Rural Exodus Research Articles

Unravelling a demographic ‘Mosaic’: Spatial patterns and contextual factors of depopulation in Italian Municipalities, 1981–2011

Abstract Population decline is a major issue impacting environmental sustainability, economic growth and social well-being. Although earlier studies evaluated demographic factors, social forces and economic aspects associated with population decline in Europe, the role of territorial factors was less considered when investigating the spatial linkages between rural depopulation and the local context. As demographic patterns are the result of past dynamics depending on place-specific factors, this study hypothesizes that (time-invariant) territorial characteristics (altitude, geographical area, proximity to the sea, and urban hierarchy) are important drivers of the spatial variability in depopulation rates on a local scale. To verify this assumption, changes over time (1981–2011) in resident populations of Italian municipalities were investigated and a regression model aimed at identifying the relevant factors shaping the population decline in Italy was run separately for three decades (1981–1991, 1991–2001, 2001–2011) with depopulation rate as the dependent variable. Model estimation was based on a system of simultaneous equations where the dependent variable at time t is an explanatory variable of the model at a subsequent time (t + 1). Results show that basic territorial factors – and especially altitude - impacted significantly on local-scale depopulation rates. North-south differences in population decline emerged more clearly in the last decade. Municipalities with a declining population at a given time were more likely to experience depopulation also in the subsequent decade. These findings highlight the relevant role of territorial factors in shaping depopulation across Italy and the importance of a spatially explicit analysis of demographic dynamics for local development research and policy.

Uso de Geotecnologias no Estudo da Degradação das Terras da Bacia do Rio Sucuru, na Paraíba

The objective was to map spatially and temporally the degradation of the lands of the Sucuru River basin in the region of Cariri Paraibano. The SPRING 5.2.7 program was used for the digital processing of orbital images and the photointerpretative keys for evaluation of levels of degradation, field visits, consultations with literature and public agencies. There was a regeneration of the areas that previously were in the levels of degradation very serious and moderate severe, due to factors such as the drought that is hindering the agricultural exploration, as well as the reduction of the animal exploitation and of the arboreal extractivism. The banks of the water bodies of the basin, for the most part, are at the level of severe degradation, resulting from the removal of this vegetation due to the exploitation of these areas for the most varied uses. The degradation processes, together with the incorrect use of the lands of the studied basin had as main consequence, the rural exodus, requiring the intervention of the public power so that the local communities can develop sustainable activities, considering social, economic and environmental aspects.

Responsibility-driven collective action in the context of rapid rural depopulation

Abstract China has witnessed unprecedented and rapid urbanization which has led to the depopulation and structural collapse of many traditional rural village communities, and the decline of many collective functions such as the effective management of the public realm. In seeking to address this problem it is clear from the literature that there is considerable potential in catalyzing collective action, particularly where there is a moral imperative to act and the availability of leaders with the ability to organize the collective. However, while there is evidence that community-based collective action has provided effective localized solution pathways for managing collective goods when the focus has been on the distribution of benefits, there is little evidence about its potential in scenarios associated with the distribution of costs, or responsibilities. In addressing this asymmetry, we present a case study of a typical village near Shanghai which has successfully established a community based environmental management system, and describe the process, characteristics and influencing factors of its responsibility-centered collective action. Our findings show that smart local leadership, an effective organizing strategy, and involvement of a suitable ‘core group’ was crucial. The strategy of mobilizing this core group, of empowering them with decision-making rights, and supporting their volunteered role as a ‘bridge and platform’ connecting the village cadres and villagers, significantly reduced the enforcement and monitoring costs, controlled free rider problems, and gained public support and participation, leading to a stable and sustainable solution. Our findings illustrate specific principles that apply to many cases in China, and general principles that are likely to be applicable more widely.

Música sertaneja no circo-teatro

Este artigo tem por objetivo divulgar o resultado de minha pesquisa realizada no Doutorado e as reflexões de seu produto final, o texto de tese, defendido pelo Programa de Pós-graduação da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia em março de 2018. Dando continuidade à s proposições teórico-metodológicas, esse trabalho se apresenta também como possibilidade de ampliar as discussões cujo foco se concentra na relação entre música sertaneja e circo-teatro, sobretudo a produção artística de José Fortuna (1923-1983) em sua experiência com trupe Os Maracanãs na cena paulista de teatro circense entre os anos de 1950-1980. A fim de problematizarmos a complexidade das relações que se constrói entre música sertaneja e circo-teatro à luz de um contexto repleto de transformações socioculturais, marcado pela idealização e materialização do projeto nacional-desenvolvimentista a partir dos anos de 1950, debruçamos sobre as práticas desse artista da música sertaneja. Como sujeito que experimenta o êxodo rural e compartilha das dificuldades de famílias inteiras que deixam o campo passando a viver nos bairros periféricos das grandes cidades, compondo uma massa de trabalhadores pobres aglutinados nos bairros marginais, José Fortuna produziu um repertório que não mais dualizava campo e cidade. Pelo contrário. Fruto de seu tempo, a sua produção artística se apresentou como uma forma de reenraizamento, de conectar-se ao campo mesmo estando distante dele. Mas não só. Com ela se experimentava das novas transformações sociais, possibilitando combinações diferentes à música rural como os novos temas da vida urbana, pinçados pela linguagem artística dos melodramas teatrais encenados no palco do circo.

The productive and food practices in rural space of western Santa Catarina: public action in the search for and critique of modernity

The western region of Santa Catarina was integrated to the “modernization of agriculture” in the 1950s, through the agro-industrialization of the food system, having as protagonists the State, civil society and the market, which acted at the national, state and municipal levels. Based on the sociology of public action, the objective of this paper is to verify how public policies promoted modernity and how the more recent public actions and policies reinforce or delineate new patterns and trajectories of rural development and influence productive and food consumption practices. The methodological procedures consisted of literature review and field research. In 2018, we conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with public managers and mediators from seven organizations operating in the region, two focus groups and 49 questionnaires with family farmers located in Chapecó and nine adjacent municipalities. The results indicate that modernity has led a significant portion of family farmers to produce less food for self-consumption and to consume more industrialized and ultra-processed foods, besides causing concentration of production, rural exodus and environmental pollution. Faced with these risks and uncertainties, “new” food and production practices emerged, and new actors began to build alternatives to modernity. The “new” production strategies consisted of food agro-industrialization, agroecological production, biodiversity restoration, creation of fairs, and the maintenance of production for self-consumption, supported by various actions and public policies. The same State that produces productive and food risks, threats and uncertainties, also contributes to food and nutritional security in the region.Keywords: public action; modernity; productive and food practices.GRISA, Catia; TECCHIO, Andréia; CHECHI, Leticia Andrea; SABOURIN, Eric. As práticas produtivas e alimentares no espaço rural do Oeste de Santa Catarina: a ação pública na busca e na crítica à modernidade. Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura, v. 28, n. 1, p. 78-108, fev. 2020.Submitted on November 26, 2019.Accepted on December 20, 2019.

Agricultural and food systems of rural families: analysis of familiar multilocalization in western Santa Catarina

The migration of family farmers to urban zones is usually analyzed in terms of rural exodus. This article uses the notion of multilocational families to discuss various flows of resources (food, finance and labor) among farm family members who remain on or live off-farm. Forty-nine farm families in western Santa Catarina were studied, chosen to contemplate the socioeconomic diversity of regional family farming. Among the main results it was found that half of these families are multi-locational and that farms inserted in competitive markets are more multi-located than those with less integration to these markets and lower income. The main resource exchanged is food from the farm sent to those who reside offsite, reinforcing the importance of production for self-consumption both for those who remain and for those who migrate, but who live close to and maintain ties with the family farm.Keywords: agroindustry; self-consumption; rural poverty.CAZELLA, Ademir Antonio; DORIGON, Clóvis; NESI, Cristiano Nunes; ELOY, Ludivine. Sistemas agrícolas e alimentares de famílias rurais: análise da multilocalização familiar na região Oeste de Santa Catarina. Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura, v. 28, n. 1, p. 21-47, fev. 2020.Submitted on November 28, 2019.Accepted on December 20, 2019.

O hibridismo cultural na formação das quadrilhas juninas na contemporaneidade em Arapiraca-AL

RESUMO: As quadrilhas juninas trazem um conjunto de sentidos e significados que são atribuídos nas mais diversas dimensões da vida social, construindo representações acerca do trabalho do camponês, da religiosidade, do casamento e do modo como a natureza é vista. Dito isto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo realizar estudos sobre o hibridismo cultural envolvendo as quadrilhas juninas, ou seja, o foco é a investigação desse fenômeno no município de Arapiraca, no Agreste de Alagoas, pois assim foi possível compreender melhor como vêm se dando os processos que fizeram ocorrer diversas transformações. Tais transformações nas quadrilhas juninas estão intimamente relacionadas com as mudanças do espaço urbano, entre as quais podemos citar o êxodo rural. Ao considerarmos essas mudanças, podemos perceber variadas formas de como são vivenciadas e (re)significadas às quadrilhas juninas para diferentes grupos em Arapiraca, por um enfoque no hibridismo cultural presente nessas manifestações. Do ponto de vista metodológico, utilizou-se observações diretas de grupos de quadrilhas, visitando esses coletivos quadrilheiros. Essas visitas foram importantes, pois proporcionaram uma observação direta junto à realidade social e cultural. Dessa forma, foi possível nos apropriarmos de uma análise interpretativa a partir de uma descrição densa, conforme propõe Geertz (1989), permitindo perceber as particularidades através do fluxo e do discurso social, respeitando as construções culturais dos sujeitos nos acontecimentos particulares.
 PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Quadrilhas Juninas. Arapiraca. Cultura. Hibridismo Cultural.

Rural depopulation and income convergence

<p>Panel data models are estimated to highlight the income-gap as a driver of individual decisions to migrate. This procedure allows to testing the hypothesis that the per capita income-gap of rural spaces along with the employment rate and aging explain the fall in the population of rural villages and the concentration of population in functional urban areas (FUA). First, using panel data models, the links between rural depopulation and the income-gap are estimated with data at the municipal level. Second, the effects of the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) on the convergence of income levels for rural inhabitants are evaluated.</p>

Socioenvironmental problems in agrarian reform settlement projects in the Amazon region portal, Brazil

The creation of rural settlements for the purpose of agrarian reform within the Brazilian Amazon has generated discussions and since its first implementation and brought innumerable contradictions, both environmental and social. So, naturally, questions arise about questions such as: In what context were these settlements constituted? How did the occupation of this territory impact the environment and what were the consequences of these impacts on the ecosystems and families of small farmers? This work aims, through an bibliographical review, to conceptualize the socioenvironmental impacts of the implantation of agrarian reform settlements in the Amazon and to try to elucidate or at least contribute to discuss how the failures in the management of these projects affected the lives of settled families and the ecosystem as a whole. The current structure of the landscape reveals management failures, such as the inconsistencies in the division of lots, which combined with the implantation of pastures, have increased deforestation. The inconsistencies in the construction and implementation of public policies that enabled the farmer to remain on the land in a sustainable manner, generated a state of poverty and consequent rural exodus. It is possible to produce in a sustainable way, being necessary to provide orientation and resources for farmers and the promotion of actions that aim at the production with sustainability, such as Agroforestry Systems and extractivism, practices that have been working in some localities.

Derivation of demographic depression index using GIS analysis - an example from Medjimurje county

Over the past three decades, Croatia has been experiencing a process of depopulation and population aging. This is the result of demographic changes in the past, especially in the second half of the 20th century. In this paper, the index of demographic-depressed areas (iddp) for the settlements of Croatia was derived using GIS multicriteria analysis (GIS-MCDA). An iddp was derived for all Croatian counties (21) and detailed analysis of demographic-depressed and vital areas was conducted for the settlements of Medjimurje County (131). This is recognised as the county with the highest achieved level of socio-economic development. A new methodological framework for deriving an iddp based on eight selected demographic variables has been proposed. The iddp was derived with GIS based on eight selected criteria using data from 2011 census results. The degree of demographic depression was divided into five classes: (A) distinctly depressed area, (B) less depressed area, (C) area at the edge of demographic depression, (D) vital area, and (E) distinctly vital area. The accuracy of the derived index was verified by analysing age-sex pyramids of the most depressed and vital settlements. The distinctly depressed demographic (A) is the predominant form of demographic settlement development in the six counties. These are areas that have been affected by rural exodus and depopulation, both of which were further intensified by the war from 1991 to 1995. Medjimurje County was categorised as a (D) vital area. However, of the 131 settlements in the county, 28 were identified as demographic-depressed and 72 as vital. More than half of these 72 settlements (42) have the characteristics of a distinctly vital area, which is the highest proportion among all counties. The most vital settlements were Parag, Kursanec, and Piskorovec. Their main feature is that a significant proportion of their population belongs to the Roma demographic. Derived population pyramids confirm the consistency of the generated index. Medjimurje County is characterised by high variability among results (from extremely depressed to extremely non-depressed spaces), which indicates the impossibility of adopting uniform measures and policies throughout the county. In the future, the identified vital settlements have the potential to become the county's primary demographic resource. The proposed classification of settlements according to the derived index (iddp) could serve as a useful instrument in designing development policies or measures for this specific administrative-territorial unit.

Preserving the socio-cultural traditions of rural areas in the social practices of youth

The article presents the results of a study of the process of preserving the socio-cultural traditions of rural areas in the social practices of young people. The relevance of issues of social reproduction of traditional culture in the actions of the younger generation is important for the preservation of the identity of local and regional communities. It is a kind of counterbalance to blurring the boundaries of belonging to a social, national, and confessional group. Maintaining adherence to traditional values, lifestyle and the choice of rural settlements by young people for living, it ultimately opposes the processes of rural areas depopulation and ensures their sustainable development.

The Spatial Distribution of Population in Spain: An Anomaly in European Perspective

We exploit the GEOSTAT 2011 population grid with a very high 1-km2 resolution to document that Spain presents the lowest density of settlements among European countries. We uncover that this anomaly cannot be accounted for by adverse geographic and climatic conditions. Using techniques from spatial econometrics, we identify the clusters that exhibit the lowest densities within Spain after controlling for geo-climatic factors: these areas mainly belong to Teruel, Zaragoza, Ciudad Real, Albacete, Sevilla and Asturias. We also explore the attributes that characterize the municipalities located in these low-density areas: larger population losses during the 1950-1991 rural exodus, higher shares of local-born inhabitants, longer distances to the province capital, higher shares of population employed in agriculture, and larger increases in regionalist vote after the Great Recession.

Inequality and Growth in a Developing Economy: Evidence from Regional Data (Spain, 1860–1930)

ABSTRACTThis article measures inequality at the provincial level in Spain for different benchmark years between 1860 and 1930. It then empirically assesses the relationship between economic growth and inequality. The results confirm that, although growing incomes did not directly contribute to reducing inequality, at least during the early stages of modern economic growth, other processes associated with economic growth such as the rural exodus to urban and industrial centers, the demographic transition, and the spread of literacy, among others, notably improved the situation of the bottom part of the population.

The Returns of the Roman de la Terre : Défricheurs and their Migrant Others in the Canadien Imaginary

The theme “parler la terre” presents an opportunity to reconsider Québec’s romans de la terre—farm novels from the turn of the Nineteenth Century into the Twentieth that are often considered to be the inaugural works of the province’s literary canon. Variously known as the “roman du territoire” or the “roman paysan”, this genre, with its idealized depictions of colonization and rural life, helped articulate what literary historian Dorothee Scholl would call the mythe du terroir—or in her own words, “the mythologizing of the soil as the site of French-Canadian national identity (103).” At the height of their popularity, these novels were heavily patronized by Catholic clergy, provincial politicians, and nationalist literary circles, who promoted the productions in order to discourage the rural flight of francophone Canadiens,1 encouraging them to instead migrate internally and agriculturally exploit the Laurentians region north of Montréal. There is now a vast body of critique that examines how the agriculturalist ideology expressed through these farm novels helped reify notions of Franco-Canadian identity and territoriality. Transcending these studies, critics have also begun to read romans de la terre against the grain, highlighting the multi-dimensionality of the discourses of land in this genre. Some critics even diverge from the agriculturalist debate all together—for example, Sudarsan Rangarajan who does so in order to draw links between the roman de la terre and the contemporaneous French roman d’aventures (767). My paper, however, maintains that there remains work to be done in complicating the novels’ agriculturalist fixation on land, in particular by reckoning with the settler-colonialist implications of this discourse. Before me, geographer Caroline Desbiens productively proposed that certain romans de la terre may be emphasized as romans de ressources—and rightfully so, as many of them do extol the extraction and economic mobilization of natural resources from newly colonized land (121). However, remarking that this exploitation is mediated by the movement of colonists across the national terroir, the question I raise instead is how romans de la terre may also be read as economic récits de la migration. Doing so will allow us to comprehend the place of human migration in the settler-colonialist imaginaries that informed Canadiens of their relationship with the land in the past, and perhaps even continue to shape Québécois territoriality in the present day. As a case study, I turn to the emblematic roman de la terre, Louis Hémon’s Maria Chapdelaine; understanding migration loosely as the displacement

CONNECTING RURAL CHANGE AND LOCAL CRAFTS: REBRANDING SOCK KNITTING IN YENİKARAAĞAÇ

Rural development literature has demonstrated that in modern times, farming alone is usually unable to provide returns sufficient enough to develop a rural economy and keep the processes of outmigration and aging of the rural population in check. The development of non-farm activities such as small-scale industries, handicrafts, and rural tourism has been recognized as an indispensable way of providing dignified livelihoods to villagers, preventing rural exodus, and maintaining a lively village culture which combines modern achievements with valuable traditions. Based on fieldwork in Yenikaraagac Village (located near the city of Bursa in western Turkey) and the outreach postcard project connecting the village to urban areas, we argue that design-based approaches can expand the audience of local craft practices and contribute to rural development. We present Yenikaraagac as a case study of the historical trajectory and current state of sock knitting. By presenting the postcard project that ties sock knitting in the village to other areas through online networks, we suggest following designerly approaches to study the potential of local crafts for supporting dignified and sustainable livelihoods in rural Turkey.

중국도시거주 신세대농민공의 사회적 자본과 삶의 만족도

중국도시거주 신세대농민공의 사회적 자본과 삶의 만족도

사바에시의 인구증가와 지역활성화

Sabae city is a representative case of a region that succeeded in the increase of youth population and revitalization of the region through voluntary and cooperative efforts. This case shows the completion of a system which connects ‘the youth outflow→establishment of countermeasure→the regional regeneration→the youth inflow→the circular economy’. In particular, it is noteworthy that it established a sustainable business model. The success factors of regional revitalization are diverse and complex. Depending on who (human resources), what (target), and how (project structure), the revitalization model will also change. In the case of Sabae city, the following three special features are measured as the key structure: The human resource as Keyman’s role & networks of solidarity cooperation, The excavation and innovation of local resources as the basis for creating employment, and A securing sustainability through fun (youth planning) & verification (KPI). Urban concentration and rural depopulation of Korea are no less serious social problems than that of Japan. Especially, Korea’s 0.98 birth rate indicates an unprecedented loss of balance. In this regard, the regional revitalization of Sabae city provides various aspects of benchmarking factors to the regional revitatlization in Korean society.

Uso e ocupação do solo e a relação com a fragilidade dos remanescentes florestais na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Cértima/Portugal

Em Portugal, à semelhança do que ocorreu em vastas áreas da Europa Mediterrânea, ocorreram importantes mudanças no uso e ocupação do solo, sobretudo após a segunda metade do século XX. Entre essas alterações destaca-se o abandono agrícola e a florestação de terras antes ocupadas com agricultura, em consequência do êxodo rural e também de políticas públicas adotadas. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar o uso e ocupação do solo, os fatores físicos (climáticos, geomorfológicos e pedológicos) e históricos e as fragilidades identificadas nos remanescentes de vegetação autóctone existentes na Bacia do Rio Cértima em Portugal. Para tal, preliminarmente foi executado um diagnóstico geral da área de estudo a partir dos seguintes geoindicadores: Bioma; Clima; Geomorfologia; Geologia; Pedologia; Hipsometria e Declividade. Em seguida, foram calculadas as métricas de paisagem divididas em três categorias: tamanho, borda e forma; e são aplicadas à bacia, em geral, considerando os remanescentes florestais mapeados. Para avaliar a qualidade da vegetação florestal existente realizou-se uma análise em campo em locais selecionados da bacia do rio Cértima, por meio do método Landscape Assessment Protocol (LAP) - Protocolo de Avaliação da Paisagem. Desta forma pode-se observar que a grande parte da cobertura vegetal existente na bacia do rio Cértima é composta por eucaliptos, sendo que foram identificados um total 1220 remanescentes florestais, que ocupam uma área de 8.547,05 ha, equivalente a 15,89% da área da bacia.

Potencial agroecológico de propriedades agrícolas familiares do município de São Lourenço do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul

Com o objetivo de realizar uma análise crítica sobre a conjuntura do espaço agrário e perceber o potencial de promoção da agroecologia no município São Lourenço do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, foi realizado um estudo através da aplicação de questionário a 72 agricultores familiares em seis dos oito distritos municipais. Houve predominância na presença de agricultores de ascendência pomerana. A agricultura se configura como familiar, tanto pelo tamanho das propriedades quanto pela organização do trabalho, contando com grande participação de membros da família na produção, na maioria filhos dos proprietários. A maioria das propriedades foi obtida por herança. O principal cultivo que gera renda, a partir da percepção dos agricultores, é o fumo, apesar de tal cultivo ocupar área menor do que as pastagens, milho e soja, respectivamente. Todos os produtores utilizam insumos químicos na produção, porém, 100% mudariam para um sistema de produção de bases ecológicas, principalmente em função de sua saúde. Observa-se que é baixa a percepção dos agricultores sobre os impactos da produção agropecuária convencional sobre o meio ambiente. São Lourenço do Sul é um município cujo espaço agrário se configura como uma possível frente de resistência às tendências de êxodo rural, bem como pode ser um importante polo para desenvolvimento de políticas de fomento à produção de base agroecológica.

Exodus and Emigration:

The region of Lisbon experienced, from the mid-20th century, successive waves of immigration and internal migration that profoundly altered its socio-territorial configuration. Rural exodus, the forced return of the Portuguese colonists, during and after the wars of independence in the former colonies, and immigration spurred by major public works financed by the European Community, are the most striking examples. Since that time, the Lisbon Metropolitan Area has never ceased facing great challenges in housing provision. The article seeks to describe the impacts of these exodus and migrations, which are distinct in intensity and shape, but reveal how housing supply has remained the weakest pillar of the Portuguese Social State.