Journal of Rural Studies最新文献

{"title":"Bridging systems thinking mindsets and farm management: The role of agricultural conservation planning in farmers’ adoption of conservation practices","authors":"Junyu Lu ,&nbsp;Sarah P. Church ,&nbsp;Pranay Ranjan ,&nbsp;Emily M. Usher ,&nbsp;Linda S. Prokopy","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Increasing the level of conservation efforts is crucial to achieving the goals of improving water quality and climate change adaptation. This study aims to investigate the influence of systems thinking and conservation planning on the adoption of agricultural conservation practices using farmers' survey data (N = 1008) in three watersheds in Indiana, U.S. We found that farmers who were systems thinkers were more likely to adopt multiple conservation practices than non-systems thinkers. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge that not all farmers exhibit systems thinking tendencies; for both systems thinkers and non-systems thinkers, our findings underscore the pivotal role of conservation planning facilitated by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in promoting farmers' conservation behaviors. Specifically, farmers who had a conservation plan demonstrated a higher likelihood of adopting cover crops, conservation tillage (marginal evidence), a nutrient management plan, filter strips/other buffers, and most notably, adopting multiple conservation practices than farmers without a conservation plan. This study also reveals the process of how systems thinking, seeking and/or using information, and conservation plan adoption influence the adoption of multiple conservation practices using structural equation modeling. Further, we contend that the nine-step conservation planning process with the support of a well-trained professional conservationist represents a more advanced and science-based form of systems thinking process beyond farmers' typical thinking in farm management. This process can offer farmers guidance for continued maintenance of conservation systems in the field and promote a system-based farming approach by integrating multiple practices, regardless of whether the farmers were systems thinkers or not. This study provides valuable insights and practical implications for outreach and educators in using the conservation planning process to engage deeply with farmers, nurture farmers’ systems-thinking mindset, and facilitate a system-based farming approach.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103372"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142117368","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":"Farmers and their data: Evaluating the swiss conception of data sharing through the lens of digital farming","authors":"Linda Reissig ,&nbsp;Leanne Wiseman ,&nbsp;Marianne Cockburn","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Digitalisation has changed agricultural production and will continue to do so. Although digital technology promises to increase the efficiency, productivity and environmental friendliness of agriculture while improving the work-life balance of farmers, new digital farming technologies come with potential negatives, such as privacy and security concerns. In recognition of that fact data is a fundamental part of digital adoption in the agricultural sector, this article analyses Swiss farmers perceptions of data sharing. We apply the Responsible Research on Innovation (RRI) approach to anticipate and discuss farmers' legal and political perspectives on agricultural data and data sharing. These form the foundation of and thus the key to digitalisation in agriculture. Based on a review of the literature and two exploratory interviews on the broader regulatory context of data sharing, Swiss data regulation and management were included as background to this work. This paper, further explores in detail the relationship between farmers' attitudes towards data sharing and their relatively low adoption of digital technologies. Such an analysis is valuable as it provides us with the farmers' perspective on data use and regulations in Switzerland which, though not an EU country, has its own high data-protection standards. More specifically, we assessed Swiss farmers’ perceptions of agricultural data sharing with public and private entities and placed these perceptions within the broader Swiss framework for data regulation. This was accomplished by a survey of 939 randomly selected farmers in the German- and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. From the Swiss farming perspective, we discuss how innovation can respond to societal needs. We conclude that the concerns, risks and vulnerabilities that Swiss famers are currently experiencing with regard to their farm data need to be addressed through a broader regulatory reform of Swiss agricultural data protection if digital farming is to achieve its full potential in Switzerland.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103390"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142097655","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":"Farm adaptive business strategies in crisis management: COVID-19","authors":"Peter Gittins ,&nbsp;Gerard McElwee","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103393","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103393","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The global COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted businesses worldwide, with rural businesses being no exception. This study examines the effects of the global crisis on upland farmers in England. It builds on the under-researched area of constrained rural entrepreneurship. Institutional theory is applied as a theoretical lens to understand how crisis events shape the constrained institutional contexts in which farm businesses strategically navigate. Using a qualitative, multiple case study approach, we explore how different farmers, traditionalist and entrepreneurial, have strategically responded to the aftermath of crisis-influenced constraints. Our findings highlight the importance of business strategy—particularly farm diversification—in helping farmers navigate these challenges. We provide a conceptual framework, the Farm Crisis Adaptation Framework, (FCAF) that theorizes farmer adaptation strategies in response to crisis situations. Our findings indicate a greater needed for rural policymakers to help develop the strategic entrepreneurship skillsets of farmers—helping farmers to future-proof their businesses against uncertainties. Moreover, investment is needed in the local and regional economy, establishing a conducive environment supportive of farm development strategies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103393"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142097657","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 coupling characteristics and influencing factors of the \"homestead-cultivated land system\" in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of China: A farmer perspective","authors":"Lulu Zhou ,&nbsp;Kangchuan Su ,&nbsp;Qingyuan Yang ,&nbsp;Guohua Bi ,&nbsp;Hongji Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103383","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103383","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Homesteads and cultivated land are crucial elements of the rural territorial system. Their coupling characteristics and changing patterns are essential for understanding the evolution of rural human-land systems and for developing coordinated rural development strategies. This study takes Huilong Village and Pingba Village in the TGRR, employing methods such as GIS spatial analysis, comprehensive index evaluation, coupling coordination degree model, and geographic detector model. The analysis focuses on the coupling characteristics and influencing factors of the “HCS” in these villages and proposes optimization strategies to provide scientific guidance for village planning, selection of high-quality rural development paths, and strategy design. The main findings are as follows: (1) The spatial distribution of homesteads and cultivated land in typical villages exhibits clear traffic directionality. The spatial coupling of the “HCS” demonstrates significant convergent evolution and adjacent distribution characteristics. (2) The utilization coupling of the “HCS” in Huilong Village and Pingba Village is predominantly high, with 98.72% and 94.62% of farmers, respectively, being highly coupled. However, the degree of coupling coordination is mostly barely coordinated. (3) The primary factors influencing the coordinated development of the “HCS” in the study area include the utilization conditions of homestead and cultivated land, labor status, and economic status. These factors can be categorized into four types: labor factor restrictions, nonagricultural development disturbance, agricultural development, and lagging farming conditions. Differentiated development strategies are proposed for each type. This research enhances the understanding of the coupling between homestead land and cultivated land, offering valuable insights for regional village planning, high-quality development path selection, and government decision-making.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103383"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142097656","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":"Adapting rural communities to climate change: The undervalued potential of agricultural land","authors":"Ondřej Konečný ,&nbsp;Ondřej Šerý ,&nbsp;Tomáš Zavadil ,&nbsp;Barbora Duží ,&nbsp;Alice Kozumplíková ,&nbsp;Jakub Trojan ,&nbsp;Stanislav Martinát ,&nbsp;Radek Novák ,&nbsp;Ondřej Kotek ,&nbsp;Jiří Lehejček","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103391","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rural municipalities in the Czech Republic (central Europe) are important owners of agricultural land, which, if managed appropriately, can be a means of reducing the local impacts of climate change. Previous research has not paid enough attention to rural municipal approaches to farmland management and their role in addressing local climate impacts. The aim of this paper is thus to capture the possible approaches and roles of municipalities in reducing the local impacts of climate change and to show how municipalities, as significant landowners, respond to these impacts. The research is based on semistructured interviews with representatives of rural municipalities and these results are further triangulated through focus groups with farmers in three model areas with different climatic and natural conditions for agriculture. The results showed that rural community leaders are generally unwilling to farm their agricultural land. They mostly lease land to farmers but at the same time do not understand the potential of tenancy agreements to influence farming to mitigate the impacts of climate change locally. Although the communities do not have a systematic and strategic approach to climate adaptation measures, the findings showed the implementation of a range of activities that effectively respond to climate change. Finally, the potential for strengthening governance and consequently rural sustainability lies in systematic counselling to leaders and communities and institutional support.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 103391"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142097654","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":"Skill acquisition within a (more-than-human) community of practice: A study of beekeeping in Punjab, India","authors":"Trent Brown ,&nbsp;Catherine Phillips ,&nbsp;Syed Shoaib Ali","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Understanding learning processes involved in sustainable rural transitions requires theories that recognise learning as a complex, socio-ecologically situated phenomenon. Communities of practice theory provides a socially embedded account of learning processes. It suggests that joining communities of practice and developing an identity as a practitioner provides a motivational and pedagogical framework within which learning can occur. Yet, we contend that understanding the complex situational factors at work in acquiring skills requires attention be paid to identities and relations beyond those currently recognised in communities of practice theory. Through a study of beekeepers’ skill acquisition in the Indian Punjab, we show how practitioners mobilise diverse identities that are relevant to learning, motivation, and belonging and not only their identities as (aspiring) practitioners. In Punjab, gendered, religious, and caste-inflected identities are particularly important. We also show that the communities in which learners are embedded consist not only of human practitioners but involve an array of entities and forces that enable, constrain, and share in learning and practice. For beekeepers, learning is a deeply social and ecological process, involving and conditioning human and nonhuman contributions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 103358"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016724001621/pdfft?md5=3b61605a41671fe95e6b91f4ab9a791b&pid=1-s2.0-S0743016724001621-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141951096","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 potential effects of climate change on subsistence farmers’ wellbeing in tropical (sub)montane homegardens. A case study on Mount Kilimanjaro","authors":"Martin Watts ,&nbsp;Craig Hutton ,&nbsp;Abel Paul ,&nbsp;Natalie Suckall ,&nbsp;Kelvin S.-H. Peh","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tropical agroforestry systems support the wellbeing of millions of subsistence farmers. Owing to their ecosystem services, these agricultural systems are often advocated in government, policy, and literature as a potential adaptation to climate change measure despite emerging evidence that agroforestry systems could succumb to climate change. While the agroecological impacts of climate change on tropical agroforests are becoming increasingly apparent, few studies investigate the impacts on farmers’ wellbeing. This study empirically analyses how a potentially warmer and drier future climate could affect the wellbeing of subsistence farmers in a homegarden agroforestry system.</p><p>We employed a space-for-time climate analogue analysis approach based on the variation in altitude proxying for changes in climate on the lower southeast slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro to examine the climate effect on provisioning ecosystem services and farmers' wellbeing. To guide our study, we developed an interdisciplinary framework for understanding how changes in climate pressures can impact farmers within tropical agroforests by considering effects on the system's social and ecological components, ecosystem services, and farmers' wellbeing. A mixed-method approach was used to statistically analyse the variation in farming households' wellbeing in the homegardens and qualitatively understand the underlying mechanisms.</p><p>Overall, the change in climate conditions reduced the homegarden's natural capital stock, e.g., livestock fodder, and productivity, negatively affecting farmers' wellbeing. For example, farmers under the warmer and drier climate conditions were less likely to consume the three daily meals required for a good life (<em>OR = 0.441, P &lt; 0.05</em>). Farmers who supplemented their homegarden crop production using dryland agriculture were less vulnerable to climate effects. However, this strategy relies on farmers' sustained access to expensive productive assets, i.e., agrochemicals and farmland, which could become challenging under climate change. Our findings are significant because 1) they indicate that farmers' wellbeing could decline under climate change, and 2) they evidence that tropical agroforestry systems can still be vulnerable to climate effects despite their advocacy in climate adaptation scholarship. We suggest that policymakers utilise current climate financing oppertunities to assist farmers in adapting their homegarden to climate change, for example, by establishing climate-resilient fodder and crops.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 103346"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016724001505/pdfft?md5=9cd0356c78b2847a167871d877b39b19&pid=1-s2.0-S0743016724001505-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882592","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":"Wine grape grower perceptions and attitudes about soil health","authors":"Noelymar Gonzalez-Maldonado ,&nbsp;Mallika A. Nocco ,&nbsp;Kerri Steenwerth ,&nbsp;Amanda Crump ,&nbsp;Cristina Lazcano","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103373","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103373","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Developing and adopting strategies that preserve soil health from degradation due to drastic changes in climate is critical for securing sustainable viticulture. For example, healthy soils promote water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and retention functions that support grape production. However, little research has evaluated drivers of growers' decision-making processes and actions towards soil management practices that impact soil health in vineyards. The objective of this study was to assess wine grape growers' perceptions and attitudes of soil health to identify grower's most important soil health functions and definition, and to understand how these might influence behavior related to soil management practices. Therefore, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 wine grape growers understand current barriers, motivations, and opportunities for adopting and/or maintaining practices for building soil health in vineyards. Most growers described healthy vineyard soils as balanced, biodiverse, self-sustaining, and resilient systems that provide nutrient, and water cycling functions and support high-quality wine grape production. Three categories of growers emerged based on soil health attitudes including Early Adopter (n = 3), Early Majority (n = 4) and Late Majority (n = 9) groups. The main barriers for adoption and maintenance of soil health practices were high costs, potential economic risks, and lack of information on how these practices influence grape production especially for the Late Majority group. Most growers were willing to adopt more soil heath practices if additional specific, practical information could be provided on outcomes of soil health practices for wine grape production systems—especially economic benefits. The outcomes of this study guide future soil health research and outreach activities to better support growers in building and protecting vineyard soil health while achieving viticultural goals.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 103373"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016724001773/pdfft?md5=07ea25acac0c18eebc217ae54a523367&pid=1-s2.0-S0743016724001773-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141963921","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":"Tipping points and farmer decision-making in European permanent grassland (PG) agricultural systems","authors":"Sophie Tindale ,&nbsp;Yiying Cao ,&nbsp;Shan Jin ,&nbsp;Olivia Green ,&nbsp;Michael Burd ,&nbsp;Victoria Vicario-Modrono ,&nbsp;Natasha Alonso ,&nbsp;Sydney Clingo ,&nbsp;Rosa Gallardo-Cobos ,&nbsp;Pedro Sanchez-Zamora ,&nbsp;Erik Hunter ,&nbsp;Simona Miskolci ,&nbsp;Gabriele Mack ,&nbsp;Nadja El Benni ,&nbsp;Martina Spoerri ,&nbsp;Samantha Outhwaite ,&nbsp;John Elliott ,&nbsp;Paul Newell- Price ,&nbsp;Lynn J. Frewer","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103364","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103364","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Permanent grasslands (PG) provide multifunctional ecosystem services (ES) in Europe and globally, which are threatened by both increased farming intensity and land use change in marginal areas. Farm management decisions can represent critical thresholds, or behavioural “tipping points”, in the agricultural system. Decisions are influenced by a combination of agronomic, policy and social factors. Transformation of PG systems can be facilitated through positive tipping points and relevant policy implementation to ensure sustainable PG systems. The aim of this research was to understand the drivers of decisions regarding land use changes and management towards critical positive and negative tipping points across five biogeographic zones in Europe. Interview methodology assessed farmers’ preferences and priorities regarding the adoption of sustainable PG systems. Participants were selected from five case study countries, each representing a different biogeographic zone in Europe (Continental/Pannonian: Czech Republic, Boreal: Sweden, Mediterranean: Spain, Alpine: Switzerland, and Atlantic: UK). The sample also covered three farming intensity types within these biogeographic zones: high input/intensive conventional farms (≥1.0 LU/ha); low input/extensive conventional farms (&lt;1.0 LU/ha); and certified organic farms. In total, 373 farm interviews were obtained from the case study countries between October 2020 and October 2021. The analysis focuses on drivers of change and considers tipping points across these countries, considering case studies of land use changes (specifically land abandonment) and land management practices (specifically changes in stocking rates). The most common reasons for PG management changes towards either intensification or extensification were economic. Farmers require policy support to increase provision of non-market ES, while rebalancing subsidies can deliver environmental ES at scale through abandonment (e.g., through the creation of specific habitats that support some threatened species). Agri-environment schemes (AES)and subsidies could be more flexible to allow farmers to better adapt grassland management to local production conditions and unpredictable circumstances such as droughts, floods, or market shocks. To maintain PG that delivers more goods and services, financial compensation for ES delivery was perceived to be the most significant support mechanism needed, while easier access to ES provision expertise through extension or consultancy services is considered important factor.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 103364"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0743016724001682/pdfft?md5=6090d04a3d231090b1097e3985d5b0fe&pid=1-s2.0-S0743016724001682-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141882593","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":"Smallholder farmers’ diverse values in maize landrace conservation: A case study from Chiapas, Mexico","authors":"Ana Sofía Monroy-Sais ,&nbsp;Daniel Tobin ,&nbsp;Mauricio R. Bellon ,&nbsp;Marta Astier ,&nbsp;Angélica Cibrián-Jaramillo ,&nbsp;Nancy Gálvez-Reyes ,&nbsp;Alicia Mastretta-Yanes ,&nbsp;Jorge Ruiz-Arocho ,&nbsp;Ana Wegier ,&nbsp;Yolanda H. Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conservation of maize landraces in the Mexico center of origin is critical for sustainable agriculture. However, farmers in many regions of Mexico are reducing landraces for more modern maize varieties, particularly hybrid maize. The reasons why farmers choose to maintain maize landraces have been recently recognized to be strongly linked to their specific values (i.e., intrinsic, instrumental, and relational values). However, there is a lack of studies that empirically investigate the nuances of farmers' specific values and how these values are adequately considered in broad agricultural policies. Using a mixed-methods case study based in indigenous and <em>mestizo</em> communities in Chiapas, Mexico, we analyzed farmers' maize production strategies, how those strategies connect to farmers’ value orientations, and the limitations that they confront in enacting such values. We found that households within both indigenous and <em>mestizo</em> communities fell into one of three categories regarding their maize production: 1) hybrid maize production for market sales, 2) landrace production for household consumption, and 3) a combination of these two strategies. All farmers hold a diversity of values in which mostly instrumental and relational values were mentioned among the three groups of farmers, who emphasized the livelihood and subsistence value of maize. Value differences for farmers who prioritize the cultivation of maize landraces were related to the strength of relational values, such as the biocultural diversity and heritage value of maize. In contrast, the farmers relying on hybrid varieties were the ones confronting the most limitations to their maize production, particularly economic limitations. Based on our empirical findings, we conclude that policies aimed at promoting the conservation of landraces must extend beyond a purely economic and market-oriented approach. The current policy emphasis on instrumental values is likely to fall short in achieving the desired outcomes since it does not sufficiently foster plural values that underpin the continued production of maize landraces.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"110 ","pages":"Article 103347"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141979585","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}