Rural Sociology

Socioeconomic Position, Rural Residence, and Marginality Influences on Obesity Status in the Adult Mexican Population

by Corey Sparks

This paper assesses individual and social environment determinants of obesity in the adult Mexican population based on... more This paper assesses individual and social environment determinants of obesity in the adult Mexican population based on socioeconomic position, rural residence, and areal deprivation. Using a nationally representative health and nutrition survey, this analysis considers individual and structural determinants of obesity from a socioeconomic position and health disparities conceptual framework using multilevel logistic regression models. We find that more than thirty percent of Mexican adults were obese in 2006 and that the odds of being obese were strongly associated with an individual's socioeconomic position, gender, place of residence, and the level of marginalization (areal deprivation) in the place of residence. Surprisingly, areas of the country where areal deprivation was highest had lower risks of individual obesity outcomes. We suggest that programs oriented towards addressing the health benefits of traditional food systems over high-energy dense refined foods and sugary beverages be promoted as part of a public health program aimed at curbing the rising obesity prevalence in Mexico.

Illegal evictions? Overwriting possession and orality with law’s violence in Cambodia

by Simon Springer

Springer, S. Forthcoming. Illegal evictions? Overwriting possession and orality with law’s violence in Cambodia. Journal of Agrarian Change.

The unfolding of a juridico-cadastral system in present-day Cambodia is at odds with local understandings of... more The unfolding of a juridico-cadastral system in present-day Cambodia is at odds with local understandings of landholding, which are entrenched in notions of community consensus and existing occupation. The discrepancy between such orally recognized antecedents and the written word of law have been at the heart of the recent wave of dispossessions that have swept across the country. Contra the standard critique that corruption has set the tone, this paper argues that evictions in Cambodia are often literally underwritten by the articles of law. Whereas ‘possession’ is a well-understood and accepted concept in Cambodia, a cultural basis rooted in what James C. Scott refers to as ‘orality’, coupled with a long history of subsistence agriculture, semi-nomadic lifestyles, barter economies, and–until recently–widespread land availability have all ensured that notions of ‘property’ are vague among the country’s majority rural poor. In drawing a firm distinction between possessions and property, where the former is premised upon actual use and the latter is embedded in exploitation, this article examines how proprietorship is inextricably bound to the violence of law.

42 Rural entrepreneurship

by Gerard McElwee

Some help to the people and to the markets: Greek agricultural cooperatives as an institutional intervention (1914-1936)

by Catherine Brégianni

15th European Business History Association Annual Conference, Athens 24-26 August 2011

Rural Parliaments in Europe: a report for the Scottish Government

by Mike Woolvin

This report on Rural Parliaments in Europe was commissioned from SAC's Rural Policy Centre by the Scottish Government, and was undertaken by Dr Jane Atterton, Dr Sarah Skerratt and myself.

The Scottish Government has pledged to take forward proposals for a Rural Parliament.The Rural Policy Centre carried... more The Scottish Government has pledged to take forward proposals for a Rural Parliament.The Rural Policy Centre carried out a study on the Scottish Government’s behalf, looking at Europe’s existing Rural Parliaments. The aim of the study was to ‘enhance understanding of how and why Rural Parliaments operate, and the outcomes they generate, through examining international examples’. Rural Parliaments in Sweden, the Netherlands, Estonia, (Swedish-speaking) Finland, Hungary and Slovakia were analysed.

Συνεταιριστικά δίκτυα στη διαχείριση της αγροτικής πίστης (1914-1940). Ουτοπία, ιδεολογική κατασκευή ή «εργαλείο» αγροτικής πολιτικής;» = Cooperative networks for the agricultural credit's organisation. 1914-1940. Utopia, ideological ''construction'' or implementation of the central agricultural policy?

by Catherine Brégianni

in Proceedings of the Conference The Greek rural society and economy during the interwar Venizelist period, edit. by D. Panagiotopoulos, D. P. Sotiropoulos, Athens, Agricultural University of Athens/National Research Foundation «Eleftherios Venizelos», 2007, p. 89-110. In Greek

Tierra y territorios rurales, usufructo de la tierra y presión de compra en el Uruguay.

by Maximiliano Piedracueva

En co-autoría con Paula Florit.
VII Jornadas Interdisciplinarias de Estudios Agrarios y Agroindustriales.
1, 2, 3 y 4 de noviembre de 2011. Buenos Aires.

La presente ponencia se enmarca en el análisis del agro uruguayo ubicado al Norte del país en cuanto a las... more La presente ponencia se enmarca en el análisis del agro uruguayo ubicado al Norte del país en cuanto a las transformaciones agropecuarias, sociales y políticas acaecidas en las últimas décadas en América Latina. El cuestionamiento analítico presentado recae en el lugar de la pequeña y mediana producción en un sistema agropecuario industrializado, caracterizado por explotaciones de gran superficie en sus distintas modalidades de uso. En este orden se pone en cuestionamiento el impacto de la concentración de la tierra sobre el desarrollo territorial rural, sobre sus dinámicas, estructuras, sobre las expectativas de los pobladores del medio rural.
Uruguay ha vivido en las últimas décadas  un proceso de transformación en su matriz productiva vinculado a la agriculturización y al ingreso en el sistema de las agroindustrias, proceso que ha llevado a una reestructuración de la distribución de tierras y de su uso así como también de los requerimientos necesarios en cuanto a los distintos factores productivos para alcanzar niveles de eficiencia económica. Esta coyuntura ha llevado a que la pequeña y mediana producción se vea presionada en distintos niveles reduciendo el número de productores y en el mejor de los casos logrando que éstos alcancen puestos de trabajo rural, generalmente precarios.

Reflections on the social learning process for community work in rural areas of Mexico

by Carmen Vergara-Tenorio

Amo Rodríguez S. del y Vergara-Tenorio, C. 2007. Reflections on the Social Learning Process for Community Work in Rural Areas of Mexico. International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management. 3(2007) 31-45. Sapiens Publishers ISSN: 1745-1590

This paper reflects on the principal lessons from ten years of work with rural communities on natural resource... more This paper reflects on the principal lessons from ten years of work with rural communities on natural resource management, carried out through a non-governmental organization, Programa de Acción Forestal Tropical. The community work experiences originate from 24 small projects in 14 small communities in seven states of southern Mexico. The work emphasized a holistic and integral approach, known as social learning. Two elements required for community work were analysed: theoretical concepts and practical applications. The theoretical concepts are: dialogue, empowerment, plurality, validity of local knowledge and co-responsibility. The practical applications are: diversification of activities in projects, training, monitoring and feedback. Analysis revealed the need to pay attention to the above social elements in the community to achieve resource management, and emphasized the social learning process. The analysis was the result of observations on the development of each project and interchanges between researchers, technicians and the local population. The entire experience was non-conventional and anthropological in nature, designed by the local population and the technical team using a converging intervention model to achieve self-developing community processes and shared responsibility in actions.

Rennison, C., DeKeseredy, W.S. & Dragiewicz, M. (in press). Urban, suburban, and rural variations in separation/divorce rape/sexual assault: Results from the National Crime Victimization Survey. Feminist Criminology.

by Molly Dragiewicz

To date, no large study has looked at whether separation/divorce sexual assault varies across urban, suburban, and... more To date, no large study has looked at whether separation/divorce sexual assault varies across urban, suburban, and rural areas. We use 1992-2009 NCVS data to estimate the percentage of separation/divorce sexual assault against females in urban, suburban, and rural communities. In addition, we identify and compare the relative risk of sexual assault victimization for females across areas. Findings indicate that a higher percentage of rural divorced/separated females were victims of rape/sexual assault than were urban divorced/separated females. In addition, rural separated females are victims of intimate rape/sexual assault at significantly higher rates than their suburban and urban counterparts.

Rennison, C., DeKeseredy, W.S. & Dragiewicz, M. (in press). Intimate Relationship Status Variation in Sexual and Physical Assault: Urban, Suburban, and Rural Trends. Violence Against Women.

by Molly Dragiewicz

A large literature shows that woman abuse varies across intimate relationship categories (e.g., marriage, divorce,... more A large literature shows that woman abuse varies across intimate relationship categories (e.g., marriage, divorce, separation). However it is unclear whether relationship status variations in violence against women differ across urban, suburban, and rural areas. The main objective of this paper to help fill this research gap using aggregate 1992 to 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey data.

Volunteering below the radar? Informal volunteering in urban and rural Scotland

by Mike Woolvin

This paper was given at the NCVO/VSSN 'Researching the Voluntary Sector' conference, London, September 2011. It won the Campbell Adamson Memorial Prize for best paper.

Increasing policy interest in the third sector has been well documented. Whilst more formal third sector and voluntary... more Increasing policy interest in the third sector has been well documented. Whilst more formal third sector and voluntary activity has received increasing attention, a focus on ‘below the radar’ activity has only recently developed. This has generally, however, explored groups and organisations that can be understood as ‘below the radar’. Research gaps exist regarding the nature of volunteering ‘below the radar’, and the nature and extent of such activity in more rural areas. This paper highlights a number of findings from a three year PhD study of informal volunteering - participation ‘below the radar’ - throughout the lifecourse in more deprived urban areas of Scotland. It then examines the implications of this for more rural areas. It concludes by suggesting the implications of these findings for academics, policy makers and practitioners, and outlining possible future research

Mapping the Third Sector in Rural Scotland: an initial review of the literature

by Mike Woolvin

Published by the Scottish Government (February 2012).

Previous research commissioned by The Scottish Government has identified a pronounced knowledge gap relating to the... more Previous research commissioned by The Scottish Government has identified a pronounced knowledge gap relating to the nature and extent of the third sector in more rural areas of Scotland. This is particularly significant given the increased emphasis on the role of the third sector, and volunteering, in contributing to public service reform and the building and sustaining of civil society in a challenging economic climate. This document summarises the key themes emerging from a review of existing literature regarding voluntary activity and the third sector in rural Scotland.

ACTIVE ‘EXTENSION’ BY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS : HOPE TO SUSTAINABLE FOOD SECURITY

by Pradeep Dwivedi

Paper presented at NATIONAL SEMINAR ON FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE organised by UPRT Open University, Allahabad, UP, India, 9-10 Feb. 2012

All successful moves to more sustainable agriculture have in common coordinated action by groups or communities at the... more All successful moves to more sustainable agriculture have in common coordinated action by groups or communities at the local level (Pretty, 1995). But the problem is that platforms for resource use negotiation generally do not exist, and so need to be created and facilitated (Brinkman, 1994). Similarly, extension services by different universities/ higher education institutes and government / non- government organizations (NGOs) must have a common platform for effective delivery of non- formal education bringing behavioural changes desireable for participation in sustainable agriculture initiatives. Dwivedi (2008) suggested multi-ministerial approach by establishing an apex body to coordinate wide range of extension services and formulating Right to Extension Education (Act) to ensure efficient community engagement at different level of knowledge sharing by different stakeholders.

Highways and Population Change*

by Guangqing Chi

The impacts of highway expansion on population change: An integrated spatial approach

by Guangqing Chi

Correlating Pharmaceutical Data with a National Health Survey

by Jeralynn Cossman

Hanzai jiushi deng xia yu» Siccità, si aspetta solo la pioggia. Costruzione sociale del rischio in un villaggio rurale cinese

by Andrea Pia

Heterogeniteit als effect van liberalisering: een studie naar bedrijfsstijlen in Australie (Heterogenity as effect of liberalisation: a study of farming styles in Australia)

by Wiebren J. (Wijnand) Boonstra

Paper published in Tijdschrift voor Sociaalwetenschappelijk onderzoek van de Landbouw 2002 17 (1): 21-35. The paper is based on the work done for my 2001 MSc thesis "Farming for the future: a matter of guts and books".

Liberalisation and/or globalisation and its supposed effect on agriculture play an important role in debates about the... more Liberalisation and/or globalisation and its supposed effect on agriculture play an important role in debates about the future of agriculture. In this discussion, liberalisation and globalisation often manifest themselves as irreversible trends, which will have an unequivocal effect on agricultural practices. In this article I want to show, by making use of a research conducted in rural Australia, that this notion neglects the specific capacities and strategies of actors at local level. As starting point, the different theoretical positions held in the scientific debate on liberalisation/globalisation will be discussed, with special reference to the farming styles theory. More information is given on the theoretical and methodological features of this specific research. Next, the political and economic context of Australia will be explained. Followed by a description of the dimensions of farm development and their significance in practice. Furthermore, the research findings are presented by making use of the theoretical concept of farming styles. Finally, the conclusions of this research are discussed with special emphasis on the specific local strategies of actors, which develop as reactions to processes of liberalisation and globalisation.

Döring, M., B. Nerlich (2007). An outbreak of poetry: Mapping cultural responses to foot and mouth disease in the UK, 2001, in: Fill, A., Penz, H. (eds.). Sustaining language: Essays in Applied Ecolinguistics. Vienna: LIT Verlag, 181-202.

by Brigitte Nerlich

Conflicts about water: a case study of contest and power in Dutch rural policy

by Wiebren J. (Wijnand) Boonstra

Journal of Rural Studies 21 (3): 297-312

The Dutch countryside forms the scene for pressing problems of management and allocation of land and water. These... more The Dutch countryside forms the scene for pressing problems of management and allocation of land and water. These problems underscore the need for comprehensive rural policies. For that purpose, area-based rural policy has been initiated. This new policy is part of a larger policy shift, labelled in literature as ‘new rural governance’. Area-based rural policy co-ordinates the different interests of stakeholders and establishes consensus-based solutions. In this article we question this claim. We analyse the conflicts, rationalities and interests within a Dutch rural planning project. This project displays a power struggle in which actors try to (de)construct legitimacy. This observation contrasts sharply with the consensual rationality on which area-based policies are founded. Therefore, we conclude that a tension exists between ‘what should be done’ and ‘what is actually done’ in Dutch rural policy. Area-based policy does not guarantee the establishment of consensus among rural stakeholders. Therefore, Dutch area-based policies need to be contextualised to purposefully address spatial rural problems.