Agricultural Trajectories (1961–991), Resulting Agricultural Profiles and Current Sociodemographic Profiles of Rural Communities in Southern Quebec (Canada): A Typological Outline

Abstract

The transformation of the rural areas in Quebec is a result of the decrease in the agricultural population, the spread of the periurban fringes, and the appropriation of areas by seasonal residents. To what extent have these phenomena evolved according to different spaces, from one municipality to the other? Have they made the territory more homogeneous, or have they rather contributed to produce new spatial patterns? What are the dominant traits of the rural communities’ sociodemographic profiles that are attributed to these trajectories? Considerable work remains to be done in order to characterize the evolving trajectories, induced by these phenomena, and the resulting spatial patterns. Based on the agricultural and sociodemographic indicators available in Canadian censuses, and the possibilities offered by the multivaried analyses; the present research aims to identify typological outlines apt to report on: (1) evolving agricultural trajectories (1961–1991); (2) resulting agricultural profiles; and (3) current sociodemographic profiles. Two observations result from these outlines. First, resulting from the two main agricultural trajectories observed (intensification-regression), the five following agricultural profiles were noticed for 1991: vegetable crop intensive farming, cereal crop intensive farming, moderately intensive farming, extensive cattle farming, and marginalised farming. Second, on the sociodemographic level, the identification of seven rural municipality groups (predominantly agricultural, agricultural in transition, marginalised agricultural, periurban, small mutating industrial centre, traditional and high-class rural amenity municipalities) accounts for the diversity of social recomposition shapes. This paper attempts to contribute to the understanding of spatial and demographic dynamics of contemporary rural communities.