Rural Organizations Research Articles

Factors Influencing Changes in Social Activity under COVID-19 in Polish Rural Areas

The COVID-19 pandemic, due to unprecedented countermeasures aimed at limiting social contact, affected many spheres of life, including the forms and scope of social activity. This paper aims to identify the importance of the size and economic type of village, as well as the existence of rural organizations before the pandemic to identify the changes in different forms of social activity among rural area residents during the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. This research was based on phone interviews (CATI) carried out in December 2022 with village administrators. It was concluded that the village size, economic profile, and the activities of various types of social organizations had very limited influence on changes in social contact during the pandemic. The economic type of the village, both low and high levels of agrarisation, showed a significant relationship with change of only one form of social activity: joint work on a farm. The activities of organizations popular in rural areas such as Volunteer Firefighters’ Brigades or Rural Housewives’ Clubs played an important role in the changes (decrease) in meetings at home and after mass in church.

PROPOSAL FOR THE CREATION OF CARBON CREDIT MINI-MARKETS CONSIDERING ORGANIZATIONS’ SUPPLY CHAINS

Discussions about reducing carbon emissions typically focus on large emitters while small and medium-sized organizations are outside this scope. The aim of this work is to propose the creation of mini-markets for carbon credits in chains of organizations to include small and medium-sized organizations, integrating urban and rural areas in the same region, offering an important contribution to smart and sustainable cities. The research took the meat and dairy chains as a reference and conducted a brief case study in two organizations. The result is a governance model that includes small and medium-sized organizations in the context of reducing emissions and generating benefits. This research can be extended to other chains and allows for compensation between companies in the same segment. A segment can be a production chain or a group of urban and rural organizations in the same region. The proposed principle is that initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by region contribute to better overall governance of such initiatives, as the materialization of projects and results becomes more agile and effective.

Assessing the Relationships among Rural Organizations Working Within Decent Life Initiative in Assiut Governorate using the Graph-Theoretic Technique

Assessing the Relationships among Rural Organizations Working Within Decent Life Initiative in Assiut Governorate using the Graph-Theoretic Technique

The Principal Functions of Institutions in Shaping the Civil Society and Southern African Rural Organisations

The influence of political interests on resource discourse is well-documented, with ordinary citizens often portrayed as both victims and potential solutions if governments were more accountable. Institutions play crucial roles in shaping societal norms, behaviors and politico-economic interactions, yet the specific functions of different institutions and their impact on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), especially Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), in rural contexts remain unclear. This paper explores how formal and informal institutions influence the activities, operational strategies and effectiveness of CSOs. Drawing upon recent developments in conservation, this understanding is particularly important in light of the evolving challenges faced by rural societies and the need for CBOs to navigate complex institutional landscapes to achieve their goals. Using the North, Wallis, and Weingast (NWW) theoretical framework, the paper distinguishes between 'limited access orders' and 'open access orders' to understand CBOs' operational contexts. In 'limited access orders', where power is concentrated among a few, formal institutions maintain the status quo, limiting CBO actions. The hypothesis posits that formal institutions, through regulatory frameworks, can either enable or constrain CBO activities, while informal institutions, through cultural norms, influence social acceptance, community support and resource mobilization for CBO initiatives. 'Open access orders' provide a conducive environment for mass opinions and collective actions led by CBOs on resource ownership. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for developing strategies that enhance government accountability and support CBOs' roles in advocacy, biodiversity preservation, natural resource management, and rural development.

Outcomes from monitoring the fourth year of a five-year voluntary transition from hunting with lead to non-lead shotgun ammunition in Britain

The 2023/2024 shooting season was the fourth since UK shooting and rural organisations announced their intention that hunters should make a full voluntary transition from the use of lead to non-lead shotgun ammunition by 2025. The SHOT-SWITCH research project has monitored the proportions of wild-shot common pheasants Phasianus colchicus available to consumers in Great Britain that were killed using lead and non-lead shot in each of the shooting seasons since the beginning of the transition. In the study’s fourth season, 2023/2024, 93% of pheasants obtained during the usual sampling period had been killed using lead ammunition. Whilst this indicates a marginal decline in the proportion of pheasants shot using lead since the beginning of the transition, when it was over 99%, much remains to be done if the intended full voluntary transition to non-lead shotgun ammunition is to be achieved in its final season (2024/2025). Some food retailers intend to cease selling game meat products from animals killed using lead ammunition. Our study indicates that whilst all of a small sample of pheasant carcasses obtained from one of these retailers (Marks & Spencer) were from birds killed using non-lead shot, a larger sample obtained from another of the retailers (Waitrose) had mostly been killed using lead shot.

PSIX-24 Social Trust in a Small Dairy Farmer Organization in Southeast Brazil

Abstract The objective of this study was to analyze the social trust in a group of dairy farmers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The related Association of Dairy Producers (ADP) is like most small rural organizations present in Brazil that emerged to meet the public policies. Current assessment had three stages: a) identifying producers; b) applying the surveys; and c) data analyses. The producer association was unable to provide some basic information about its members (such as phone number), which signals a lack of trust. To identify the ADP members, it was necessary to visit the milking parlor expansion tanks to find such contact. Another situation reinforced the first impression regarding the lack of social trust: an ADP member did not authorize the access to to the research conduct the surveys for the members that used the expansion tank installed on his land. The surveys were then conducted at four out of five locations where expansion tanks were installed. Among the ADP members surveyed, 68.75% answered the survey. Approximately 82% of respondents indicated caution when dealing people in general (inside or outside the ADP). Although there was an indication of lack of social trust, 54.4% of producers trusted entirely the ADP; 22.7% partially trusted; 13.6% were indifferent; 4.5% had low trust, and 4.5% did not trust. When voluntary participation in decision in the association activities was questioned, 68.2% of the surveyed members answered “actively participate”, 31.8% “participate without actions,” and none of the surveyed members admitted no participation. Approximately 82% of the surveyed members had a positive perception of the association, while 18% believed it was not properly managed and inferred no longer assist with it in the future. A greater participation in the association activities may have not being observed due to the fact that current association was transitioning into a cooperative business model at the time of current data collection. For 18.25% of the members, the two main causes of the distrust in the recently created agricultural cooperative was related to: a) the requirement to obligatory become a member; and b) the delay in the construction completion of the dairy processing plant. The results suggest that producers show signs of general social distrust, indicated by concerns regarding the advantages, disadvantages, or even the risks associated with becoming members of the agricultural cooperative. Nonetheless, the vast majority of producer members trusted in the association. Further assessment is warranted to investigate if the source of general social mistrust observed erupted from internal (local community) or external (city, state, and federal public policies) venues of the society.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN MALAYSIA

Strategic leadership is recognized as a vital tool in the transformation of rural organisation. Thus, this qualitative research study aimed at assessing the role of strategic leadership in the transformation of rural organisation. The study used a semi-structured interview schedule to collect data. Purposive sampling was used to select a cohort of sixty members of Villages Development and Security Committee (JPKK) of Malaysia. Those selected as participants include chairmen, secretaries and ordinary members. The study used an inductive approach for data analysis. The data analysis led to the development of five main themes of ‘strategic direction’, ‘ethical practices’, ‘exploitation and maintenance’, ‘development of human capital’ and ‘sustaining a corporate culture’.

Assessing Capacity in Rural Nonprofits

Organizational capacity is necessary for nonprofits to meet their missions and contribute to society. Less is known about rural nonprofits’ organizational capacity and characteristics, as most research focuses on urban nonprofits. The present study first considers the utility of an organizational capacity assessment and identifies pertinent areas of organizational capacity in rural nonprofits. The second objective of the study is to examine relationships between areas of organizational capacity and organizational-level characteristics. In May 2019, nonprofits (n = 290) from persistently poor, rural counties in 14 southern states participated in a survey providing organizational characteristics and assessing organizational capacity. An exploratory factor analysis on the organizational capacity assessment revealed four organizational capacity areas: Organizational Identity, Fund Development, Volunteers, and Organizational Procedures. Then, descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted to understand the relationships between the organizational capacity areas and organization characteristics, including organizational age, expenses, life stage, NTEE classification, and executive director tenure. Findings indicate significant relationships exist between organizational capacity and characteristics, consistent with previous studies. Older, mature, and/or larger rural nonprofits have increased capacity in several areas. Thus, targeting younger and smaller rural organizations for capacity-building efforts may be impactful.

Towards sustainable rural communities

The future of rural communities relies on managing knowledge trasnfer and sharing in order to advance towards sustainable rural development. Investing in knowledge sources and management helps rural organisations to drive social growth, fostering cohesive and socially open rural communities. Rural communities may address a knowledge-driven pathway for sustainable rural development. Rural actors and stakeholders contribute to shaping wealthy rural communities by employing the potential of knowledge management, transfer and sharing. Regulatory frameworks support collaboration within rural communities that benefit of knowledge management issues and practices.

AGROECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF SMALLHOLDING COFFEE CROPPING SYSTEMS IN THE HIGHLANDS OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO

<p><strong>Background.</strong> In the high mountains in the state of Veracruz Mexico, agriculture is characterized by smallholding coffee cropping systems. VIDA A.C., a rural organization, promotes the management of coffee cropping systems through agroecological practices aimed to enhance biodiversity, build soil fertility, conserve resources, food security, social equity. <strong>Objective. </strong>To Characterize the agroecological management of coffee cropping systems carried out by smallholder families of rural organization VIDA A.C., and determine their importance to support their livelihoods. <strong>Methodology. </strong>Research integrated both qualitative and quantitative methods. Tools such as participant observation, interviews, workshops, and transect walks contributed qualitative data. For quantitative data, a structured survey was applied to 50 families to characterize their coffee cropping systems. <strong>Results. </strong>Coffee cropping systems are distinguished by their high diversity. This diversity is found in the varieties of coffee, shade trees and crops. Coffee management<em> </em>considers at least eleven practices, ranging from seed selection to marketing. All family member participates in the management of coffee systems. <strong>Implications.</strong> The study shows that rural families have incorporated diverse knowledge and strategies to carry out agroeocological management of coffee cropping systems. Research contributed to the baseline of these systems, and there is a room of opportunities to deep in agroecological principles. <strong>Conclusions. </strong>Coffee cropping systems are distinguished by having high diversity and implementing agroecological practices that confer a distinctive quality to coffee. Families contribute to the reproduction of coffee cropping systems, as a mean of subsistence, identity and territorial conservation.</p>

Polish Rural Non-Governmental Organizations During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract This article describes the extent and nature of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activities of communitybased organisations in rural Poland. The analytical foundation of the study is the research carried out in 2021 on a sample of three hundred and thirty-three rural NGOs. The negative and positive impact of the pandemic on the activities of these organisations were noted. Negative phenomena include a significant slowing down of existing tasks, abandonment of the completion of projects, an exodus of volunteers and active members. The bottom-up organised activity of the rural third sector during the pandemic also brought about noticeable positive phenomena: a widening of the activity field of organisations by new dimensions, an expansion of the cooperation network of rural organisations, and a significant increase in the appreciation of civic activity as a result of the speed and flexibility of self-help activities.

Compromissos nacionais assumidos na COP21 e seus impactos no setor sucroenergético.

The present work discusses the possible impacts on the sugarcane production area due to the agreement signed at COP21. Energy Security is probably the biggest challenge of our century, mainly because we need clean energy. And this is one of the strongest characteristics of the Brazilian sugarenergy sector, which is largely responsible to produce bioelectricity and, mainly, biofuel, in addition to also producing sugar and other products. Through the analysis of the capacity of sugarcane production facilities, possible cases of increase in area, production, and productivity will be discussed to meet the official commitments assumed at COP21Key-words: rural administration, coffee, management, rural organization.

ВОВЛЕЧЕННОСТЬ ОРГАНИЗАТОРОВ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ В ПРОЦЕСС ЦИФРОВИЗАЦИИ ЗДРАВООХРАНЕНИЯ

Significance. The traditional healthcare system is losing its relevance. Digital transformation of healthcare dictates new conditions to medical organizations, imposing new requirements on healthcare administrators. The purpose of the study is to analyze the attitude of heads of medical organizations in the Arkhangelsk region towards the digital model of healthcare organization. Material and methods. A sociological survey was conducted among heads of the state medical organizations in the Arkhangelsk region. The survey was conducted in the period from March 2021 to August 2022. Representatives of 46 medical organizations took part in the survey including 28 urban and 18 rural organizations. The total number of the respondents added up to 181. A semi-structured questionnaire was used as a research tool, the design was a cross-sectional study. Results. The conducted study shows that 82.3% of the healthcare administrators consider informatization of medical organizations to be successful and show a high level of confidence (95.6%) in information retrieved from medical information systems. In urban areas, the respondents noted a higher level of workplace automation (78.0%), greater need for a personal computer in everyday work (94,9%) and higher frequency of its use (96.6%), and the highest proportion of connection to the medical information system of all departments of a medical organization (94.1%). Healthcare administrators are unanimously positive about replacing the paper medical history/ outpatient records with an electronic equivalent. The main problems related to automation of a medical organization are as follows: insufficient financing of informatization in a medical organization (50.8%), requirements to duplicate electronic information in paper form (48.1%), lack of clear requirements for the implemented information systems (22.7%). Conclusion. The study of attitude of the heads of medical organizations in the Arkhangelsk region towards the digital model of healthcare organizational showed a greater readiness of urban organizations for a standard information interaction in healthcare in the region. To ensure successful work with the medical information systems, healthcare administrators need a supervised on-the-job training by a more experienced colleague. The prospects of digital transformation of healthcare for an individual medical organization are overwhelmingly defined by the electronic document flow between medical organizations.

AGING IN COMMUNITY: LESSONS LEARNED IN THE FIRST YEAR OF DEVELOPING A GRASSROOTS, RURAL PROGRAM

Abstract The North Dakota Aging in Community project has an overarching goal of creating programs that improve the quality of life of rural older adults by increasing community-level support to help them age in place in two rural communities. The progress of program development and implementation was assessed across the project’s first year through program data and steering committee surveys. Program data, including steering committee meeting minutes and monthly activity reports completed by program staff, were qualitatively analyzed for successes, challenges, and lessons learned by finding common themes within these data. Successes included the use of an apprenticeship/mentorship model utilizing consultants from similar grassroots, rural organizations, recruitment of an optimistic, enthusiastic, and collaborative steering committee, and employing patience to develop community-led efforts based on unique community needs. Challenges included hiring qualified staff in rural communities, limitations in infrastructure opportunities, and need for creative marketing strategies. Survey results aligned with these conclusions, yet demonstrated the strengths and challenges related to incorporating the ideas and needs of diverse stakeholders. These findings highlight the unique challenges in developing programs to support rural aging-in-place, yet also highlight unique strategies that leverage rural strengths. Based on the findings of this first-year evaluation, future directions include conducting needs assessments to identify new avenues for program development, ensuring local program ownership through continued development of local steering committees, and continuing the mentorship/apprenticeship model while creating strategies to successfully foster independence. By sharing lessons learned, this program may serve as a replicable model to foster rural aging-in-place.

Fairtrade as a Social Innovation: Brazilian Experience of Rural Organisations

The objective of this article is to describe the dynamics of fair trade in organisations that adhered to the Fair Trade International system, based on the principles of fair trade and the dimensions of social innovation, and to identify why there was a disruption in commercial transactions. Four organisations from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, which won the fair trade seal, were analysed. Primary data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews and simultaneous annotations and, later, secondary data were collected from official documents, articles, academic works and websites. The results show that the experiences of organisations with Fair Trade International have numerous properties of the dimensions of social innovation. There was the emergence of an emerging development model with the opportunity to work collaboratively and collectively. These changes required adaptation and new practices, as producers underwent a period of changes in their working and production. The formation of cooperatives and fair trade certification had the mobilisation and participation of various actors, who also provided collective learning, both in technical terms and in terms of civic and interpersonal management, especially for rural producers.

Understanding the perceived indicators of food sovereignty and food security for rice growers and rural organizations in Mazandaran Province, Iran

BackgroundFood sovereignty and food security are inseparable from agricultural development policies, particularly regarding how to increase food production and productivity to meet future demand. This study investigates the status and perceptions of food sovereignty and food security of small-scale rice growers’ households in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran. The study region is one of the most important places for domestic rice production, with nearly 230,000 hectares of rice lands in the country and 45% of total domestic rice production. The role of the Rice Research Institute of Iran (RRII) as an innovative rural institution was highlighted by the rice producers for contributing to food sovereignty and food security. A survey was distributed among 127 rice farmers’ households to obtain indicators of food sovereignty (localization of food systems, values for food providers, concentration of local control of the food system, building knowledge and skills, right to food, working with nature) and food security (availability, accessibility, utility, quality). Principal Component Analysis and Partial Correlation tests were used for finding the relationship between variables and focused indicators.ResultsResults show that food sovereignty in Northern Iran focused on localizing the food system by gaining access to financial assets and local markets, investing in human capital and local training and improving access to the water resources; food security focused on environmental and climate extension, increasing household’s revenues by improving food policies and food quality from rice farmers’ perspectives. In addition, the results of this study demonstrate the desire in Northern Iran for the role of innovative rural organizations as vital linkages between rice farmers and the public sector (i.e., Ministry of Agriculture Jihad).ConclusionsThis research shows that from the perspective of the surveyed rice growers in northern Iran, four main indicators that relate to investment and resources were the most significant: capital, markets, credit, and knowledge. Further studies are required for remote sensing monitoring of rice crop condition and yields, condition of irrigation systems, and geographic relationship of the agricultural infrastructure to food sovereignty and food security in northern Iran.

The Influence of Folk Sports Culture on Rural Governance Based on Computer Sensor Network

At present, in the process of RG (rural governance), problems such as the decline of social morality, the lack of collective identity, the lack of cohesion, and the low degree of autonomy have plagued the improvement of RG quality. FSC (folk sports culture) can promote good social governance with its positive role. As an informal system, FSC heritage derived from traditional society continues its strong vitality and flexibility in modern RG. This paper presents an RG model based on CSN (computer sensor network). The model takes the individual generated content of social media as the sensor data source and perceives the security situation of the online society and the real society through the data of netizens’ behaviors, emotions, and attitudes. The results show that the RMSE of the particles obtained by the improved resampling algorithm is slightly better than that of the traditional resampling algorithm, and the RMSE basically fluctuates between 0.36 and 0.45. This can reflect the effectiveness of the resampling algorithm in this chapter. FSC can play an important role in improving villagers’ political literacy, solving the problem of providing for the aged, maintaining rural stability, establishing rural organizations, and developing public welfare undertakings.

Детско-взрослые сообщества в сельской школе

There are several factors that justify the relevance of creating communities of children and adults in rural areas. Thus, it is determined by the necessity to ensure the continuity between older and younger generations, successful socialization of rural children, development of students’ experience in building up relationships with adults based on partnership, dialogue and cooperation. The purpose of the study is to identify the functions and peculiar activities of communities of children and adults in rural schools. The study proposes the definition of the concept of ‘communities of children and adults’. On the basis of a number of features, a comparison of this concept with the category of a ‘collective body’ is given. The author considers the classification of communities of children and adults grounded on various approaches. Distinctive characteristics of communities of children and adults and their functions are determined. Based on the analysis of the experience of rural schools, especially those with a small number of students, the study determines some requirements for the pedagogical staff to use as their guide. It is necessary when school collectives organize the activities of children’s and adult’s communities in order to ensure the realization of the above-mentioned functions. The author makes the conclusions: various child-adult communities are formed in rural areas; a school can become a community of interacting subjects of different ages, where everyone can realize themselves and achieve success. Communities of children and adults in rural educational organizations are the most important mechanism for the personal development process, a means of solving pedagogical tasks and social problems of the countryside. The success of community activities depends on the proficiency of teachers, on their position in the interaction with all the subjects of educational relations, on the possibility to have an authoritative leader.

Performance Evaluation Method of Rural Forestry Economic Cooperation Organization Based on Intelligent Fuzzy Algorithm

Aiming at the problems of low accuracy and long evaluation time of performance evaluation of rural forestry economic cooperation organizations, a performance evaluation method of rural forestry economic cooperation organizations based on intelligent fuzzy algorithm is proposed. Under the principles of scientificity, feasibility, comprehensiveness, and importance, build the performance evaluation system of rural forestry economic cooperation organization, and obtain 17 evaluation indexes, such as the supply of means of production, the internal management of the cooperation organization, and the unified product brand. Deal with the missing data and standardize the index data, construct the evaluation index judgment matrix according to the judgment matrix scale, and test the consistency of the judgment matrix through CI. The square root method is used to calculate the performance evaluation index weight of rural forestry economic cooperation organization. Intelligent fuzzy algorithm is used to evaluate the performance of rural forestry economic cooperation organization. Simulation results show that this method has high accuracy and short evaluation time.

A Study on the Rebuild of Rural Solidarity Based on Social Media Public Space - A Case Study of Village Z in Central Anhui

As modernisation and urbanisation continue to progress in China, rural areas are facing the dilemma of 'atomisation' and 'dispersion' in parallel with development. The main problems include the decline of traditional village public spaces and the weakening of village ties, which has led to the collapse of local unity. These phenomena are common throughout the country, but are more pronounced in central regions such as Anhui, where people are more mobile. As traditional public spaces tend to shrink, new virtual public spaces have been created by social media such as WeChat groups and "for the village". This paper focuses on the characteristics of the social media public space, in which grassroots villagers, elites from outside the system and members of rural grassroots organisations participate, and the role it plays in rebuilding solidarity in traditional villages.