European Rural Regions Research Articles

How can Quality of Life be Achieved in a Sustainable Way? Perceptions of Swiss Rural Inhabitants

Rural regions in Europe are often structurally weaker than urban areas and are subject to strong socio-economic development. At the same time, they offer opportunities for a high quality of life and sustainability. The key question of this article is how quality of life in high-income countries can be achieved more sustainably. Little is known about the perception of the rural population itself on the reconciling of high quality of life with sustainability. Thus, based on a concept of sustainable quality of life, qualitative interviews with 90 rural residents were conducted to ask them which factors benefit sustainable quality of life. In the perception of the interview participants, a change in attitudes and values would be a starting point for shaping many other areas to enhance sustainable quality of life; social and legal norms should provide reference points for individuals and economic actors; infrastructure should support individuals in their ecological behaviour; and the economy should serve the common good. We derive four strands of recommendations for decision-makers from these results: the enhancement of education on applicable environmental behaviours, equal access to renewable energies and local productions and services.

‘Regenerative’ Social Innovation for European Rural Regions? Lessons from Regenerative Farming

The paper aims at positioning regenerative agriculture within the theoretical discussions on rural social innovations. By analysing the concept and practices of regeneration it argues that there is an emerging shift towards grassroots rural initiatives which re-imagine farming and food production as socio-ecologically embedded processes which encourage shared societal responsibility for resources use and food production. Moreover, the paper argues that these processes can suggest a path to rural social innovation that rethinks the mainstream concepts of development and growth, offering epistemological transitions to non-extractivist economies and production systems.

Are there any differences in rural development challenges within European countries? Social and economic contexts from EU rural leaders

Rural development has become a significant policy challenge in Europe. More employment opportunities have increasingly been concentrated in urban areas, leaving rural regions with ever-continuing down-fall in terms of population size and economic growth. In this context, rural entrepreneurship activity that positively influences rural communities is embedded in broader social or structural policies at the European level. The aim of the article is to investigate societal and economic challenges and their innovative solutions in five European rural regions: Croatia (Slovania), Germany (Münsterland, Saxony-Anhalt), Poland (Małopolska), and Portugal (Alto Minho). This study follows a multi-case method which investigates the diversity of challenges and solutions in selected European rural areas. The comparative analysis reveals that most essential activities aimed at alleviating the development problems of rural areas include education of local communities, improvement of economic and digital infrastructure, activities supporting production and promotion of local products, promotion of cooperation between local communities and producers, and stronger orientation of local policy towards financial support of production enterprises and farms. The conclusions resulting from the study lead to formulating recommendations concerning rural policies in the context of developing entrepreneurship strategies in rural areas.

Challenges of impact assessment in Social Innovation: A qualitative study from two European rural regions

Over recent years, various approaches to assessing the impacts of social innovation (SI) have developed without a uniform method having arisen. There are some issues around how impacts can be assessed, connected with the questions on the nature of impacts, the levels of analysis and effects of a purely positivist approach to impact assessment. While attempting to assess such impacts, various SI initiatives face the diversity of challenges. To this end, the aim of the article is to investigate the experience of said initiatives promoting social innovation related to impact assessment of social innovation. The paper is based on an empirical study conducted with the local development associations and local action groups involved in social innovation projects in two rural regions of Austria and Portugal. The results indicate that, despite recognising the importance of impact assessment regarding social innovation activities and the opportunities it provides, local organisations in question face many challenges in assessing the impacts of social innovation, including conceptual and practical difficulties.

From Valued Stayers to Working Hands? the Social Consequences of Changing Employment Relations Among Polish Migrants in Farmed Salmon Industry in Rural Norway

Abstract International migrant workers in European rural regions have supplied rural industries with necessary labour, stimulated the demography of host communities and raised questions about the inclusion of migrants. Using the case of Polish post-accession migrants employed in the farmed salmon industry in rural Norway, we explore the social consequences of changing employment relations in rural industries. By using a temporal perspective, we identify a transition from an inclusive employment regime experienced by the migrants who arrived in the locality within the first years after the EU enlargement in 2004, to an increasingly exploitative, insecure and competitive work environment for recently arrived migrants. We emphasise how employment conditions offered to different ‘waves’ of migrants affect the ways they perceive their status and value in rural hosting communities. Ultimately, we reflect on the potential long-term consequences of international migration to rural areas.

Searching for Success Factors of Agritourism: The Case of Kleve County (Germany)

Abstract Agritourism is increasing in popularity as more urban residents appreciate the slower paced rural environment and its authenticity. External influences (political crises and pandemics) have recently reduced mobility which makes agritourism an attractive alternative to former more distant holiday destinations. Agritourists are interested in working farms, local production and animal husbandry. Some European regions (e.g., Bavaria and South Tyrol) have successfully developed agritourism whereas the majority of rural regions are left behind. Agritourism diversifies farmers’ business model and increases their income. For our study, we chose Kleve County (Lower Rhine Area, Germany) as an exemplary region for a touristically unknown rural area. Regional opinion leaders, farmers and industry experts were interviewed to share their experiences about factors that could further and contribute to successful development of agritourism. The results of our case study and supplementary market interviews suggest that its success in less known rural regions depends on the geographic location, mutual efforts of local visionary entrepreneurs, regional beneficial networks and on committed political stakeholders to develop a sustainable business model. The results may be useful for other comparable European rural regions to diversify their farming and develop their own business model.

A Review of Dry Sanitation Systems

Dry sanitation systems (waterless or composting toilets) have been used since the 1970s. Their use has received acceptance in rural regions of Europe and the United States. Some of the advantages of dry sanitation systems include their waterless nature, their low energy requirement and the creation of fertilizer as an added value product. Moreover, the use of such a system is a sustainable sanitation approach that may reduce the burden on infrastructure and provide sanitation to the 2.5 billion people worldwide who do not currently have access to it. The critical factors when choosing a dry sanitation system and their optimum parameters include aeration, moisture content (50%–60%), temperature (40–65 °C), carbon to nitrogen ratio (25–35), pH (5.5–8.0) and porosity (35%–50%). The temperature–time criterion approach is the most common method used to evaluate the stability and safety of the compost as a fertilizer. The risks of handling the waste after 12 months of composting have been calculated as low. Here, we have reviewed and assessed the features of dry sanitation systems currently available, focusing on those designed for and operated in remote areas such as national parks and tourist destinations and, more importantly, in rural areas in developing countries or refugee shelters where water/sanitation may be scarce.

Local Development Initiatives as Promoters of Social Innovation: Evidence from Two European Rural Regions

Abstract Social innovation entered the academic discourse several decades ago and has since been seen as a way of tackling existing problems in various contexts. Although an extensive body of research has been conducted into the role of social innovation in urban context, there is still a gap when it comes to studying the role of social innovation in the development of rural areas. In this paper, an attempt is made to look at the role of Local Action Groups (LAGs) and Local Development Associations (LDAs) as promoters of social innovation in rural areas in Austria and Portugal, aiming to understand the role of such organisations and the challenges faced by the latter in promoting social innovation.

THE GREEN TOURISM AS A DIRECTION OF DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS

Ukraine, choosing its strategic course of integration into the European Union, took the time to accelerate the reform of various spheres of socio-political and economic life of the country, in particular, the sphere of tourism services, transforming it into the standards of the European Union. The world-wide experience of progressive management gives tourism the first place among other sectors of the economy in terms of exports of goods and services. In conditions of development of the Ukrainian state, tourism becomes an effective means of forming a market mechanism of management, the receipt of significant funds to the state budget, one of the forms of rational use of free time, conducting meaningful leisure, studying the history of the native land, attracting the general population to the knowledge of the historical and cultural heritage. Current experience and scientific research show that accelerated development of rural green tourism can play the role of a catalyst for structural adjustment of the economy, provide demographic stability and solve urgent socio-economic problems in rural areas. It is important for Ukraine to overcome the gap in this area and realize the existing rich tourism potential through an elaborate policy of state regulation, including at the regional level. One of the reasons for the rapid development of rural green tourism in Europe is the crisis in the agricultural sector. Today, the process of productivity and automation of agriculture leads to jobs reduction. In fact, in many rural regions of Europe, agriculture has ceased to be the most important form of land use and the most important activity of the rural community. The rural green tourism is closely linked with other types of tourism, primarily with recreational, cultural, specialized tourism types – relief, gastronomy, ethno-tourism, etc. All this allows rural tourism to be included in combined tours, increasing the demand for a traditional tourist product. The rural green tourism in Ukraine is a holiday of the inhabitants of the city in the countryside in guest rooms created by a village family on the basis of its own residential house and private plot. As entrepreneurial activity, rural green tourism develops rather heterogeneously in different regions of Ukraine. Systematization of motivational interests of the rural green tourism activation in the regions of Ukraine showed that the dominant motives for diversification of activities in agricultural sector in the current conditions of rural areas development are: increase of incomes of rural population and increase of employment level, the possibility of diversification of income sources of peasants, significant investments and additional training, opportunities for self-realization of rural inhabitants. Priority directions of development of green tourism in these regions in the near future should be: reception and accommodation of tourists; rental of tourist equipment; production and sale of tourist goods of folk crafts; provision of tourist services (bicycle, gastronomy, agrotourism, cultural and historical tourism, organization of recreational recreation, mountain and ecological tourism); organization of tasting and culinary excursions; active development of the hotel business, camping (construction of agricultural cottages, fishing houses, farmhouses, horse farms); organization of historical and ethnographic events; distribution of religious tours; providing a complex of widely distributed services (fishing, hunting, picking berries and mushrooms, medicinal plants, etc.); development and popularization of water sports (kiting, windsurfing). The research of the current conditions for the development of green tourism in the regions of Ukraine allowed to outline the area of the key problems that hinder the active expansion of this type of activity: - disorderly legislation on key aspects of tourism business regulation in rural areas; lack of a law regulating this type of activity; - low level of development of the infrastructure of the market of green tourism services and social infrastructure of the village; - outdated stereotypes of rural residents, which hinder the active development of the newest types of tourism industry, the pronounced unsystematic and irregular nature of services; - absence of state programs supporting development of green tourism and limited amount of their financial, consulting and information-marketing support; - low level of informatization and popularization of green tourism in the regions of Ukraine among the population of European countries; - lack of political stability and social tension in society, deterioration of the world image of Ukraine. Thus, Ukraine has a rather powerful potential for the development of green tourism as an alternative type of agribusiness in the regions of Ukraine. In the context of modern economic conditions, solving key problems of development of green tourism forms the fundamental framework for addressing the most important socio-economic issues of rural areas: overcoming unemployment, promoting employment, raising incomes and quality of life for rural inhabitants.

Implementation of different big-leaf canopy reduction functions in the Biogenic Emission Inventory System (BEIS) and their impact on concentrations of oxidized nitrogen species in northern Europe

Canopy reduction describes NO2 flux reduction at leaf stomata. We implemented the big-leaf reduction approaches of Wang et al. (1998) and Yienger and Levy (1995) in the Biogenic Emission Inventory System (BEIS) and compared them with the BEIS standard approach. The different reduction functions lead to a reduction of 17 Gg N or 27 Gg N respectively of nitrogen emission in comparison to the standard approach which reduces the nitrogen flux by about 1 Gg N in the three summer months of 2012. These are significant differences to the standard approach. The concentration reduction of oxidized reactive nitrogen in the model area shows also a significant reduction. While concentration reduction in central europe is low, in more rural regions of Europe, concentration changes are considerably higher. The calculated concentrations of NO2 show a significant improvement of the model performance when compared to EMEP observations in central Europe. This study favors the implementation and use of canopy reduction factors, especially the parameterization of Wang et al. (1998), for regional and global emission models for reasons of model physical correctness and improved model results.

An alternative policy approach to rural development in regions facing population decline

ABSTRACTMany rural regions in Europe used to be characterized by weak economic performance and negative population development. While in a long-term perspective this is not any more valid for large parts of Western Europe, a number of rural regions face persistent population decline. By analysing the case of Austria, where approximately one-third of rural areas have experienced such negative population change over the past decades, this paper will examine the impact on economic performance, income levels and well-being patterns. Addressing the crucial and persistent obstacles to positive population trends, new theoretical approaches and perspectives are discussed for overcoming limitations in development. Future approaches for regional development have to go beyond strategies for targeting economic growth, but have to address issues of local participation, social innovation and establishing trust as preconditions to effectively impact well-being dimensions. Such a mobilization effort would be the result of a comprehensive social transition process which would foster an altered narrative for these rural regions compared to the current and predominant focus on compensation and growth policies. Despite strong interlinkages with other regions and actors, the needs of local people would be central and both would be a cornerstone for social innovation.

Unequal lands: Soil type, nutrition, and child mortality in southern Sweden, 1850-1914

Child mortality differed greatly within rural regions in Europe before and during the mortality transition. Little is known about the role of nutrition in such geographic differences, and about the factors affecting the nutritional status and hence the dis

Sustainable development and policies in rural regions; insights from the Shetland Islands

To address rural diversity, a place-based approach to sustainable development becomes more relevant. Place-based approaches to development are said to strengthen the resilience of rural areas against global pressures by decreasing state dependencies and increasing the economic competitiveness of rural areas. How can such place-based trajectories be analysed and understood in the context of European rural regions? On the basis of empirical research undertaken in 2008 and 2010 as well as (updated) data since then, this paper traces the rural changes in time on the Shetland Islands in the UK.We have applied the model of the rural web as an analytical tool. While the web has been used to ‘picture’ the interactions between domains of the web at a specific and static moment in time, we test if the rural web can be used to analyse changing rural relations over time, thus capturing rural dynamics and describing varied development trajectories. The case of the Shetlands Island illustrates such competing development trajectories, expressed in conflicts over land use, the branding strategy and its contested policies towards a large wind energy project. Our hypothesis is that in Shetland we can witness elements of bio- and eco-economic development trajectories, each underpinning an alternative model for economic growth and sustainable development. These trajectories frame notions of place, space and time in different ways.The central question addressed in this paper is: how can the rural web be applied to analyse rural dynamics and development trajectories, in the empirical case of the Shetlands Islands?The process of unfolding of the rural web in Shetland indicates dependence on its place-based specificities, resting on a complex interplay between the agency of individual and institutional actors as well as wider structural conditions and pressures. The outcome of the unfolding of this web may be implicated in the development of an eco-economy. On the other hand, the planned new large wind farm has led to contestation over the future development trajectory of Shetland; this can be considered as an ambitious bio-economic project to substitute for oil as a large-scale corporate-led investment.The web as a framework for retrospective and comparative analysis has enabled us to study the ongoing change Shetland has undergone from a “peripheral”, “clientelist countryside” to a “segmented area”, characterised by a unique and shifting configuration of rural development domains. The web, used in the manner attempted here, highlights the dynamism and captures the multidimensionality inherent in rural development processes. The findings can inform the debate on how to achieve an effective interplay between agency and institutions, and balance ‘bottom–up’ versus ‘top–down’ approaches to development.

Trace metal characterization of aerosol particles and cloud water during HCCT 2010

Abstract. Trace metal characterization of bulk and size-resolved aerosol and cloud water samples were performed during the Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia (HCCT) campaign. Cloud water was collected at the top of Mt. Schmücke while aerosol samples were collected at two stations upwind and downwind of Mt. Schmücke. Fourteen trace metals including Ti, V, Fe, Mn, Co, Zn, Ni, Cu, As, Sr, Rb, Pb, Cr, and Se were investigated during four full cloud events (FCEs) that fulfilled the conditions of a continuous air mass flow through the three stations. Aerosol particle trace metal concentrations were found to be lower than those observed in the same region during previous field experiments but were within a similar range to those observed in other rural regions in Europe. Fe and Zn were the most abundant elements with concentration ranges of 0.2–111.6 and 1.1–32.1 ng m−3, respectively. Fe, Mn, and Ti were mainly found in coarse mode aerosols while Zn, Pb, and As were mostly found in the fine mode. Correlation and enrichment factor analysis of trace metals revealed that trace metals such as Ti and Rb were mostly of crustal origin while trace metals such as Zn, Pb, As, Cr, Ni, V, and Cu were of anthropogenic origin. Trace metals such as Fe and Mn were of mixed origins including crustal and combustion sources. Trace metal cloud water concentration decreased from Ti, Mn, Cr, to Co with average concentrations of 9.18, 5.59, 5.54, and 0.46 μg L−1, respectively. A non-uniform distribution of soluble Fe, Cu, and Mn was observed across the cloud drop sizes. Soluble Fe and Cu were found mainly in cloud droplets with diameters between 16 and 22 μm, while Mn was found mostly in larger drops greater than 22 μm. Fe(III) was the main form of soluble Fe especially in the small and larger drops with concentrations ranging from 2.2 to 37.1 μg L−1. In contrast to other studies, Fe(II) was observed mainly in the evening hours, implying its presence was not directly related to photochemical processes. Aerosol–cloud interaction did not lead to a marked increase in soluble trace metal concentrations; rather it led to differences in the chemical composition of the aerosol due to preferential loss of aerosol particles through physical processes including cloud drop deposition to vegetative surfaces.

Towards Sustainable Rural Regions in Europe: Exploring Inter‐Relationships Between Rural Policies, Farming, Environment, Demographics, Regional Economies and Quality of Life Using System Dynamics, edited by John M. Bryden, Sophia Efstratoglou, Tibor Ferenczi, Tom Johnson, Karlheinz Knickel, Karen Refsgaard, and Kenneth J. Thomson

Towards Sustainable Rural Regions in Europe: Exploring Inter‐Relationships Between Rural Policies, Farming, Environment, Demographics, Regional Economies and Quality of Life Using System Dynamics, edited by John M. Bryden, Sophia Efstratoglou, Tibor Ferenczi, Tom Johnson, Karlheinz Knickel, Karen Refsgaard, and Kenneth J. Thomson

Exploring the ‘New Rural Paradigm’ in Europe: Eco-economic strategies as a counterforce to the global competitiveness agenda

Rural regions in Europe are facing diverging pathways of development. On the one hand, the influence of urbanisation and the intensification and continued up-scaling of agriculture make it more difficult for many regions to remain distinctive and increase sustainability. Places, as well as goods and services, have become increasingly interchangeable. For many regions an obvious choice is to compete with other regions for global mobile capital and labour. On the other hand, and as a counterforce to these global logics, new strategies, which are more place-based, are being developed, such as the construction of identities or images around new agricultural goods and services. These strategies can be seen in the context of the ‘New Rural Paradigm’ for European rural regions. In the search for new trajectories for sustainable development, different models can be identified: the bio-economy paradigm and the eco-economy. Each model has its own sustainability claim and can be analysed in the context of the overarching development theory of ecological modernisation. The central question in this article is what types of strategies and pathways for eco-economic development can be witnessed in rural regions in Europe? The empirical analysis is based on 62 European cases. Three key eco-economic strategies that show a shift from an agricultural-based development to a more integrative rural and regionally based development are identified. The article concludes with some consistent parameters for understanding the dynamic complexity of rural regional development.

International labour migration in European rural regions - the example of Saarland, Germany

International labour migration is one of the main challenges in the 21st century for rural areas within Europe. So far, rural areas have not been in the focus of research. The project DERREG, financed by EU FP7, has investigated this phenomenon. Qualitative interviews with international labour migrants have been carried out in the rural border area of Merzig-Wadern, Saarland in the South-West of Germany. The results of these interviews on motivation, working situation, professional experience, family background, social networks, future plans, satisfaction and suggestions of improvements regarding the situation of migrants show heterogeneity, in comparison with urban migrants. However, it can be concluded that the international labour migrants are a benefit to communities in rural areas if they are well integrated.

Comercio internacional libre y las consecuencias para las áreasrurales europeas

<span>General equilibrium models estimated by various authors and institutions show that, although trade liberalization leads to aggregate welfare gains, there are winners and losers. The aim of this article is to determine to what extent rural regions have won or lost in the trade opening process that has been underway since the 1990s. The economic literature on international trade and regional development suggests the presence of opposing forces, making the global impact of international trade liberalization on rural areas ambiguous. Using a series of empirical studies, the author assesses the impact of trade opening on the European regions, observing a significant proportion of losers in the trade liberalization process among the rural regions of Europe. The article concludes with an analysis of the negative effects of welfare losses on the environment and territorial ordering in many rural regions, and suggests the need to address the problem by modifying current EU policies.</span>

Constructing sustainable communities: a theoretical exploration of the bio-economy and eco-economy paradigms

Understanding how sustainable communities of place and of interest may be constructed will partly depend upon how these communities emerge from the ageing carbonist model of spatial development. This paper argues that this process is well underway by means of the development of two co-evolving ecologically modernising paradigms: the bio-economy and the eco-economy models. It conceptually explores the different trajectories and contestations of these paradigms; arguing more broadly that these are becoming significant drivers for re-structuring corporate and competitive strategies between firms, and market and spatial development between and within places. With a focus specifically upon the changing configuration of European rural regions and their wider regional positioning as valuable repositories for a range of ecological goods and services, the paper argues that the playing out of these contestations, and the abilities of communities and networks to work within and between them, will provide a major driver for constructing sustainable communities.

Modelling Multifunctionality, Territorial Development, and Policy Scenarios in Rural Europe: an Alternative Perspective on CAP Reform Debates Modéliser la multifonctionnalité, le développement territorial et les scénarios de politiques dans l’Europe rurale : une autre perspective sur les débats concernant la réforme de la PAC Modellierung von Multifunktionalität, Territorialentwicklung und Politikszenarien im ländlichen Raum Europas: Eine Alternativperspektive zu den Debatten über

summaryModelling Multifunctionality, Territorial Development, and Policy Scenarios in Rural Europe: an Alternative Perspective on CAP Reform DebatesThis article reports an analysis of CAP alternatives using a system dynamics model developed for 11 diverse European rural regions within a recent EU Framework 6 Research Project, TOP‐MARD (Towards a Policy Model of Multifunctional Agriculture and Rural Development). System dynamics, commonly used in ecological and climate change analysis, embodies a range of ‘feedback loops’ and allows the incorporation of a variety of novel indicators. The model includes regional economic sectors, households, a demographic module, and a quality of life module. It explicitly incorporates some of the ‘new’ policy concerns, especially those concerning the rural environment, populations and their quality of life, and territorial rural development. The outputs of the model are economic, social and environmental outcomes estimated for a baseline scenario (current policies) and for reform scenarios, all extended out to 2025. The analysis shows the varying economic, agricultural, social and environmental outcomes from a range of post‐2013 CAP and rural development policy scenarios in different regional contexts. It further indicates variations in policy efficiency in different regions and contexts. The results, although provisional, support the view that policy impacts need to be considered in particular rural contexts. They also support a ‘place‐based’ approach to sustainable development in rural regions.