Ruralis Brage
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Dreaming of a Smallholding
Get PDF-The article examines a phenomenon associated with the rural idyll – the dream of becoming the owner of a smallholding in the countryside. Much research and policy concern in Norway have focused upon rural–urban migration trends and the consequences of the urbanisation process on the sustainability of rural communities. Less attention has been given to the counter trend, that is, urban dwellers searching for a better quality of life in the countryside. The article is based on data from a Norwegian national survey and analyses a question measuring respondents' interest in buying a smallholding. The analysis involves an estimation of a regression model to determine which demographic, socioeconomic and attitudinal variables influence people's interest in buying a smallholding. Further, we were interested in their plans for the smallholding (farming, residence, second home) and the kind of influences these potential new smallholding owners might have on rural communities. Three categories of potential smallholders are identified: aspiring farmers, country-life lovers and recreation seekers. The results indicate that those who live in urban areas are more interested in buying a smallholding than those already living in rural areas
Understanding Farmers' Aesthetic Preference for Tidy Agricultural Landscapes: A Bourdieusian Perspective
Get PDF-Studies of landscape aesthetics based on photographic assessment indicate that farmers have a unique perspective—seeing beauty in the same ordered and controlled arable agricultural landscapes that almost all other publics find monotonous and boring. This paper uses Bourdieu's theory of capital to explore why farmers hold this perspective. Interpretations farmers place on ‘tidy’ features such as straight lines and evenly coloured fields were explored through a cross-cultural study between Germany and Scotland. Results show how farmers ‘read’ agricultural landscapes for signs of skilled farming, and how their interpretation is dependent on knowledge of the connection between efficient farming practices and the appearance of forms and colours in the fields. The implications of agricultural landscape aesthetics for the development of cultural and social capital are discussed
Building 'cowshed cultures': A cultural perspective on the promotion of stockmanship and animal welfare on dairy farms
Get PDF-Improving animal welfare is an important part of the development of the agricultural industry, particularly
at a time when intensification and the encroachment of factory-style production systems is
making the maintenance of human-animal relations increasingly difficult. Animal science deals with the
issue of improving stockmanship by focusing on the relationships between attitudes and behaviour,
under the premise that improved attitudes will lead to improved behaviour. From an analysis of 42
interviews with owners, sharemilkers and workers on dairy farms in New Zealand we present a different
view, seeing behaviour instead as part of a self-reinforcing culture in which animals, humans and the
physical structure all contribute to the development of farm specific ways of doing and being.We further
suggest that changing one stockperson’s attitude alone is insufficient to ensure a change in the culture as
other actors e including animals and non-human actors e reinforce any existing culture that has
developed, making both attitudinal and behavioural change difficult. We conclude by discussing the key
importance of designing farm systems and structures that promote positive interactions between
animals and humans and suggest that this, rather than simply promoting knowledge and attitudinal
change, is likely to be the most effective way of maintaining stockmanship in the face of an industrialising
agriculture
Diversification and the Entrepreneurial Motivations of Farmers in Norway
Get PDF-A series of significant pressures but also new opportunities face the agricultural sector in developed economies. Farm diversification is presented as a political solution and a viable business strategy and highlights the entrepreneurial side of farmers. This paper is a unique attempt to address the question of motivation for farm diversification using Norwegian data. The results demonstrate that social motivations are as important as economic motivations, that is, there are substantial differences in which motivations underpin different types of diversification. This suggests, first, that the literature could gain from engaging more in the variation of motivational drivers than general trends, and second, that farmers need different forms of support to develop their entrepreneurial skills. With a data set derived from a large survey (N = 1607) of Norwegian farm holdings, we use a multinomial logistic regression model to analyze how six farm diversification categories are differently influenced by different types of motivations and other background variables
Flere kvinner i styrerom - katalysator for profesjonalisering av styrearbeid?
Get PDF-tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning
200
Innledning
Da Stortinget i 2003 vedtok at det skulle være
minimum 40 prosent kvinner i allmennaksjesel-
skapenes (ASA) styrer innen 2008, vedtok styret
i Norsk Landbrukssamvirke at deres organisa-
sjoner skulle oppfylle samme krav innen styre-
valgene i 2009. Fra 2003 til 2009 økte kvinnean-
delen blant eiervalgte
medlemmer i landbruks-
samvirkets styrer fra 17 til 39 prosent. For Norsk
Landbrukssamvirke handlet dette om å være
i
forkant
av et tilsvarende lovpålegg for samvirke-
organiserte selskaper. I tillegg var det et ønske
om å fremstå som en moderne organisasjon som
kunne sammenlignes med næringslivet for
øvrig. Slik ville landbrukssamvirket frigjøre seg
fra gubbestempelet som hefter ved landbruks-
relatert virksomhet (Bjørkhaug 2011). Langs
debatten om kvotering av kvinner til styrer løp
det også en diskusjon om profesjonalisering av
styre- og ledelsesarbeid
ellers, både i Norge og
internasjonalt (Huse 2007). I nyere tid har ram-
mene for styrearbeid endret seg gjennom for-
malisering av rutiner og praksiser, og en kan si
at styrearbeid har blitt profesjonalisert. Denne
artikkelen diskuterer hvorvidt man kan si at en
mer balansert kjønnssamme
nsetning har bidratt
til profesjonalisering av arbeidet i styrene, og
hvordan dette i så fall har skjedd. Analysene
baseres på observasjon av styremøter og dybde-
intervjuer med kvinner og menn med styreverv i
fire utvalgte styrer innenfor landbrukssamvirket
og dreier seg om styremedlemmenes erfaringer
med at flere kvinner komm
er inn i styrene, hvor-
dan styrearbeidet utføres og har endret seg over
tid, og hvilken betydning kjønn har i styre-
rommet
Defining terms for integrated (multi-inter-trans-disciplinary)sustainability research
Get PDF-Our contemporary social and ecological problems, including climate change, peak oil and food security, necessitate solutions informed by multiple backgrounds that singular disciplines seem unable to provide, and possibly, are even incapable of providing. The increasing occurrence of multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary (MIT) research projects speak to the recognition of that necessity. But as the literature and our own experiences bear out, just calling a project “beyond disciplinary” or integrated does not necessarily yield the intended outcomes or make progress toward alleviating the hurdles of bridging disciplines. Here we examine the distinctions between three categories (multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary) of integrated research and offer reflections on how sustainability researchers can categorize their research to improve common understandingsNew Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technolog
Stability and variety - Products, organization and institutionalization in farm tourism
Get PDFProducts, collective organization and institutions are factors that shape farm tourism. The aim of this paper is to present new knowledge of the way these factors are designed and provide lessons for management in the sector. Research findings to date suggest these factors are varied but similarities within findings exist. However, while there have been a number of studies on the importance of each of the factors, few studies focus on the combined impact of them. This study attempts to go some way toward filling this knowledge gap. The empirical cases for the study are derived from three European locations: two regions in the Alps: North Tyrol in Austria and South Tyrol in Italy, and Norway. The breadth and variety of the product range differ. We also find clear contrasts between the cases when it comes to the structure of farm tourism organizations. However, the goals of the organizations are quite similar emphasizing three types of tasks: marketing, competence building and quality assurance. Concerning systems for quality assurance, a type of institutional factor, two cases are similar, while the third case (Norway) has a different (less strict) system. Based on a comparative analysis of the cases we develop a conceptual model showing the interdependence between products, organization and institutions in the farm tourism sector, and the influence of market and location. We provide some examples of application of the findings by various actors and agencies in tourism