European Rural Development Research Articles

Adapting to climate change: assessing the vulnerability of ecosystem services in Europe in the context of rural development

Over the past decade, efforts to move towards a low carbon economy have been increasingly coupled with the acknowledgement that we also need to develop climate resilient economies, capable of adapting and responding to changes in climate. To shift society in these directions we need to quantify impacts in relation to these objectives and develop cost-effective interventions. Techniques for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions are relatively well established and enable identification of hotspots where there is emissions reduction potential. However, there are no established techniques to assess and quantify adaptation vulnerability issues and identify hotspots for intervention. This paper presents work undertaken at a European level with the objective of identifying potential hotspots where ecosystem services may be vulnerable to climate change and thus where intervention may be required under the European Rural Development Programme. A pragmatic and relatively simple approach is presented, based on data that is readily available across Europe. The vulnerability assessments cover: Water (quality: dilution and filtration, regulation: flooding and provision); soils (erosion and organic matter); and biodiversity (forest fires, migration and pollination). The framework and assessments presented are considered fit for purpose (at a basic level) and they are potentially valuable tools for targeting limited resources to achieve desirable outcomes. They also contribute towards providing a better understanding of the climate change challenges we face and support the formulation of solutions to optimally address those challenges. There is scope to further improvement and a number of options are discussed and explored within this paper.

Government–Third Sector Relations in European Rural Development: A Critical Perspective

AbstractRural development has significantly benefited from intensifying relations between the government and third sector organizations (TSOs) during the last several decades. TSOs can induce innovation in rural development in a variety of ways including advocacy, awareness raising, contracting, and direct delivery of public goods. However, there is a growing concern that these partnerships may be prone to inefficiencies due to adverse fundraising incentives. Utilizing Young’s (2000) typology in a literature review, this paper illuminates potential causes for mission and goal displacement due to adverse incentives generated by public funding programs. The paper suggests that complementary and supplementary TSOs are generally more likely to suffer from adverse incentives in comparison to adversarial ones. Institutional merging between the TSOs and the state may significantly limit the scope for innovation in rural development.

Adapting to uncertainty associated with short-term climate variability changes in irrigated Mediterranean farming systems

Short-term perspectives appear to be relevant in formulating adaptation measures to changed climate variability (CCV) as a part of the European Rural Development Policy (RDP). Indeed, short-run CCV is the variation that farmers would perceive to such an extent that a political demand would be generated for adapting support measures. This study evaluates some relevant agronomic and economic impacts of CCV as modelled in a near future time period at the catchment scale in a rural district in Sardinia (Italy). The effects of CCV are assessed in relation to the availability of irrigation water and the irrigation needs of maize.The Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model was used to simulate the impact of key climatic variables on the irrigation water requirements and yields of maize. A three-stage discrete stochastic programming model was then applied to simulate management and economic responses to those changes.The overall economic impact of a simulated CCV was found to be primarily caused by reduced stability in the future supply of irrigation water. Adaptations to this instability will most likely lead to a higher level of groundwater extraction and a reduction in the demand for labour. Changed climate variability will most likely reduce the income potential of small-scale farming. The most CCV-vulnerable farm typologies were identified, and the implications were discussed in relation to the development of adaptation measures within the context of the Common Agricultural Policy of European Union.

A Constructive Critique of the Endogenous Development Approach in the European Support of Rural Areas

AbstractIn recent years, the endogenous development (ED) approach has gained influence within the rhetoric of European rural development policies (RP). This paper provides a fundamental critique of the approach and shows that neither the economic elements of RP in general nor ED in particular are targeted towards the specific economic needs and capabilities of rural areas. The second part of this paper consists of the search for possible alternative concepts for a more targeted and effective RP. Based on a synopsis of existing theories, an integrated approach is proposed that builds upon the different coordination mechanisms for economic activity suggested by different theories. The new, integrated perspective enables an economic characterisation of rural areas and indicates that the successful support of local coordination of economic activity is determined by specific local conditions. It also makes evident that localised approaches usually cannot compensate rural areas for the lack of agglomeration advantages. Therefore, programmes for the economic development of rural areas which support the local coordination of economic activity remain a second‐best policy. As such, they do not free the state from policies of spatial redistribution if the political aim is the creation of comparable living conditions.

Methodologies for impact assessment in the ex ante evaluation of EUROPEAN rural development programmes

Methodologies for impact assessment in the ex ante evaluation of EUROPEAN rural development programmes

Effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability in local rural development partnerships

Due to the ever-increasing role the LEADER approach is playing in realizing rural development policy, Local Action Groups (LAGs) have become key actors in the institutional system of rural development. Through their activity in supporting and improving local development, they represent a spatial organizing force in rural regions. Their operation can effectively contribute to the competitive and sustainable development of their local area, within the framework of European rural development policy. Compliance with this role requires the active and conscientious work of the LAGs, both in the process of programming and implementation. In this paper, we aim to present the impact mechanism of the operation of LAGs and its determinant factors. Based on expert evaluations, we investigate the experiences of the implementation of the LEADER approach for rural development from the viewpoints of effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability.

Rural development policy: An alternative development strategy for τhe case of Greece

This paper presents the implementation of European Rural Development Policy (RDP) in Greece for the programming period 2007-13. First, the introduction of ‘regional’ elements in Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the course of its reforms is discussed. Second, the directions and means of RDP in the current period are examined and the Commission’s proposals for the next programming period are presented. Third, the targets, measures and allocation of funds of RDP in Greece are analysed based on the experience of the previous period and given the chronic diffi culties and obstacles that this policy approach faces in Greece.

Care Farms in the Netherlands: An Underexplored Example of Multifunctional Agriculture—Toward an Empirically Grounded, Organization‐Theory‐Based Typology

AbstractFor agricultural and rural development in Europe, multifunctionality is a leading concept that raises many questions. Care farming is a promising example of multifunctional agriculture that has so far received little attention. An issue that has not been examined thoroughly is the strategic mapping of different care farm organizations in this emerging field. The objective of this article is to develop a typology for care farms in the Netherlands and provide insight into the diversity of care farms. We have used different concepts from organization theory and information from regional organizations of care farmers to identify key dimensions and develop a typology of care farms. Key dimensions are the ratio between agriculture and care, the background of the initiators, and the degree of collaboration with formal care institutions. We found six main types of care farms with different identities, four of which were initiated by the farmers' families (mainly female partners). The other two types were started by new entrants in agriculture. On the basis of our findings, we confirmed, disputed, and supplemented insights to multifunctional farming literature. As a further contribution to that field, drawing from the organization theories underlying our typology, we have sought to understand how different types of care farms could emerge.

A resilience-based policy evaluation framework: Application to European rural development policies

Given the major changes that rural areas have undergone, and are continuing to undergo, serious problems of achieving sustainable development are being experienced. These changes have multiple characters, varying from changes in ecosystem conditions to changes in socio-economic impacts, due to, for example, food- and financial crises. Nowadays, there is an increasing awareness of the need to develop rural policies that support adaptive strategies of stakeholders in response to a disturbance. We propose that resilience thinking offers a framework that could be helpful in the governance of rural changes. This framework is based on the complexity of the social–ecological system and takes into account the unpredictable future, as it emphasizes adaptive approaches to management. As such, it helps evaluate to what extent rural development policies contribute to the resilience of rural areas. Nine criteria were developed including thirteen specifications. In order to evaluate the usability and usefulness of the proposed framework, a case study has been performed that specifically investigated the degree of resilience of a European rural development policy (i.e. the spending of extra funds generated through compulsory modulation under the 2009 Health Check in the Netherlands).

ヨーロッパにおけるボトムアップ型・内発型農村開発をめぐる研究と議論

ヨーロッパにおけるボトムアップ型・内発型農村開発をめぐる研究と議論

High Nature Value forest areas: a proposal for Italy based on national forest inventory data

The maintenance and enhancement of High Nature Value (HNV) farming and forestry systems is a strategic objective of the European Rural Development Policy. The assessment of the effectiveness of rural development measures as regards this objective is a challenging task. The paper focuses on HNV forest areas and presents an approach to assessing their baseline extent in Italy. The procedure described here is consistent with the guidelines provided by the European Evaluation Network for Rural Development. Based on National Forest Inventory (NFI) data, sound estimates are provided of the extent of HNV forest area at national and regional level. The use of NFI data ensures consistency of data collection and processing at the national level as required in European Commission’s methodological guidelines. Following this approach, the overall of HNV forest in Italy amounts to 2,259,066 ha, which corresponds to 26% of the total forest area.

Do ‘Protected Geographical Indications’ (PGI)-Certified Farms Perform Better?

European rural development policy is gaining in importance through one of its key instruments, the Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) system, which is designed to improve quality standards. Previous research has shown that PGI-certified beef farms tend to be more extensively managed operations that are better adapted to mountainous areas. This paper describes a comparative study of two production systems, one with PGI certification and one without, focusing on a number of economic variables. The results show a positive association between PGI production and profitability. In efficiency terms, non-certified farms show better pure technical efficiency scores, while PGI-certified holdings score higher on scale efficiency.

Intensive Horticulture in Almería (Spain): A Counterpoint to Current European Rural Policy Strategies

Much of the recently published literature in Europe on rural development tends to focus on de-agrarianization and multifunctionality in rural livelihoods as a way to generate employment and incomes. This paper analyses the case of Almeria (Spain), an exception to this general rule. Almeria, once one of the poorest Spanish provinces, has become the most affluent province in Andalusia and ranks now about average in Spain. This fast growth rate was achieved thanks to the development of intensive horticulture and its processes of change from the 1970s to the present day, due to the factors reviewed in the present study. This success story is a counterpoint to current European rural development strategies that consider the promotion of agriculture a mistake and advocate instead the economic diversification of farms.

New Immigrants and Neo-rural Values

Though Greek agriculture is arguably the picture of rural underdevelopment in Europe, life in rural Greece is transforming within a new global migratory context. Farmers now work with myriad non-Greek minorities who, with the onset of the postsocialist period, have begun to play a diversity of socio-economic roles. These immigrants help to de fine what agricultural (dis)incentives, environmental stewardship, social fabric and territorial occupation mean in the countryside. Together with locals they now co-manage new tensions stemming from European rural development programs and global commodity markets.Scholarship tends to reify the conclusion that immigrants are merely transient, exploited labourers. In conjunction with macroeconomic analyses of rural 'stagnation', such characterizations misrepresent current realities and undermine alternative potentialities. As some new residents join the ranks of small-scale Greek farmers, new rural values are crystallising, opening a door for new interpretations of rural development in Greece.

Diffusion, social structure and functioning of scientific rural networks: comparison of European and Finish examples

Abstract: A comparative analysis of two scientific rural networks was made for this study. The national level case study is the Rural Studies Network of Finland and the international case is the European Rural Development Network. Both networks started in 2002. The focus of this study is on comparing the emergence, diffusion and functioning of these two relatively new networks. The experiences and opinions of individual participants of these networks are highlighted instead of territorial aspects. The paper indicates several differences and similarities between case networks relating to the diffusion processes, social structures, functionality and effectiveness of the networks. Successful emergence of rural expert network is an innovative social networking process, which in ideal case results in to a knowledge society of experts who share some common ideas and goals by exploiting and reproducing their social capital. Keywords: Scientific rural networks, diffusion, social structure of network, Europe, Finland

Farming Livelihoods and Landscapes: Tensions in Rural Development and Environmental Regulation

European rural development scholars have been preoccupied with how to understand the pace and scope of rural landscape change, as increasingly liberalized market economic policies and stringent environmental mandates shape contemporary landscapes and livelihoods. Recent efforts to document and theorize the new practices occurring in rural landscapes have produced two competing explanatory frameworks of rural change, one of which asserts a paradigm shift in rural development based around new agri-food networks and the expansion of non-agriculturally related activities in the landscape, while the other argues there is more continuity than change in current practices. The paper presents a case study of livestock farming in Devon, southwest England, a region where agriculture is central to the iconography of the area and yet is under threat by environmental and economic challenges. Based on in-depth interviews and extensive surveys with nearly 80 farmers in a catchment in Devon, we find that most of the changes farmers are making in response to these challenges are agri-centric ‘coping strategies’ embedded within a productivist framework, rather than constituting a new paradigm of rural development.

The Complexity of Theories on Rural Development in Europe: An Analysis of the Paradigmatic Case of Almería (South‐east Spain)

AbstractIn recent decades several theories on rural development have been expounded in an attempt to explain some experiences of regional economic growth or to provide recommendations on rural development policies. The objective of this article is to revise this open debate and attempt to introduce more concerns about the delimitation of theories and the mosaic of rural areas in Europe. In this context the present article analyses the paradigmatic development of Almería (south‐east Spain) based primarily on agriculture in a process categorised as an economic miracle. Some authors have attempted to explain this success by mechanisms associated with the endogenous development approach. Nevertheless, this study reveals that Almería's development experience can be categorised as a miscellaneous one, and a mixture of development approaches should therefore be considered as opposed to unidirectional models. This also shows the importance of keeping open the debate on the impact of agrarian activity on rural development.

The ecological status of grasslands on lowland farmlands in western Ireland and implications for grassland classification and nature value assessment

The identification and protection of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland is an objective of the European Rural Development policy which has yet to be met by Member States. Remote sensing and models based on farm statistics are commonly used to identify HNV farmland. Use of datasets such as Corine Landcover Classes is widespread but it has been acknowledged that such datasets can significantly overlook fine-scale biodiversity features. In countries where farmland is predominantly grass-based, there is an added difficulty in distinguishing between grassland types without undertaking field-scale survey work. This study was conducted to improve our knowledge of grassland biodiversity on lowland farms with a view to helping assess their potential conservation value in a High Nature Value farmland context. We analysed the grassland species composition of 603 fields on 32 lowland farms and investigated their relationship to management, ecological and spatial descriptors. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) and Multi-Response Permutation Procedure (MRPP) analyses of the grasslands and their ecology on these farms revealed a continuum between semi-natural and improved agricultural grasslands, including an intermediate Semi-Improved Grassland type. This gradation from improved to semi-natural grassland highlights the biodiversity variation that occurs on farms that are frequently considered to be of low nature value. Statistical analyses showed that management practices, and especially soil fertility, were most strongly associated with grassland type. The detailed description of the grasslands that occur on these lowland farms has the potential to provide a better assessment of the overall nature value of a farm, potentially aiding the identification of Type 2 High Nature Value farmland. Before this can be achieved, however, there is a need to amend the grassland classification system used in Ireland in order that intermediate semi-natural grassland assemblages can be identified at the field level. Field surveys are necessary for this level of detail.

SWOT Analysis: Appraisal of a New Tool in European Rural Development Policies

Strategic policy making for rural regions has gained increasing importance during the last few decades in the European Union. A coherent framework for the development of agricultural and rural policy measures has been made available (Council Decision 2006/144/EC), which integrates Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis as an essential step in regional stocktaking and ex ante appraisal. The authors start with an outline of the SWOT tool as part of the EU's overall strategic approach and follow this with an overview of the conceptual backgrounds in management theory and organizational development. Then, on the basis of two examples, the tool's recent use in agriculture and rural development is demonstrated and discussed. Conclusions are drawn for the instrument's future application.

How Personal Judgment Influences Scenario Development: an Example for Future Rural Development in Europe

Metzger, M. J., M. D. A. Rounsevell, H. Van den Heiligenberg, M. Pérez-Soba, and P. Soto Hardiman. 2010. How personal judgment influences scenario development: an example for future rural development in Europe. Ecology and Society 15(2): 5. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03305-150205