Journal of Rural and Community Development
Not a member yet
598 research outputs found
Sort by
The Poor and Land: A Situational Analysis of Access to Land by Poor Land Users in Ghana
Get PDFThis article examines the situation of poor land users in Ghana. Literature was analyzed on how various issues affect poor land users, and gaps in the literature were identified. An identifiable gap in the literature concerns innovation in, for example, chieftaincy institutions and the impact of such innovation on the poor’s access to land, which could make it difficult to implement such policies as land banks, cooperative ownership schemes, and land trusts. The absence of empirical studies that shed light on the quantitative relationship between incomes and access to land by the poor indicates that policies are likely to be based on guesswork and luck. To bridge the gaps in existing literature there is the need to organize thinking along disciplinary lines and identify critical crosscutting and interdisciplinary themes supportive of effective policymaking
From NAFTA to 9/11: Challenges and Dilemmas Facing Western Canada-U.S. Border Towns
Get PDFDramatic economic and security policy changes have occurred along the Canadaâ€"U.S. border as a result of the implementation of the 1989 Canadaâ€"U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994, and new security measures that were introduced after September 11, 2001. The resulting consequences for western border communities have been profound. This paper examines how the interaction of national and international policies influences activity at the local level and describes mechanisms that are available to small communities as they attempt to adapt and survive in these ever-changing policy environments
The Natural Resource Turn: Challenges for Rural Research and Policy
Get PDFForecasts for demographic change and long-term economic growth in the world indicate a probable critical growth in demand for biological resources such as food, bioenergy, and forest products over the next few decades. In Sweden, as in other western economies where the rural economy and the rural population have been declining since the Second World War, such an expected natural resource turn may have major implications for social and economic change in rural areas. In this paper we explore the research needs that follow from the perspective of a natural resource turn, which we define as a long-term economic upgrading of natural resources following on critical growth in demand. Based on the situation in Sweden, we elaborate on four themes, considered as central to understanding natural resource turnâ€"related rural change from a future perspective: (a) the production and management of biological resources and landscapes; (b) demographic change; (c) the location of economic activity to rural areas; and (d) social transformations in rural communities. Finally, some policy implications of these changes are outlined
Two Approaches for Understanding Land-Use Conflict to Improve Rural Planning and Management
Get PDFLand-use conflicts reveal the contemporary evolution of rural areas. They illustrate the rising popularity of the countryside among an urbanized population, which might be in conflict with traditional ideas of rural land uses and living. Because public decision makers have difficulty recognizing the diversity of societal demands and users of rural and periurban areas have difficulty vocalizing their preferences, participative approaches have become an important planning strategy. Ideally, they go together with conflict analysis about causes, effects, and preferences and thus supplement classical formal planning instruments. In this article, we present two examples of land-use conflicts occurring in rural settings: conflicts related to the residential environment and to outdoor recreation. Methods for distinct conflict analysis are presented and strategies for land-use planning and management are described. Two case studies, one collective action approach from Puy-de-Dôme, France, and one participative planning approach from the Black Forest, Germany, underline the different forms of litigation used by stakeholders to change land-use planning and management, empirically. Finally, the need for new modes of governance and institutional arrangements for collaborative regional and local landscape planning is highlighted and suggestions for their application are made
Some Cultural and Historical Factors Influencing Rural Maori Tourism Development in New Zealand
Get PDFRural Maori face more challenges when setting up businesses than their urban or non-Maori counterparts. New Zealand's colonial history provides an important context for Maori development, particularly in rural areas where the effects of the marginalisation created by colonial processes are still strongly evident. Within this context, a range of other factors comes into play. These are the cultural calls that rural M?ori have on their time, the ways in which cultural practices clash with commercial practice, the expectations that rural M?ori have of business development, the ways in which land ownership operates, and the historical factors that have left rural M?ori marginalised and in a position of trying to recover what they have lost. Infrastructural issues and geographic isolation also create challenges for rural people over and above the challenges experienced by urban dwellers, whether M?ori or non-Maori.
Participatory Action Research; Maori Culture; business development; Rural developmen
Applications of Solar PV on Rural Development in Bangladesh
Get PDFThis paper focuses on the prospects and problems for application of Solar PV (photovoltaic) on rural development in Bangladesh. Few private entrepreneurs, REB (Rural Electrification Board), LGED (Local Government Engineering Department) and few NGOs are working for installation of Solar PV in rural Bangladesh for meeting the basic energy needs. The application of PV technology for rural electrification is indirectly increasing the income as well as the living standard of rural poor. There is also positive linkage between application of solar PV and meeting the objectives of MDGs. The basic applied forms of Solar PV in rural Bangladesh are SHS (Solar Home System) and Micro-Utility (electrification of rural markets). Feedback from the users of the systems indicates that solar energy based electricity has been providing very satisfactory service to the consumers
Rural Communities and Landscape Change: A Case Study of Wild Ennerdale
Get PDFEnnerdale Valley is located in the Lake District National Park of northwest England. The valley has been managed as coniferous plantation forest since the 1920s by the Forestry Commission (FC). Since 2002, however, the FC has been a partner (along with the National Trust and United Utilities) in the Wild Ennerdale (WE) rewilding initiative, which alongside a more a naturally evolving landscape, also aims to provide socio-economic benefits for the local community. This paper considers the relationship between WE and the cultural landscape of Ennerdale Valley and has identified disparities between the WE view of engagement and participation and corresponding feelings of alienation, dispossession, and dislocation expressed by some members of the local community. The paper presents an argument for stronger links between WE and the Ennerdale community. In particular, there needs to be much greater appreciation of the role the rural community has played, and continue to play, in shaping the landscape of Ennerdale. Recognition of this role is important in terms of delivering a sustainable future both for the valley and for WE
Tobacco Grower Livelihoods During Agricultural Restructuring
Get PDFIn the summer of 2002, Kentucky tobacco farmers had undergone production cuts of more than sixty percent and federal legislation had been proposed for a tobacco buyout. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 58 Kentucky farmers to learn how tobacco growers were responding to production cuts and/or engaging with tobacco restructuring more broadly. While tobacco restructuring could have been the catalyst toward a more diversified and sustainable agriculture, farm diversification had not taken place for the majority of Kentucky tobacco farmers. While farm diversification was fairly scarce, income diversification in response to tobacco restructuring was widespread. Outside of (mostly European) studies of pluriactivity, studies of livelihood and livelihood transition have traditionally focused on less-developed countries. In addition to the utilitarian lessons of this research, this study extends understanding of farmer livelihood transition in a developed country (the United States)
Climate Change and Community Health: Lessons from Canada's East and West Coasts
Get PDFOver the past decade and more, Canada’s east and west coast communities have been under considerable stress from the impacts of interacting environmental, industrial, political, and social changes. Because most Canadian coastal communities are in some way resource dependent, they are especially vulnerable to ecological degradation and associated political responses, as well as to the pressures of globalization. Responses and adaptations to these stresses have varied as a result of differential exposures and adaptive capabilities. Of late, climate experts project that adverse environmental changes will likely challenge the health and well-being of coastal communities already under considerable stress. Researchers anticipate multiple direct and indirect community and population health consequences from climate change. These consequences will vary depending on differential exposures to environmental hazards and other risks combined with the diverse abilities of communities and people to respond effectively and to adapt. Drawing on recent case study work from an interdisciplinary research project, we demonstrate that understanding past experiences dealing with stress provides a basis for understanding the implications of climate change for the future health and well-being of coastal communities and people