Journal of Rural Studies最新文献

{"title":"Empowering Sub-Saharan farmers: The transformative effect of mobile money in agriculture","authors":"Serge Stéphane Ky","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103637","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the adoption of digital financial services among farmers in 25 Sub-Saharan African economies using data from the World Bank's Global Findex 2021. Applying a logit model, we find that farmers are more likely to adopt mobile money accounts than non-farmers, particularly in rural areas. However, the adoption rate remains below 30 %, highlighting the limited transformative effect of mobile money on financial inclusion. Moreover, we find that farmers primarily use mobile money for saving, borrowing, receiving remittances, and digital payments. Additionally, disadvantaged groups such as female and less educated individuals are likely to use mobile money for borrowing and remittances, offering pathways to strengthen agricultural livelihoods. Interestingly, our results show that mobile money adoption and usage are higher in countries that introduced the service more recently, suggesting that late adopters leverage mobile money services more intensively. These findings, robust to propensity score matching and inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment methods, provide actionable insights for policymakers to promote digital financial inclusion and agricultural resilience across the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 103637"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143679643","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 transformation in the context of climate change: Beyond the incremental-transformational divide","authors":"Ruth Nettle,&nbsp;Margaret Ayre,&nbsp;Nicole Reichelt,&nbsp;Michael Santhanam-Martin,&nbsp;Andre Vikas","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103628","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effectively supporting farm transformation in the face of climate change requires improved understanding of the processes involved in the practices of farm transformation or farm system redesign. This paper presents a case study of farm transformations in the dairy sector in Australia. We interviewed twenty-three dairy farmers (from nineteen farms) and nineteen service providers in two regions about their decisions to move from a grazing-based to more intensified feeding systems including permanently housed production systems. These farm system transformations are highly contentious; however, we use these transformations as an explanatory case from which to develop theory about what the practices of transformation entail. Located in the socio-ecological resilience literature and applying a conceptual framework that integrates social practice theory and the multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions, we explore the practices involved in transformational processes and what accelerates or stalls them. We found that transformation is a phased process with each phase having different features and challenges. ‘Starting’ processes were catalysed by water resource policy, extreme weather events, milk market conditions or farm succession and other workforce changes. These conditions also influenced whether changes, having been explored, were put on hold, terminated, revised or put in motion. ‘Redesigning the farm system’ involved reshaping an established network or system of dairy farming practices, while ‘Sustaining the transformation’ was influenced by what was relevant and possible within the regional context. While a dairy farming system that has been transformed retains similar practices such as cow care and feeding, the practice elements and links to other practices outside dairying, including the key actors and sociocultural conditions, change significantly. Our findings contribute to an improved conceptualisation of the transformative process in farming. Firstly, by showing that processes commonly defined as incremental adaptation are not separate or lesser to transformative processes but integral to transformation. Secondly, that understanding change through the lens of practice within a multi-level perspective allows policy makers to better anticipate farm changes and their consequences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103628"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143680094","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":"Understanding the impact of identity and socio-economic factors on the adoption of soil conservation practices: Empirical evidence from Australia","authors":"Salini Khuraijam ,&nbsp;Heidi Wechtler ,&nbsp;Vaughan Higgins ,&nbsp;Balaji Seshadri","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While intensifying agricultural practices have addressed rising food demands, it has also contributed to declining soil health. Existing studies often overlook the internal factors influencing decision-making, focusing solely on external socio-economic influences. This paper extends beyond a traditional economic utility maximising framework by incorporating an identity-based utility. It addresses this gap by investigating the joint impact of farmer identity, socio-economic factors, and perceived risk aversion on farmer adoption behaviour. Utilising a survey dataset of 494 Australian farmers, we employ principal component analysis to find three farmer identities: Productivist, Conservationist and Socially-conscious. These identities are subsequently incorporated into a multivariate probit model using an identity utility framework to examine their influence on the adoption of five distinct soil conservation practices. The results show that identity can independently affect farmers’ probability of adopting soil conservation practices. However, its effect varies across different types of soil conservation practices. Our findings highlight the importance of identity alongside established factors like risk aversion, rainfall patterns, age, and attendance of training and demonstrations in shaping farmer decisions about soil conservation practices. This research illuminates the crucial role of farmer identity in shaping soil conservation decision-making, complementing existing studies focused solely on external factors. Understanding this multi-faceted interplay will equip policy-makers and stakeholders with a more comprehensive framework to encourage sustainable agricultural practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103636"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143654472","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":"Connecting the farmers' knowledge and behaviors: Detection of influencing factors to sustainable cultivated land protection in Thiès Region, Senegal","authors":"Bonoua Faye ,&nbsp;Guoming Du ,&nbsp;Yuheng Li ,&nbsp;Quanfeng Li ,&nbsp;Jeanne Colette Diène ,&nbsp;Edmée Mbaye ,&nbsp;Rakhwe kama","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ongoing degradation of cultivated land and the decline in soil fertility in Senegal underscore the urgent need for targeted and sustainable interventions. While existing research has predominantly focused on natural factors such as water and wind erosion and soil salinity, a significant research gap exists in understanding how farmers' knowledge and behaviors—particularly concerning land policies and titling—affect cultivated land protection efforts. Addressing this research gap, our study employs an endogenous switching model to analyze the determinants of cultivated land protection and to understand the behaviors and knowledge of farming households in the Thiès region. Our findings reveal that education and awareness of land policies play pivotal roles in determining whether farmers receive assistance, which in turn impacts both the protection of cultivated land and its size. Formal land title deeds and clear land ownership significantly influence these outcomes, highlighting the importance of legal frameworks and investment in effective land management practices. Additionally, the evolution of farmland and the practice of crop rotation emerge as key factors distinguishing those who receive help from those who do not. The study further demonstrates that the age and gender of farmers influence their perceptions of land protection, impacting the process of adopting land management practices. These results emphasize the vital roles of formal education, secure land ownership, and policy awareness in improving land management practices. Future research should extend these findings by investigating the effectiveness of specific policy interventions aimed at improving land tenure security and providing education on land management. Moreover, qualitative research could explore the underlying reasons behind farmers' perceptions and behaviors regarding land policies, offering a deeper understanding of the factors influencing cultivated land protection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103634"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143637502","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":"‘Actually existing alternatives’: The value practices of local food business strategies","authors":"Denise Misleh","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103629","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103629","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103629"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628308","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 supply of labour to the green industries in Sweden: Inequality and dependence among workers and","authors":"Irma Olofsson,&nbsp;Linda Lundmark","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sweden's green industries along with public agencies have for a long-time expressed concern over labour shortage as a consequence of the depopulation of rural areas. Agriculture and forestry have seen increased employment of migrant workers which has been accredited to this shortage, especially in parts of the production that is accentuated by manual work and seasonality. Just as in the wild berry industry, these workers often face precarious conditions in Sweden. However, the solutions to the labour shortage are described differently by different stakeholders.</div><div>This paper explores how different stakeholders on the Swedish labour market describe their need for labour within the greens industries, particularly the spatiality of the labour demands and the green commodity chain. Interviews are made with trade unions, state agencies, municipalities, and employers. In addition, policy documents and public statistics form the backdrop to the research. We identify four main themes in the narratives: Migrant labour is dominant; Agreement that it’s not easy to recruit, but the reasons why differ: The attractiveness of the industry; A growing distance between resources and industries. In conclusion, the green industries have on a structural plane chosen to solve their labour supply, which is shaped by contemporary globalization, but also that solutions can be multifaceted and dependent on the employers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103631"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620464","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":"Engaging in rural spaces: A conceptual exploration of customer relationships in rural and in-the-rural entrepreneurship","authors":"Tersoo Shitile ,&nbsp;Dimitrios Syrrakos ,&nbsp;Lotanna Emediegwu","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103626","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103626","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The paper explores the relationship between relational entrepreneurial ecosystems and customer engagement in <em>rural</em> and <em>in-the-rural</em> entrepreneurship. This study recognises rural entrepreneurship as a catalyst for innovation and resilience, analysing the role of customer engagement in promoting innovation and business viability. The study integrates Korsgaard et al.'s rural entrepreneurship model, ecosystem theory, and Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic) to offer a fresh perspective on growth trajectories. It highlights the significance of the depth and quality of entrepreneur-customer relationships. It posits that consumer engagement minimises the constraint of rural entrepreneurship, promoting sustained innovation and socio-economic gains. Policymakers should consider augmenting consumer engagement activities via national (e.g., UK's Rural England Prosperity Fund) and regional (e.g., Scotland's Rural Entrepreneurial Support Strategy) policies, supporting digital infrastructure and business development programmes. Entrepreneurship support providers and rural entrepreneurs should prioritise customer engagement strategies to improve the effectiveness of rural entrepreneurial ecosystems, especially in resource-constrained settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103626"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143620465","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":"“This year, the weather is like it used to be in our times”: Experiencing climate change in the context of rural ageing in the Czech Republic","authors":"Vojtěch Pelikán,&nbsp;Lucie Galčanová Batista","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103633","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The various contexts in which the intersection of rural ageing and the experience of climate change takes place remain understudied. In our paper, we draw on a qualitative analysis of 40 in-depth interviews collected in 2021 with older (between 54 and 85 years old) long-term residents from two rural regions in the Czech Republic, representing a post-socialist, relatively climate-sceptic society. We address how participants interpret their life-long environmental experiences in the context of accelerating climate change. Our analysis focuses on four issues, which are reflected in the interviews – (1) the collapse of spruce forests, (2) decreasing snow cover, (3) long-term drought, and (4) extreme storms. These issues inspire various repertoires, which participants use to make sense of these occurrences. The findings reveal that research participants often simplify the causes of changes they have experienced, preferring familiar, concrete explanations over abstract scientific knowledge. While experiential knowledge plays a central role, it does not necessarily lead to heightened climate change awareness. Instead, pre-existing beliefs or values significantly affect how climate-related events and processes are interpreted. Contrary to expectations, the volume and proximity of experiences do not imply higher sensitivity to climate change. Besides age-related differences, the study highlights regional discrepancies in climate change perceptions, with participants in South Moravia acknowledging their vulnerability and expressing greater openness to climate adaptations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103633"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799782","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":"Policy discourses on homecare services for rural older people in Ireland: Spatial and age-based drivers of narratives and absences","authors":"Jianmei Zhou ,&nbsp;Kieran Walsh ,&nbsp;Marie Mahon ,&nbsp;Nat O'Connor","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Research highlights significant inequalities in the provision of homecare in rural communities. However, less is known about how these inequalities are rooted within existing policies and policy discourse, and to what degree values and assumptions related to spatial constructions or age-related constructions are driving these inequalities. This article presents a critical review of how homecare for rural dwelling older people is framed in policy and policy-related materials to assess the underpinning values in relation to related representations and discourses. Using Ireland as an illustrative case, a critical discourse analysis approach was employed that was informed by spatial justice and ageism as conceptual perspectives. Analysis focused on 53 documents that captured official policy, policy-related material and the broader narrative context of Ireland's policy landscape. A discourse of fragmentation and absence emerged as the overarching discursive theme regarding home care for rural older people in Ireland. However, this narrative was interwoven with and reinforced by a complex array of discourse framings that are layered across rural, ageing and care polices, including: a rural de-prioritization of ageing and older adults; a care and ageing subordination of rural contexts; economic-oriented development; and all-age-inclusion. Findings are discussed with respect to a rural spatial ageism, and the future of homecare reform in Ireland.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103630"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143799781","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":"Repeasantization and synergy between community-based tourism and family farming","authors":"Jordi Gascón ,&nbsp;Ernest Cañada","doi":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103627","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103627","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Community-based tourism has emerged as a potential element in the pluriactivity strategies of farmers. Its impact on the local economy and population structure has sparked considerable debate. Some case studies have shown that it can contribute to de-peasantization, foster internal conflict or exacerbate socioeconomic disparities. By contrast, other studies suggest that it helps sustain peasant economies in crisis. In such cases, it is usually argued that the income generated from tourism plays a vital role in supporting the financial sustainability of peasant households (i.e. complementarity). However, the present paper asks whether, under certain circumstances, tourism can also drive the development of agricultural activity (i.e. synergy) and, consequently, encourage processes of repeasantization. The conclusion of the present study is that it can and does. That said, the synergy between agritourism and family farming requires two preconditions: 1) both the agricultural resources and the resources available for tourism activity are under the control of the local population; and 2) there exist mechanisms for the collective management of these resources. The paper centres on a comparative study of two rural communities in Latin America: one located in the southern region of the Peruvian Andes, and the other located in southern Costa Rica. The research, which has been ethnographic in nature, took place over a long period of time: three decades and one decade, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17002,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Rural Studies","volume":"116 ","pages":"Article 103627"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143579523","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}