Dynamics Of Rural Development Research Articles

Methodology for the formulation of a set of measures for the development of rural areas

Relevance. The current state of rural areas is characterized by poor development of engineering and social infrastructure, low, compared to urban, standard of living, negative forms of migration, natural decline and depopulation of the rural population. Within the framework of state regulation of the process of overcoming the current situation, state support is provided for measures for the development of rural areas put forward on the basis of local initiatives (ofmunicipalities, citizens, professional communities). However, generally accepted scientific recommendations for the formulation of such measures are not currently developed, so the topic of the study is relevant.Methods. The research is based on systematic, dialectical, abstract-logical, and organizational approaches. The object of the study is rural territories, the subject is theoretical and methodological issues related to the formulation of measures for their development.Results. A methodological approach to the formulation of a set of measures for the development of rural areas, taking into account the opportunities provided by the current state programs, is proposed. It includes the following stages: analysis of the state of the rural territory; forecasting the directions and dynamics of its development; determination of objective needs and selection of the most appropriate changes in the properties of the rural territory; formulation of a set of measures and justification of mechanisms for their implementation. In the proposed methodological approach, the rural territory is considered not in isolation, but in a single system of settlement “city — village” based on the use of SWOT and PEST analysis. At the stage of forecasting the directions and dynamics of rural development, a comprehensive use of the normative resource method and the method of extrapolation of time series trends is proposed. The selection of the most appropriate changes in the properties of the rural territory is carried out on the basis of a multi-level approach that allows to identify the problems of rural settlements, individual social groups and rural residents. It is proposed to justify the mechanisms for implementing measures for the development of rural areas based on the resources of municipalities, rural population, private business and state support measures.

A Conceptual Framework to Understand the Dynamics of Rural–Urban Linkages for Rural Flood Vulnerability

Rural areas are highly vulnerable to floods due to limited social, economic, and physical resources. Understanding rural vulnerability is vital for developing effective disaster risk reduction strategies. Even though rural areas and cities are intrinsically linked, rural vulnerability was assessed without considering its relation to cities. Numerous theoretical frameworks on systemizing and assessing vulnerability were developed with varying level of scope and depth in terms of scale, dimensions, and components. Nevertheless, these frameworks did not explicitly mention the impact of flood or other hazards on the linkages between spatial units i.e., rural and urban. This study aims to understand and conceptualize the rural vulnerability with respect to the dynamics of rural–urban linkages in the case of flood events. To do so, current literature on rural–urban linkages, vulnerability, as well as factors that influence them were critically reviewed. Taking into account the main elements of rural–urban linkages (flow of people, information, finances, goods and services), components of vulnerability (exposure, susceptibility, and capacity), and factors (social, economic, institutional, infrastructural, spatial, and environmental), a unified framework is proposed. The framework underscores that the role of rural–urban linkages is essential to fully understand rural flood vulnerability. Moreover, the framework highlights the role of spatial factors—city size and proximity to the city—as crucial to comprehend rural vulnerability. This framework can be used as a tool for understanding multifaceted rural vulnerability for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction considering spatial development perspective. In this context, empirical investigations can be made to validate the proposed framework and policies can be introduced accordingly. Overall, the proposed framework can help recognize concepts and links of vulnerability, rural–urban dependencies, and rural development dynamics.

Advancing Food Security through Agroecological Technologies: The Implementation of the Biointensive Method in the Dry Corridor of Nicaragua

In contrast with international food assistance programs, or with the new green revolution based on the sustainable intensification of agriculture, this work proposes an agroecological technology to overcome food insecurity problems in countries like Nicaragua, most especially in rural areas. In particular, it analyzes the effects of implementing the biointensive method—an agroecological food production initiative that is highly labor-intensive, but requires little land—in various communities of the Dry Corridor in Nicaragua. This project is the result of establishing an international consortium for development cooperation where grassroots communities played a prominent role. The main results are an improvement in local food security and a strengthening of the communities’ capacity to face major challenges arising from poverty and climate change, the effects of which are increasingly noticeable in Central America. The main weakness identified is that the necessary tropicalization of the method has not been sufficiently tested, for a two-year period is too short a time to transform the prevailing rural development dynamics significantly.

Reconexão entre produção e consumo de alimentos e a política territorial de desenvolvimento rural no Brasil

As tradicionais estratégias de desenvolvimento rural têm desconsiderado os circuitos curtos de comercialização, baseados na interação face a face, nas relações de confiança entre produtor e consumidor e atribuem o conceito de mercado apenas aos circuitos longos. Cada vez mais vem sendo reconhecida a importância da reconexão entre a produção e o consumo de alimentos no âmbito acadêmico, social e político. Essa reconexão tem repercussões diretas sobre questões de segurança e soberania alimentar, tanto por parte do agricultor, quanto do consumidor. Vale ressaltar que na construção e fortalecimento destes circuitos locais de produção-consumo, o papel do consumidor é essencial. Com base nessas considerações, enfatizamos que apesar de a política territorial brasileira ter contribuído para o estabelecimento ou mesmo fortalecimento de circuitos curtos de comercialização, isto não representa um objetivo ou princípio explícito da política. Consequentemente, o consumidor tem sido desconsiderado enquanto um ator central na dinâmica territorial de desenvolvimento rural. Pretende-se assim ilustrar estas observações a partir da análise de documentos oficiais do Programa Desenvolvimento Sustentável de Territórios Rurais (Pronat) e do Programa Territórios da Cidadania (PTC), dos Plano Territorial de Desenvolvimento Territorial Sustentável (PTDRS) e dos projetos executados em três territórios rurais e da cidadania localizados na região Sul do Brasil. Enquanto resultados, o estudo evidenciou que, apesar da política territorial propor a superação do horizonte estritamente setorial, as dinâmicas de desenvolvimento implementadas carecem avançar nesse aspecto, promovendo maior aproximação campo-cidade e produtor-consumidor, o que incluiu a criação de institucionalidades que amparem tais dinâmicas.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORKS IN THE LAND OF LĂPUȘ

Over time many lands emerged across the Romanian territories where undeniable cultural characteristics stood the test of time. To some extent, the specific or general culture, habits and traditions which complete the Romanian cultural heritage were set apart by the various geographical areas and landforms. It is absolutely vital and imperative to unearth, preserve and promote the cultural values of each land , in particular of the Land of Lăpuș. Their diversity calls for more and unabated attention to how they have become an integral part of the dynamics of rural development and highlights the importance of such an environment and of its conservation against any changes which might erode the very cultural fabric of the areas.

Methodology for assessing the development of rural territories of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation as the basis for their differentiation and typology

The article presents a methodology for comparative assessment of the state and regulation of rural territories of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in terms of socio-economic development. Within the scope of the research, the paper developes evaluation criteria and indicators for analyzing the level and dynamics of rural development, on the basis of which the authors propose the differentiation and typology of rural territories.

Delivering More with Less: Subnational Service Provision in Low Capacity States

In developing countries, low state capacity frequently is blamed for poor and uneven service delivery. Yet, since state capacity manifests unevenly across space and sectors, identifying which elements of capacity are more likely to enhance service delivery is not straightforward. We examine how subnational variation in capacity affects access to agricultural extension in rural Nepal. We explore six dimensions of state capacity using original household survey data and interviews with local bureaucrats. We find that local knowledge and motivation of bureaucrats play a significant role in shaping service access. By contrast, traditional capacity indicators—including resources, professionalization, and autonomy—matter surprisingly little. These findings suggest that bureaucrats working with fewer but more motivated staff who spend more time in a district are more likely to facilitate citizens’ access to agricultural extension. Placebo tests add confidence that relationships are not driven by unobservables. Scholarship on state capacity traditionally has been unable to measure capacity disaggregated by geography and sector, and, as a result, has struggled to link empirically different elements of capacity with service delivery. This paper begins to address this gap and in doing so, offers broader implications for the dynamics of rural development.

Rethinking the role of agriculture as a driver of social and economic transformation in Southeast Asia’s upland regions: The view from Chin State, Myanmar

Mainstream analysis of contemporary livelihood transformations and rural development in the upland regions of Southeast Asia has hitherto focused primarily on the role of agricultural commercialization and cash crops. This is reflected in policy narratives that conflate the fortunes of rural households to the expansion of a particular kind of entrepreneurial agriculture. In this article, we problematize the dynamics of economic and social change in the little-studied uplands of Chin State, Myanmar, against this policy backdrop. Using the insights from original field research, we argue that in Chin it is misplaced to explain processes of upland rural change via a cash crops narrative that over-emphasizes the potential of commercial agriculture in household livelihoods in this region. Instead, the dynamics of rural development in Chin consist of a more diverse set of interconnections, reflecting the manifold ways in which Chin households are differentially inserted into local, regional and global social and economic processes. We illustrate this via an examination of the patchy emergence of a cash crop, elephant foot yam, vis-à-vis non-local livelihood formation and the organization of livelihood pathways around the maintenance of social and cultural practices, including swidden production.

The agrifood question and rural development dynamics in Brazil and China: towards a protective ‘countermovement’

ABSTRACTThis paper explores some features of the development paths taken by Brazil and China (two member countries of the BRICS grouping) in the current context of the crisis of neoliberal globalization and transformation of the political and economic world order. The authors use Polanyi’s ‘double movement’ thesis to argue that newly emerging rural development (RD) dynamics in China and Brazil are part of a protective ‘countermovement’, driven by actors and institutions responding to the contradictions of the concentration and internationalization of agrifood systems. However, the direction and scope of these countermovements are still open; their transformative potential should be viewed in Gramsci’s terms as a struggle for hegemony the outcome of which depends on the concrete ‘balance of social forces’. First, the paper characterizes the impacts of China’s rise on Brazil’s development, which subsequently found its economy under threat of reprimarization and deindustrialization. The paper then sketches some stylized facts of production and consumption within the Brazil–China soy–meat complex, a key element of the current global food regime, with a focus on corporate control of the soy–meat value chain, and its negative consequences. Finally, the paper identifies the key roles that actors and institutions linked to peasants and family farmers are playing in the RD dynamics of each country. Although China and Brazil represent two very different realities, the comparison shows that critical rural and agrifood issues are indeed moving onto the centre stage of the contemporary ‘double movement’.

Social representations in the territorial dynamics of rural development: considerations from the Southern Territory of Rio Grande do Sul

The territorial approach, that attained the status of a governmental strategy, has led the Territorial Development Secretary (SDT) programs to become innovative. The present work can be understood as a result of the SDT's efforts to articulate public power and civil society in rural territories through the creation of Monitoring and Information Cells (IACs) composed of researchers whose task it is to produce knowledge about the dynamics of development. This article is part of the IAC activities of the Southern Zone Territory of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and addresses issues that have arisen through the initial examination of data obtained through the Index of Living Conditions (ICV) and the Sustainable Development Index (IDS). Based on these indicators, we seekto analyze the social representations of the actors of the territory, initiating a discussion about the importance of the different perceptions of the social groups regarding their living conditions and suggest concepts that may aid in their understanding. This question emerges as a gap to be filled when one considers the growing importance of the subjective dimension in current development studies. Based on the theoretical contributions of Sen and Moscovici, concerning social representations, the article discusses how these approaches can aid in the analysis of ICV and IDS data. The need to construct different research methodologies to understand the way in which social transformation reaches the most diverse cultural contexts is pointed out. In addition, the need to assess and analyze the results of this process is stressed, for which a methodology for the study of representations and the cognitive aspects of individuals is a necessary tool.

DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL EM ESCALA MICRORREGIONAL: UMA ANÁLISE ENTRE MICRORREGIÕES FUMICULTORAS E NÃO FUMICULTORAS NO RIO GRANDE DO SUL NA PRIMEIRA DÉCADA DO SÉCULO 21

The objective of this paper is to present and analyze some results in terms of regional dynamics of rural development for the Rio Grande do Sul in the first decade of the 21st century, emphasizing the comparison between non-tobacco growing and tobacco growing regions. This will be done through the construction of a Rural Development Index (RDI) for 35 micro-regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul defined by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). For construction of the IDR were considered 36 indicators divided into five dimensions (social, demographic, political-institutional, economic and environmental). The initial hypothesis was confirmed raised, since the area under tobacco in Rio Grande do Sul, considering the years 2000 and 2008, would have advanced mainly in the less dynamic, less IDR. It can also attest that the development of tobacco cultivation in the period considered is also given in the tobacco growing regions traditionally characterized by low IDR presented, although well advanced in some areas not traditionally tobacco growing, these IDR even lower. The methodology adopted is not possible to correlate directly with the advancement of tobacco growing worse or better in the indicators of rural development or analysis in terms of (un) sustainability, since each variable is taken at only one point in time. Still, we determined the validity of the methodology for comparative analysis in space (if this work) and time (allowing comparisons and changes over time).

Elementos para analizar redes sociales para el desarrollo rural en México: El caso Rendrus.

A pesar de las condiciones de marginación socioeconómica en las que viven innumerables productores rurales en México, las capacidades de éstos para inventar e innovar sus sistemas familiares de producción de alimentos e ingresos han logrado impulsar y escalar el proceso de transferencia de tecnología para la producción agropecuaria en México. Las innovaciones tienen un impacto diferenciado para generar estrategias locales de desarrollo rural; ejemplo de esto es la construcción de redes sociales de distribución y gestión de conocimiento con el potencial para impactar el desarrollo a nivel local o regional. Uno de estos mecanismos socio-reticulares es la Red Nacional de Desarrollo Rural (RENDRUS), espacio donde confluyen diversos tipos de actores sociales que comparten sus propias experiencias exitosas de desarrollo rural. Durante 17 años, los foros RENDRUS han sido organizados alrededor de la dinámica de intercambio de saberes entre productores; dicho canje es lo que autoriza para hablar de la integración de una estructura cognoscitiva con diferentes niveles de organización e impacto en el ámbito rural de México. El estudio de este tipo de intercambios, por medio del Análisis de Redes Sociales (ARS), permite distinguir la construcción social del conocimiento y su potencial para promover, a través de este tipo de redes de conocimiento, dinámicas de desarrollo rural tanto a nivel de comunidad como de regiones enteras.

CLUENaban—A land use change model combining social factors with physical landscape factors for a mountainous area in Southwest China

Land use modelling has used rural areas as object for a long time. Modellers start in general with physical landscape factors to determine the spatial distribution of land use, especially agricultural crops. An important factor defining rural areas is the dominance of livelihoods/economies based on agriculture combined with a strong relationship to tradition, high value of family ties, scales of social aggregation, and a framework given by nature. The inter-linkages among economic, social and environmental components determine both the complexity and dynamics of rural development. Both modellers and social scientists seek a better understanding of these complex rural systems in terms of their development paths, the underlying forces and the interactions between physical land use and rural society. In this paper, we use a combination of a land use change model and information about social relationship by referring both to the common spatial unit of villages for a rural region in south west China. We want to show how such a common unit can help to include social science information into a physically oriented land use model. The inclusion of social data results in a substantial improvement of the modelling results. In the model run we could show that land use patterns in the study area were closely related to socio-economic characteristics and governmental rules. In China, collective land and state land are distinguished. This land designation turned out to be the most important factor for the land use types rainfed, irrigated land, and rubber. All land use types were influenced by the ethnicity of village inhabitants because they had different land use traditions.

Impact of Food Acquisition Program in the Sertto-Apodi and A u-Mossor Territory from Brazil

The objective of this paper is to analyze the importance of the Food Acquisition Program (FAP) on the dynamics of rural development of the Territory Citizenship Serto of Apodi, from Rio Grande do Norte state, trying to understand the relationship between the economic structure and family farming organization and diversification of the agriculture family, with access to the state market from Brazil in the period 2003 to 2011. As the study methodology included municipal secondary data through desk research and used a qualitative approach, in addition to quantitative data obtained through reports Brazilian Supply Agency (CONAB), which have operations with FAP since 2004. Furthermore, we employ the LLM, Probit and Logit Models with the objective of to verify is the institution like cooperatives and associations impacts the amount of investment in the FAP. It was possible to see the relationship between the economic structure and organization of family farmers (especially cooperatives and associations) and the diversification of family farming operations with the FAP. However, there is a perceived weakness in the legalization of organizations, such as the absence of the Municipal Inspection Service (SIM), State (SIE), and Federal (SIF), especially for processed products like honey, fruit pulp and milk, as well as certification for organic products. Also we found that the number of cooperatives and associations impacts the amount of investment in FAP, given that an association more increase in 58% the probability of investment in FAP be greater the R$500.000,00.

Paradox of rural development in Bangladesh

PurposeThis paper is about the dynamics of rural development in Bangladesh. The purpose of this paper is to epitomize the scenario of manipulative design in the presence of three influential policy actors, such as bureaucracy, political leadership and tycoons.Design/methodology/approachPolitical economy approach has been followed, by and large, to epitomize the dimension of exploitation and manipulation at the micro level. Secondary data were used for the purpose. Also, the author used his understanding of the dynamics of rural development.FindingsUnder the circumstances, it seems difficult for the incumbents on the supply side to break the “political vicious circle” protecting the rights of the peasants through projected safety nets against the domineering political and economic forces. When such forces coalesce to render distribution process all but skewed, the market as a socially construed mechanism functions to drain the surplus from the rural to the metropolitan areas. A similar situation exists in India, where sweeping changes of the social action by action from above were squandered, despite repeated ideological assertions of the policy makers for developing a socialistic pattern of economy. This is due largely to the lack of explicit political commitment and the domination of the propertied class over political leadership. Elitist orientation of bureaucracy, with its close linkage with the local elite, is responsible for making things worse. On the one hand, the hidden subsidies on food and other inputs are phased out in rural Bangladesh. On the other hand, a major percentage of aid funds earmarked for poverty alleviation is absorbed in paying high salaries to project consultants – both local and foreign – and defraying the cost of contracting the project/sub‐projects through underhand deals with bureaucratic incumbents. Only a small percentage is spent on the target beneficiaries.Originality/valueThe research is original, intended to address the issues that have not been addressed before. The author has tried to fill the gap in the state of knowledge about rural socio‐political formation, with emphasis on what is wrong with malfeasance in governance, which accounts for much triangular manipulation and corruption.

The role of education, knowledge and human resources for the agricultural development in the perspective of new cap: an hypothesis of change in Basilicata

The role of education, knowledge and human resources in the agribusiness becomes of primary importance for the development of agricultural sector and, more generally, of the territory. The main objective of the present paper is to verify the role of investment in human resources and, consequently, in services for the agricultural development for the dynamics of rural development, trade and international cooperation of agribusiness.After a literature review, the paper firstly analyses the characteristics of the Italian Region of Basilicata, selected for our empirical application, and secondly develops an econometric model to explain the relationship between the rural GDP and a set of economic variables and of network-education-social (NES) dummy variable. These NES is representative of social, educational and, network factors, describing the degree of openness of the region firm. As expected, the results show that farmers may act as engines for economic development when they are trained on the basis of the needs and requirements related to innovation and research, and they are assisted through new models of organization of agricultural services.

Responses to Rural Development Dynamics in the Matengo Highlands of Southern Tanzania:

本論文では，タンザニア南部ムビンガ県で実施された参加型農村開発（SCSRDプロジェクト）の事例を対象としながら，住民主体の農村開発に向けて，農村開発プロジェクトを実施する側が意図していなかった成果（副次効果）を重視することの意義を示した。ムビンガ県では，1990年代中ごろ以降に実施されてきた農村開発の影響で，キクンディ（kikundi）と呼ばれる農民グループが農業技術やマイクロファインスの普及活動の母体として定着しつつあった。そのなかで同プロジェクトは，地域社会全体のキャパシティ・ビルディングを念頭に，まず環境保全と地域経済の活性化を具体的な目標として，それに関連する諸活動を推進した。プロジェクトの実施に呼応するように多くの住民が複数のキクンディを組織したものの，活動が進展するにつれて彼らの目的が融資の獲得であることが明らかになった。一方，プロジェクト・スタッフは住民の提示した養魚活動とプロジェクトが推奨する諸活動を関連させながら住民の意向に柔軟に対応していった。本論文では，住民がスタッフとのそうしたやりとりを経て，キクンディを単に融資の受け皿から，自発的な活動の母体として位置づけていったプロセスを明らかにするとともに，キクンディ間のネットワーク形成をプロジェクトの副次効果のひとつとして提示した。副次効果の内容には，ときに住民主体の重大な変化が内包されていることがある。農村開発の効果の多面的理解のためにも，副次効果の発現するプロセスの分析を重視する必要性を指摘した。

The Centrality of Actors and Interfaces in the Understanding of New Ruralities: A Chinese Case Study

This paper aims to demonstrate the advantages of adopting an ethnographic, actor interface approach to understanding the ongoing dynamics of rural development and policy intervention processes. It does so through the discussion of an EU-funded project orientated to introducing village-level forest-management practices in north-west China. The case highlights the ongoing everyday struggles over livelihoods and resources and focuses on the negotiations that take place between the various social actors involved. The case analysis is preceded by a broad-sweep overview of the rise of new ruralities and a discussion of the key elements of an actor interface analysis. The article concludes with a call for more cross-country and cross-regional studies of this kind.

Social Movements and the Dynamics of Rural Territorial Development in Latin America

Summary This special section brings together 4 of the 12 studies conducted within a research program analyzing the relationships among social mobilization, governance, and rural development in contemporary Latin America. The introduction gives an overview of the contemporary significance of social movements for rural development dynamics in the region, and of the principal insights of the section papers and the broader research program of which they were a part. This significance varies as an effect of two distinct and uneven geographies: the geography of social movements themselves and the geography of the rural political economy. The effects that movements have on the political economy of rural development also depend significantly on internal characteristics of these movements. The paper identifies several such characteristics. The general pattern is that movements have had far more effect on widening the political inclusiveness of rural development than they have on improving its economic inclusiveness and dynamism.

Dynamics of rural development in southern Sudan

AbstractThis article presents the results of a dynamic simulation study of a rural area in southern Sudan. In order to improve the living conditions of the rural population in this area, three intervention packages were planned: improved veterinary care; improved agricultural practices; and better general facilities like medical care, clean drinking water, schools, and roads. Although these interventions initially seem to benefit the rural population, some worsen the situation after a number of years when compared to the case without interventions, and others are not able to bring about a sustainable development of the area. Especially the improvement of the general infrastructure causes problems in the long run because it accelerates migration from the rural areas to the town. This increases the share of imported sorghum purchased by the town dwellers and diminishes the ability of the rural population to purchase food after a year of a low Productivity. It is concluded that analyzing the dynamics of the system can foster planning of appropriate interventions.