Rural Island Communities Research Articles

An integrated fuzzy evaluation of photovoltaic systems adoption barriers in rural island communities of developing economies

Among the renewable energy technologies that address sustainability issues in energy consumption, photovoltaic (PV) systems are found most applicable in rural island communities. However, due to several interplay factors, the adoption of PV systems in such areas faces barriers. In this regard, this study presents a thorough analysis of these barriers using an integrated analytic modeling approach. The fuzzy Delphi method was used to reduce the 85 barriers initially sourced from the literature to 35 significant barriers. To draw a holistic understanding of the problem, the transitive relationships of the identified barriers were examined using the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. Findings suggest that insufficient policies and regulatory frameworks, research and development, education, and training were among the most crucial barriers that impact other barriers. To address these barriers, five policy measures are outlined that may have synergistic effects in the increased adoption of solar PV systems, including the inclusion of local government units in energy planning and activities, incentivizing enhanced cooperation initiatives, supporting technology transfer programs, development of battery energy storage industry, and implementing community solar programs. The analysis of these barriers in the context of a developing country provides useful insights to policy- and decision-makers. Other developing economies with minor differences in socio-economic and political makeup may consider the policy measures to augment solar PV system adoption in their rural island communities.

Who returns? Understanding experiences of graduate return to rural island communities

High levels of out-migration of young people from rural and island communities has provoked significant concern around experiences of “brain drain”. However, recent research has shown that many young people who leave rural communities hold intentions or aspirations to return to their communities in the future. Although research has identified intentions to return in young people leaving rural communities, and has identified patterns of return in older migrants, the experience of young returnees, and specifically young graduates has received very little attention. This paper seeks to address this gap by exploring the phenomenon of return migration to the Scottish islands of Orkney and Shetland by recent graduates (within a year of graduation). Where previous research has identified the importance of employment and relationships in return migration, the findings from this project identify that it is how the dynamics of career and relationships interweave over time that creates specific spatial horizons. Drawing out the findings into a typology of graduate returners, this paper indicates the variety of experiences of graduate return and identifies a potential need for greater support of some graduate returners.

Sexual well-being among young people in remote rural island communities in Scotland: a mixed methods study

BackgroundIt has been identified that rural young people face barriers to accessing support for their sexual well-being such as availability and transport, knowing healthcare staff personally, and fear of being...

Effective Pandemic Response: Lessons from Kauai.

Local health jurisdictions have struggled to protect their communities during the pandemic, and successes are few. The Kauai District Health Office (KDHO) of the Hawaii Department of Health serves a rural island community of 73,000 residents. As a state agency, KDHO works closely with the county mayor and administration. Kauai has experienced comparatively low COVID-19 case and case-fatality rates while maintaining strong community and leadership cohesion. Kauai's response was highly rated by residents in a recent Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response survey. In this article, we describe examples of local response efforts in the areas of (1) policy and regulations, (2) health-directed isolation and quarantine, (3) case investigation and contact tracing, (4) testing availability, (5) vaccine rollout and availability, and (6) public information, as well as the factors that have contributed to Kauai's successes. KDHO regularly prioritizes agencywide initiatives that cross program silos; staff have experience using the incident command system in real-world situations; the community health worker team is multicultural, multilingual, and well established; and staff are integral members of the community they serve. Preexisting partnerships were strong, including those with county agencies, healthcare partners, and nongovernmental organizations, which facilitated early and effective collaboration. Response successes include implementation of unified command, coordinated public messaging, early protective measures, effective disease control and outbreak response, attention to secondary impacts of the pandemic, free community testing, mass vaccination, and mobile vaccinations and testing. The value of local health departments engaging regularly and authentically with partners and communities cannot be overstated. It has saved lives on Kauai. Local health jurisdictions should focus on all-hazards and all-staff endeavors to enhance their disaster response effectiveness.

Feasibility of telemedicine program using a hand-held nonmydriatic retinal camera in Panama.

To evaluate the image quality of a telemedicine screening program for retinal disease using a nonmydriatic camera among rural island communities in Bocas del Toro, Panama. In June 2018, a group of three medical students volunteered at clinics operated by the Floating Doctors in the province of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Non-mydriatic images of the retina were obtained using the Pictor Plus (Volk Optical, Mentor OH), randomized, and sent to two board-certified ophthalmologists at the University of California, Irvine for analysis using a modified version of the FOTO-ED scale. Inter-rater reliability was calculated using the kappa statistic. Seventy patients provided a total of 127 images. Average image quality was 3.31, and most frequent image quality was 4/5 on the FOTO-ED scale. Thirty patients had at least one eye image with ideal quality (42.86%), while only one patient had no adequate photos taken (1.43%). However, high quality images were obtained in both eyes in only 12 patients (17.14%). The inter-rater reliability between the two ophthalmologists was 0.614. Further improvements are necessary to acquire higher quality images more reliably. This may include further training and experience or mydriasis.

Many common presentations of obsessive-compulsive disorder unrecognized by medical providers in a Pacific Island community

PurposeObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious mental health condition that is frequently misdiagnosed and left untreated for extended periods. A contributing factor may be the lack of awareness regarding OCD’s heterogeneous symptom presentations in nonpsychiatric medical providers (MPs). Nonpsychiatric MPs are often consulted by those with OCD and are thus in a key position to first identify the symptoms in a person. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess nonpsychiatric MPs’ ability to recognize varying symptom presentations of OCD.Design/methodology/approachThe current study examined OCD recognition rates in 105 nonpsychiatric MPs practicing on Guam – a rural island community with limited mental health resources. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six vignettes describing a common obsessional theme within OCD (i.e. contamination, symmetry, religion, homosexuality, pedophilia or aggression) and asked to provide their diagnostic impressions.FindingsOver half of participating MPs (58.1%) did not recognize the condition in the vignettes as OCD. As groups, vignettes describing taboo obsessions were significantly less likely to be recognized as OCD than those describing contamination and symmetry obsessions. Overall, results reveal that MPs are largely unaware of the diversity of OCD symptoms.Originality/valueFew studies have examined nonpsychiatric MPs’ awareness of varying OCD symptom presentations, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no studies to date have been conducted on MPs practicing in rural settings. The findings of this study can inform training programs for MPs to help decrease OCD misdiagnoses in medical settings.

The socio-technical barriers and strategies for overcoming the barriers to deploying solar mini-grids in rural islands: Evidence from Ghana

Energy access remains a challenge for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is no exception as 15% of her population live in remote areas without access to electricity. In 2015, the World Bank Group provided funding for the Ghanaian government to extend electricity to some of her rural island communities. The government of Ghana chose to deploy solar mini-grids. Despite technological breakthrough with solar mini-grids and financial support from the World Bank Group, the deployment of the solar mini-grids still faced significant barriers some of which are embedded in the socio-cultural contexts of the Ghanaian rural island communities. Designed through a socio-technical systems lens, this study explores the sociotechnical barriers and strategies to overcoming the barriers to deploying solar mini-grids in Ghanaian rural island communities. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observations. The results show that different categories of barriers affected deployment of the solar mini-grids. The barriers are socio-technical in nature suggesting that the obstacles to renewable energy deployment in sub-Saharan Africa are neither exclusively social nor technical but a combination of both social and technical forces. While the social factors range from land disputes to illegal connections, the technical barriers include limited technical know-how to lack of qualified technicians. In suggesting strategies to address these barriers, the study participants proposed involvement of indigenes, training and transfer of technical expertise, and increased generation capacity. Based on these findings, the study outlines three policy implications on mitigating the barriers in future projects.

Social capital reduces vulnerability in rural coastal communities of Solomon Islands

Rural island communities are generally regarded as the most vulnerable groups affected by climate change. This perception arises due to them often being in less developed areas with high levels of exposure to stressors, while reportedly lacking the means to cope with these stressors. Studies which use developed-country yardsticks, such as those used in past IPCC-based assessments, when measuring vulnerability in less developed states will however inevitably over-pronounce its effects in such areas. The sustainable livelihoods approach provides an alternate means of determining vulnerability using capital assets such as social capital. The presence of these assets enables communities to pursue diverse livelihood strategies which ultimately serve to reduce their vulnerability. This study seeks to measure attributes of social capital in five marine dependent communities of Solomon Islands. This was done through a questionnaire survey of 110 respondents, which comprised of 15 questions related to social capital. Question scores were equally balanced and also contributed equally to each of the five indicators of social capital identified in the literature-namely community cohesion, gender equity, leadership, decision making, and equal access to services and resources. The results indicated an overall social capital vulnerability score of 0.379, where 0 indicates the lowest possible vulnerability score and 1 the most vulnerable. Community cohesion decreased vulnerability the most within these communities, followed by gender equity, leadership, equal access to services and resources and decision making. Our results indicate a high degree of social capital in Solomon Islands communities, and therefore its importance as an inherent measure for households to cope with both climate and non-climate related stressors. Climate change directed policy should therefore be developed with the aim of preserving social capital as it provides a culturally embedded means of deterring vulnerability, at the risk of more expensive and possibly less pragmatic alternative measures.

Understanding the preferences of rural communities for adaptation to 21st-century sea-level rise: A case study from the Samoan islands

This paper explores the perceived adaptation preference of rural island communities in addressing future climate change risks, particularly those concerning sea-level rise. The research explores the role of culture and local politics, and differences among various age and gender groups within the community regarding preferred adaptation pathways for coping with the impacts of future sea-level rise. A participatory action approach, in the form of a community workshop, was employed, which separated participants into community identified groupings. Differences in community groups' adaptation preferences emerged, though the range of adaptation measures considered were limited, probably due to the participants’ limited exposure to adaptation mechanisms in their immediate surroundings. Overall, the communities surveyed tended to be conservative, especially in their attitudes towards western adaptation solutions developed in non-island contexts.

Techno-economic analysis of a cost-effective power generation system for off-grid island communities: A case study of Gilutongan Island, Cordova, Cebu, Philippines

Off-grid, rural island communities seldom have access to electricity and for those that do, the quality and availability are unsatisfactory. Gilutongan Island is one of the many off-grid islands in the Philippines with very limited access to electricity. Residents are provided with electricity from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. through a 194-kVA diesel generator, paying US$ 0.14 per bulb and US$ 0.16 per outlet. Payment for electricity is collected on a daily basis with collections usually amounting to US$ 74.32 per day. With consumption totalling to 276 kW for 4.5 h, this roughly translates to a cost of US$ 1.21 per kWh. Using Hybrid Optimisation Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER), this paper presents a techno-economic analysis of a proposed cost-effective power generation system for the island, aiming to provide electricity access to the residents 24 h a day with reduced energy cost. Two options are considered: diesel-solar hybrid and solar only. Considering location constraints of the island, the hybrid system proves to be more effective, reducing cost of energy by 70% to US$ 0.3556 per kWh. Determining the load profile of the island is imperative in creating the system, dictating its size and capacity, which in turn affects its sustainability.

Community Perspectives on Livelihood Practices and Development: Implications for Policy and Planning

This paper presents an in-depth study of the livelihood practices and development needs of one isolated rural island community in the Maldives. The research identified key stakeholders concerns about opportunities and barriers to livelihood practices and community development using a case study approach. Some of the challenges networking locally and nationally to achieving community objectives for food security, water and other resources management, socio-economic development and environmental protection are identified, followed by strategies to reduce vulnerability in the context of climate change and to develop a sustainable ecosystem for future generations.

Corrigendum to: Rodent management issues in South Pacific islands: a review with case studies from Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu

Rodents are a key pest to agricultural and rural island communities of the South Pacific, but there is limited information of their impact on the crops and livelihoods of small-scale farmers. The rodent pest community is known, but the type and scales of damage to different crops on different islands are unknown. Knowledge about rodent pest management in other geographical regions may not be directly transferable to the Pacific region. Many studies on islands have largely focussed on the eradication of rodents from uninhabited islands for conservation benefits. These broadscale eradication efforts are unlikely to translate to inhabited islands because of complex social and agricultural issues. The livelihoods, culture and customs of poor small-scale farmers in the South Pacific have a large bearing on the current management of rodents. The aim of the present review was to describe the rodent problems, impacts and management of rodents on South Pacific islands, and identify gaps for further research. We compared and contrasted two case studies. The situation in Papua New Guinea is emergent as several introduced rodent species are actively invading new areas with wide-ranging implications for human livelihoods and conservation. In Vanuatu, we show how rodent damage on cocoa plantations can be reduced by good orchard hygiene through pruning and weeding, which also has benefits for the management of black pod disease. We conclude that (1) damage levels are unknown and unreported, (2) the impacts on human health are unknown, (3) the relationships between the pest species and their food sources, breeding and movements are not known, and (4) the situation in Papua New Guinea may represent an emergent crisis that warrants further investigation. In addition, there is a need for greater understanding of the invasive history of pest rodents, so as to integrate biological information with management strategies. Ecologically based rodent management can be achieved on Pacific Islands, but only after significant well funded large-scale projects are established and rodent ecologists are trained. We can learn from experiences from other locations such as Southeast Asia to guide the way.

Rodent management issues in South Pacific islands: a review with case studies from Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu

Rodents are a key pest to agricultural and rural island communities of the South Pacific, but there is limited information of their impact on the crops and livelihoods of small-scale farmers. The rodent pest community is known, but the type and scales of damage to different crops on different islands are unknown. Knowledge about rodent pest management in other geographical regions may not be directly transferable to the Pacific region. Many studies on islands have largely focussed on the eradication of rodents from uninhabited islands for conservation benefits. These broadscale eradication efforts are unlikely to translate to inhabited islands because of complex social and agricultural issues. The livelihoods, culture and customs of poor small-scale farmers in the South Pacific have a large bearing on the current management of rodents. The aim of the present review was to describe the rodent problems, impacts and management of rodents on South Pacific islands, and identify gaps for further research. We compared and contrasted two case studies. The situation in Papua New Guinea is emergent as several introduced rodent species are actively invading new areas with wide-ranging implications for human livelihoods and conservation. In Vanuatu, we show how rodent damage on cocoa plantations can be reduced by good orchard hygiene through pruning and weeding, which also has benefits for the management of black pod disease. We conclude that (1) damage levels are unknown and unreported, (2) the impacts on human health are unknown, (3) the relationships between the pest species and their food sources, breeding and movements are not known, and (4) the situation in Papua New Guinea may represent an emergent crisis that warrants further investigation. In addition, there is a need for greater understanding of the invasive history of pest rodents, so as to integrate biological information with management strategies. Ecologically based rodent management can be achieved on Pacific Islands, but only after significant well funded large-scale projects are established and rodent ecologists are trained. We can learn from experiences from other locations such as Southeast Asia to guide the way.

Exploring resistance in rural and remote island communities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss and use living stories to provide examples and some basic principles of cooperation as the alternative way of organising island community. Design/methodology/approach – This study draws upon autoethnography and storytelling to show co-operative practices. Storytelling is supported by deconstruction of living stories. Findings – Island communities create and maintain resistance through a culture of cooperation. Living stories (I-V) illustrate different instances of cooperative practices, for example, friends in need, gathering, search and moba, and where sympathy, gift, and humanity and care are essential elements. Research limitations/implications – It would be interesting to explore whether island communities elsewhere exhibit similar patterns. Practical implications – Deconstructed stories helped in reconstructing the bigger picture of how the people on the island offer collective resistance by developing different ways of cooperation. Social implications – Living stories (I-V) based on reciprocity of taking turns and giving back to the community, is a strategy for survival and of collective resistance within the rural island communities. Originality/value – Appreciation of the true value of collective resistance based on gift and reciprocity rather than financialisation and economisation aids to better understanding of the needs of traditional societies of island archipelagos, on the part of policy makers and other stakeholders who are involved in the process of planning for island development.

Rural Tourism Development

Cultural characteristics that make rural destinations appealing to visitors could limit local engagement in rural tourism development as well. So, the paper looked at St. Thomas in Jamaica to determine the elements of their culture on which a strong rural tourism product could be built but could also limit local participation in the development of their rural tourism industry. St. Thomas is a rural island community with a rich history steeped in colonialism. Interviews and radio program transcripts as well as notes from a town hall meeting of residents were analyzed. Fifteen elements were identified in this community’s culture that explain their traditional, conservative, close to nature, and spiritual way of life; five were identified as possible drivers of community members’ nonengagement behaviors. A holistic approach to resolving cultural dichotomies in rural tourism communities that would preserve cultural characteristics treasured locally and improve local engagement behaviors was proposed.

Living on a Rural Island: Children Identify Assets, Problems, and Solutions for Health and Well-Being

This paper describes the methods and results of a child and youth evaluation of their semi-isolated rural island community. Map drawings, interviews, community asset mapping, and focus groups were used to identify assets, problems, and solutions in the community. A broad representation of the island's children and youth, ranging from 5 to 14 years old provided information on the impact of the physical environment, community services and resources, social capital and community cohesion, and favorite places and activities. Four broad categories emerged as important for children and youth regardless of age: a sense of safety, the positive influence of the natural environment, a close-knit community and available resources, programs and services. The results of this place-based evaluation are compared to the literature on person-environment congruence and child-friendly communities.

Touching Japanese Popular Culture: From Flows to Contact for Ethnographic Analysis

This essay explores the idea of touch as a means to think about Japanese popular culture in a transnational perspective. In the years since Appadurai coined the idea of ‘scapes’ of flow, we have witnessed a growing interest in phenomena associated with border crossing. As a counterpoint, I consider several examples of Japanese culture that could be seen as ‘transnational flow’, but provide different insights if viewed in terms of touch, encounter, and contact. In particular, I consider a Japanese rapper's dismay at the selection of his album cover as one of the worst of 2010, an American reviewer's distaste at a style of Japanese figurine production, and the integration of contemporary art exhibits in a rural island community in Japan. In each case, the moments and spaces of contact point to a way of understanding cultural influence less via the process of crossing borders than in terms of highlighting locations where cultural difference comes into contact. These examples of ‘touch’ also offer a way of understanding what makes fieldwork and ethnography such a useful analytical perspective for Japanese studies.

Benefits, Barriers, and Intentions/Desires of Nurses Related to Distance Learning in Rural Island Communities

This study assessed distance learning needs among nurses on the Neighbor Islands in Hawaii. An exploratory study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative design. Of the 37 nurses who completed the study, 7 were nurse administrators and 30 were staff nurses. There were 18 focus groups of nurses recruited from six public hospitals on the Neighbor Islands. Three major themes related to distance learning emerged in this study: benefits, barriers, and intentions/desires. Each major theme had several linkages to categories and subcategories. Overall findings were as follows: (1) cost was mentioned more often in three major thematic areas (benefit, barriers, and intentions/desires); (2) the need to revisit and address current curriculum approaches and practices in distance learning programs was identified; and (3) strong recommendations were made for programs and organizational support for distance learning in hospital settings. These findings have implications for nursing research, education, and practice.

Sir Andrew Macphail: The Life and Legacy of a Canadian Man of Letters (review)

Reviewed by: Sir Andrew Macphail: The Life and Legacy of a Canadian Man of Letters Edward MacDonald Sir Andrew Macphail: The Life and Legacy of a Canadian Man of Letters. Ian Ross Robertson. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008. Pp. 448, $49.95 In a sense this meticulous and well-considered biography bookends Ian Ross Robertson’s academic career. Back in 1974, when Canadian intellectual history was waxing on the strength of Carl Berger’s The Sense of Power: Studies in the Ideas of Canadian Imperialism (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1970), Robertson’s doctoral dissertation examined Sir Andrew Macphail as a social critic. Three decades later, Robertson has returned to this somewhat neglected figure, perhaps the best Canadian embodiment of that lost archetype, the man of letters. [End Page 576] Born in 1860s rural Prince Edward Island, Macphail moved to Montreal, where he became a medical doctor and the first professor of the history of medicine at McGill University. Although he ‘tried his hand at almost every type of literary activity’ (231), Macphail made his reputation as an editor and essayist in the pre–Great War period. In the pages of the influential University Magazine, which he founded, edited, and helped fund, Macphail ‘articulated a philosophy of political and social conservatism whose pivotal components were imperialism and attachment to a traditional rural way of life’ (281). His imperialism, expressed in familial rather than economic terms, urged a greater role for Canada within the British Empire, and his rural vision of self-reliant, family-based farms reacted against the manifest evils of urban industrialism. His later years were dogged by ill health and disillusionment at current trends, yet produced two of his most enduring works: a controversial Official History of the Canadian medical services during the Great War and The Master’s Wife, his posthumously published memoir of life in the rural Island community of his youth. There is, in fact, a whole chapter on The Master’s Wife, examining its connection to Macphail’s social thought, its literary merit, and its continuing influence on Prince Edward Islanders’ sense of their own history and identity. Although Robertson pointedly acknowledges the diversity of Macphail’s activities, there are two main strands to his biography: Macphail the turn-of-the-century man of letters, situated at Canada’s leading university in Canada’s leading city, and Macphail the chronicler, celebrator, and interpreter of Prince Edward Island’s traditional rural culture. In Robertson’s estimation, the latter is the key to the former: ‘On all matters, including his imperialism, he displayed an extraordinarily consistent conservatism that was firmly rooted in the soil of Prince Edward Island’ (281). Robertson employs a formidable arsenal of sources, chief among them Macphail’s own papers and published writings, and Robertson’s own encyclopedic grasp of Prince Edward Island history. He writes in a lean and muscular prose that Macphail, the consummate stylist, would probably have endorsed. Macphail might also approve Robertson’s focus on his ideas rather than his persona. One comes away with little sense of Macphail’s interior life. Robertson is reluctant to speculate on the impact on Macphail of his beloved wife’s untimely death. An attempted assassination, which permanently damaged Macphail’s health, gets one paragraph. The paradox of a man who experimented with crops, but wrote, ‘Machinery is fatal to good farming’ (202) goes unexplored, while Macphail’s refusal to install telephone, radio, washer, [End Page 577] electricity, or even a pump (he used a bucket and well) at his home in Orwell is merely noted as evidence of his consistent anti-modernism. Robertson clearly admires Macphail, though he never fawns on his subject. Nor is he an apologist for Macphail’s views, some of which – such as his trenchant, ‘separate spheres’ anti-feminism – have drawn the ire of modern commentators. Robertson does not judge; he explains. He takes a similar approach to Macphail’s lapses as a historian of Canada’s wartime medical service, carefully citing modern disclosures that Macphail routinely disguised his own opinions as unnamed sources. As Robertson observes, it was not just Macphail’s ideas, but his artistry, the ‘vigour, wit, clarity, and topicality’ of...

Satisfaction with access to healthcare: qualitative study of rural patients and practitioners

Aim To gain insight into factors affecting patient and practitioner satisfaction with access to healthcare in a remote rural island community. Background General practice based primary care is the focus of health service delivery in rural areas of the UK. Individuals from rural populations have reported inequalities in access to healthcare. User satisfaction with service performance is recognised as an important outcome of healthcare. Further investigation into factors underpinning patient and practitioner satisfaction with access to rural healthcare is required. Design of Study Qualitative interviews with patients and primary healthcare practitioners. Setting Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, UK. Methods A topic guide was developed following review of the literature. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 23 participants were conducted with individuals from all inhabited islands. Detailed field notes were kept, and interview content was partially transcribed and analysed thematically. Findings Principal themes identified were common to patient and practitioner participants. These were: concerns expressed regarding the equitable provision of services; obstacles to using health services; and the outlook of patients and professionals, including expectations, choice, patient–practitioner relationships and community cohesiveness. Emerging themes gave insight into a range of factors affecting satisfaction with access to healthcare. Conclusion Despite numerous policy initiatives aimed at reducing inequities in health service provision, problems with access and uptake of health services persist amongst individuals from remote rural populations. If implemented, recent National Health Service proposals may address some of the challenges identified by participants. Service developments need to take account of local priorities, expectations, geography and demography to achieve favourable outcomes.