Journal of Rural and Community Development
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A Macro-level Approach to Examining Canada’s Primary Industry Towns in a Knowledge Economy
Get PDFUsing a macro-level approach the purpose of this paper is to examine the economic well-being of primary industry communities as well as ascertain if they are adequately preparing to compete in today’s knowledge economy. Large samples of census subdivisions (CSDs) were used to compare primary industry municipalities with diversified municipalities across Canada from 1986 to 2001. In addition, towns that maintained a high percentage of employment in primary industry were compared to ones that diversified their employment base. It was found that diverse municipalities endured a greater era of development and are better positioned for success in the future. Unexpected were results from 1986 to 1996 when diversifying primary industry towns did not incur substantial gains compared to concentrating primary industry communities. From 1996 to 2001 though, it became advantageous for communities to strive towards a diverse economic base. A contributing factor to this phenomenon is the fact that knowledge jobs played a minimal role in diversifying communities from 1991 to 1996. However, from 1996 to 2001 diversifying primary industry towns substantially increased the percentage of jobs related to the knowledge economy. Correlating to this shift in employment structure were positive changes to the socio-economic make up of these towns. Additionally the size and geography of single industry towns are revealed as significant factors for the viability of single industry towns.
Utilisant une approche de niveau marco, l’objectif de cet article est d’étudier la santé économique des communautés de l’industrie primaire, et de déterminer si elles sont adéquatement préparées pour faire concurrence dans la nouvelle économie d’aujourd’hui. De grands échantillons de subdivisions recensées (CSDs) ont été utilisés, pour comparer les communautés de l’industrie primaire avec des municipalités à économie diversifiée à travers le Canada, de 1986 à 2001. De plus, les villes ayant maintenu un pourcentage d’emploi élevé dans l’industrie primaire ont été comparées aux municipalités qui ont diversifié leur emploi pendant la même période. Il a été démontré que les municipalités présentant une économie diversifiée vivent un développement durable et sont mieux positionnées pour le succès dans le futur. L’imprévu était le résultat de 1986 à 1996, lorsque les villes ayant diversifié leur industrie primaire n’ont pas obtenu de gains substantiels, en comparaison aux municipalités qui ont concentré leur économie dans le secteur primaire. Cependant, de 1996 à 2001, il devint avantageux pour les communautés de se diriger vers une économie diversifiée. Un des facteur contribuant à ce phénomène est le fait que les emplois hautement spécialisés jouaient un rôle mineur dans les communautés à économie diversifiée de 1986 à 1996. Toutefois, de 1996 à 2001, les villes à économie primaire s’étant tournées vers une économie diversifiée ont augmenté, de manière substantielle, le pourcentage d’emploi relié à l’économie du savoir. Corrélé à ce changement dans la structure de l’emploi, ces villes ont aussi présenté une évolution socio-économique positive
The Restructuring of Cuba's Sugar Agroindustry: Impact on Rural Landscape and Communities
Get PDFMany of the world’s sugar-producing countries have implemented measures to restructure their industries. In 2002, Cuba announced that it intended to reduce capacity and increase efficiency by shutting down almost 50% of the country’s mills. More temporary closings were announced later. Most of the resulting studies have focused on those aspects. Very little attention has been given to the impact on rural landscape and communities. This paper focuses on three of the neglected issues: sugar production, agricultural diversification, and labor and community adjustments. The results are mixed. While capacity has been reduced and concentrated in the most efficient mills, sugar production has continued to decline. The worst impact has been felt in communities where sugar was the main industrial and agricultural activity. As a result of the closing of mills, most of the bateyes (the hub of life in sugar communities) have become ghost towns. Most of the over 100,000 displaced workers, however, have found alternative employment or are enrolled in technical or college careers without losing their salaries. The little information available indicates that the goals of the food diversification program are not being met despite the availability of an extra 1.3 million hectares of land previously planted to sugarcane. Finally, the Social Communication Program designed to facilitate community adjustment appears to have been forgotten. President Castro’s requiescat of March 2005 confirms that the restructuring process failed to achieve its goals
Rural Community Well-being: The Perspectives of Health Care Managers in Southwestern Manitoba, Canada
Get PDFHealth care issues in rural areas are dominating the public policy agendas throughout the western world. The issues are many and varied. Canada is no different in this regard, as there are many rural areas with concerns about health care delivery in the face of declining populations. With 80 percent of Canadians living in urban, making the case for designating health care resources in areas with declining populations becomes more difficult. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how health care managers perceive rural community well-being, including indicators of well-being and determinants of well-being. The paper begins with an overview of the literature that places the context of this research in three areas. First, the literature on social capital is reviewed as in recent years both the social and medical sciences have been adopting it for analyzing community health. Second, the determinants of health literature is reviewed as the paper is concerned with the factors (determinants) that affect rural community well-being. Third, an overview of the definitions and models of health and well-being is provided to establish the context for measuring rural community well-being. A model is then applied through a survey of the twenty health care managers responsible for the operations of the 44 health care and seniors’ centres located within the Assiniboine Regional Health Authority in southwestern Manitoba. The model also proves useful in identifying determinants of health as well as assessing the role of social capacity in fostering rural community well-being
Balancing Development and Environmental Protection in a Rural Commuter Belt: The 2006 Halifax Regional Plan
Get PDFThis paper provides a case study of growth management policies in the newly
approved Halifax Regional Municipal Planning Strategy (RMPS), with emphasis
on how the plan reconciles or balances urban expansion with rural conservation.
This plan is unique in Canada and perhaps North America, in being both a regional
and municipal policy document, and is likely to be more effective than 2-tier
planning approaches. Earlier plans promoted planned suburbs in geologically
suitable areas close to Halifax, but failed to control large-lot development with onsite
services in rural areas beyond the urban service boundary. The RMPS
explicitly controls commuter sprawl to minimize its negative environmental and
fiscal impacts, through several innovative growth-management policies designed
to reduce and redirect rural subdivision. Growth will be encouraged in district and
local growth centres and strongly discouraged on intervening lands. The plan also
promotes compact and orderly extensions to serviced urban areas, with emphasis
on transit-oriented development and maximum use of urban infrastructure.
KEYWORDS: growth management, urban containment, regional planning, sprawl,
environment, Halifa
Engaging the Community: Knowledge Translation as Transformation in the Lives of Children in One Rural Community of Prince Edward Island
No full textThis research involves transdisciplinary, participatory research to identify strategies, approaches, tools, and resources that promote effective knowledge translation related to health in the rural communities of Prince Edward Island (PEI). Partnerships established with six rural PEI communities enabled researchers to identify and evaluate effective knowledge translation strategies. Interactive engagement of communities results in the most effective knowledge translation (St Croix 2001) and forms the basis of this research project. Knowledge translation has become a priority for many research organizations (Canadian Institute of Population Health 2002) because many decision makers have not used academic research findings in developing programs or policies (Barahamson 1996 & Mowday 1997). This gap is found in nearly all fields in which there are both practitioners and researchers.
Preliminary findings from focus group interviews involving parents, youth and service providers from rural communities on PEI are presented as a means of addressing this gap. This research demonstrates that when rural communities are engaged in unique, participatory forms of relationship building and approaches that translate research results into meaningful information and programs, positive changes in a community’s attitudes and behaviours will result. This article describes how members of one rural community engaged with researchers and used knowledge gained from the results of research to established a youth centre for their children
The Connected North: Findings from the Northern BC Economic Vision and Strategy Project
Get PDFOver the past 200 years the social, economic, cultural, and political landscape of northern British Columbia (BC) has undergone considerable transformation. The pace of change has accelerated over recent decades and communities, industries, businesses, and decision-makers recognise that this creates both new challenges and new opportunities. The Northern BC Economic Development Vision & Strategy Project collected input from northerners about suggestions for renewing the rural and small town community and economic foundations of the region. The Project confirmed widespread interest in creating a regional community and economic development framework and outlined key ideas and principles which northerners identified as important for the future. This paper provides an overview of the process and a summary of the key findings. As such, it provides insight into how the people of northern BC view themselves, the northern lifestyle, and what it means to live in the north of the province. Second, it provides a synthesis of a vision and strategy for northern BC’s rural and small town economic development, drawn from northerners themselves
Stakeholder Cooperation in Sustainable Development: Three Case Studies in Norway
Get PDFExperiences from three case studies in rural and commercial development in Norway from 1995-2001 are analyzed and evaluated. The goal of the research community was to contribute to local and regional innovations, and in the process develop a better understanding of the development process. Focus was on solving the realistic challenges met by entrepreneurs in their businesses and by the local community, as well as on working within the unique locationâ€"specific context in each case location. The project revealed that generating new knowledge and at the same time encouraging tangible institutional change is a complex challenge. Conclusions from the three studies are that rural and commercial development are complex and site-specific, and the process requires 1) good communication and collaboration among involved participants, 2) interdisciplinary, case-based research design, and 3) a continuous and learning innovation process. There is a need for ownership and sustained participation from all stakeholders, and much of the initiative and support must come from within the community.
Key terms: rural innovation, endogenous development, communicative participation, interdisciplinary projects, participatory research, learning communities
Spatial Patterns and the Underlying Factors of Rural Development in the Nsukka Region, Southeastern Nigeria
No full textThis case study analyzes the patterns and underlying factors of rural development in the Nsukka region of southeastern Nigeria. It identifies leading and lagging communities with a view to making appropriate recommendations for even development. To achieve this aim, 35 rural communities were randomly selected and their scores on selected infrastructural facilities were used to ascertain the pattern of rural development. The relative strength of the underlying factors was determined by factor analysis. The results reveal a disparity in the spatial distribution of rural development facilities, with communities on the central plateau fairing better. Factor analysis revealed 4 underlying factors that account for 71.3% of the total variance. One implication of the results is that achievement of spatially even rural development will require the adoption of an integrated governmental approach
Stuck in the Middle? A Case Study of the Underutilised Potential in Peripheral Regions in the Developed Countries in the Age of Globalisation
Get PDFThis article discusses the evolution of a call centre cluster in the context of regional development policy towards peripheral regions in developed nations. Based on a case study on call centre clustering in a peripheral region in Sweden we suggest that although threatened by global pressure, there is an underutilised potential in peripheral regions in the industrialised countries
Land Use and Population Dynamics in the Kalikhola Watershed of Nepal
Get PDFThis study analyzes the nexus between population dynamics and land-use practices in the Mid-Hill region of Nepal. The paper focuses on spatial and temporal changes in land use between 1987 and 1999 in a typical watershed in the western mountains of Nepal where community forest projects were implemented by the government. The dynamics of population, land use, and land cover within the Kalikhola watershed are investigated by performing spatial analysis of digital land-use maps in ArcGIS. There is a net increase in forest cover of 16% in the Kalikhola watershed with a corresponding decrease in agricultural land, shrubland, and grassland. The population of highland communities has been significantly reduced because of problems due to the implementation of community forest projects. In this watershed, a significant area under agriculture in 1987 was found abandoned in 1999, most likely because of increased out-migration of the labour force and frequent attacks of wild animals