. Empirical data is drawn from qualitative analyses of policy documents and interviews with agroecological organisations.</div><div>The paper finds that agroecological organisations provide the Welsh Government with arguments, data, and best practices, but struggle to see their more ambitious claims implemented. Thus, while the new policies offer improvements for environmental recovery and horticultural production, they remain limited in scope and unlikely to facilitate a holistic agrifood system transformation. Yet, the government has opportunities to strengthen its policies by introducing stricter transition targets. The paper concludes by discussing general implications for agrifood system change and the strategic challenges of an agroecological transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103559"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Lacking the rural empathy”; Irish farmers' and stakeholders’ opinions on current mental health services and preferences for support","authors":"Sandra M. Malone ,&nbsp;Joseph Firnhaber ,&nbsp;Anna Donnla O'Hagan ,&nbsp;Sinéad O'Keeffe ,&nbsp;John McNamara ,&nbsp;Siobhán O'Connor","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103508","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103508","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Farmers face increased mental health risks such as depression and burnout, yet are less likely to seek professional help, compared to the general population. The reliance on informal support and a lack of rural health services may explain their reluctance to seek professional help. We examined Irish farmers' and stakeholders' descriptions of mental health services and preferences for an intervention. We conducted 17 online interviews with farmers, one online interview and 3 online focus groups with 11 farming stakeholders. Interviews and focus groups were conversational and semi-structured, covering perceptions of available mental health services and preferences for a help-seeking intervention. We analysed data using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified four themes: 1) reliance on informal support, 2) negative perceptions of available mental health services, 3) preferences for tailored mental health support, and 4) farm-centric logistics. Themes 1 and 2 illustrate how farmers prioritise seeking informal support, and how existing health services are ill-suited for farmers. Themes 3 and 4 describe ways that health services and interventions can tailor supports to farmers schedule, communication style, and emotional needs. Our results provide community-informed guidelines for improving current and future mental health service provision for farmers. Irish farmers seek and rely on mental health supports that are most accessible and accommodating for them; and therefore, currently rely on informal family and community support networks. In order to effectively support farmers, mental health services should be community-based to accommodate farmers’ specific cultural and occupational needs. These include accommodating erratic schedules, avoiding stigmatising language, and employing or working with farming community members to support each other.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103508"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143131540","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":"A typology of rural femininity and identity among women coffee producers – A qualitative case study from Costa Rica","authors":"Annelie M. Gütte ,&nbsp;Jana Zscheischler ,&nbsp;Stefan Sieber ,&nbsp;Michelle Chevelev-Bonatti","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gender programing is now a major pillar in combating gender inequality and promoting female empowerment. However, interfering with local gender systems and altering gender norms may be ineffective, perhaps triggering severe consequences for women if it neglects female realities and needs. Nascent research on agricultural femininities is still underdeveloped regarding rural women in the Global South. Investigating coffee cultivation, this study contributes to fill this gap by asking 1) which traits compose the agricultural femininity embodied by female coffee producers, and 2) in how far these entail traditional and/or alternative elements with the potential to transform prevailing gender norms and relations. We apply a qualitative case study, with a participatory community-based approach, in the Zona de Los Santos, Costa Rica. Data comprises semi-structured interviews with women coffee producers participating in the women-supporting program of Bean Voyage, four sequential community workshops, and a reflective Photo Voice project. Data analysis follows a twofold deductive-inductive approach for 1) type-building content analysis and 2) evaluative content analysis. We identify the <em>Cafetalera</em> as the main agricultural femininity embodied by female coffee farmers and three traits of it: <em>Social Caregiver</em>, <em>Female Survivor</em>, and <em>Female Innovator and Entrepreneur</em>. Beyond this, findings show that survivorship (of oppression and crisis) plays a major role in female identity construction, that care is an overarching element of all femininity traits, and that femininities always comprise a mixture of alternative and traditional characteristics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"114 ","pages":"Article 103560"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143132326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}