This book is a must read for those interested in the role cooperatives play in fostering local rural development and alleviating rural poverty. Through conceptual pieces, case studies, essays and empirical work, the papers in this volume illustrate the complex challenges facing cooperatives as they attempt to address market failures, remain cost competitive vis-a-vis transnational agribusinesses, adopt good internal governance practices, navigate the political challenges in their local environments and adapt to and influence the institutional environment in which they operate.' - Murray Fulton, University of Saskatchewan, CanadaAgricultural cooperatives and producer organizations are institutional innovations which have the potential to reduce poverty and improve food security. This book presents a raft of international case studies, from developing and transition countries, to analyse the internal and external challenges that these complex organizations face and the solutions that they have developed. The contributors provide an increased understanding of the transformation of traditional community organizations into modern farmer-owned businesses. They cover issues including: the impact on rural development and inclusiveness, the role of social capital, formal versus informal organizations, democratic participation and member relations, and their role in value chains. Students and scholars will find the book's multidisciplinary approach useful in their research. It will also be of interest to policy-makers seeking to understand the wide diversity of organizational forms and functions. NGOs, donors and governments seeking to support rural developments will benefit from the discussions raised in this book. Contributors: J. Bijman, K. Blokland, M.L. Cook, J. Duncan, A.Groot Kormelinck, M. Hanisch, J. Hellin, G. Hendrikse, Y. Hu, X. Jia, B. Losch, R. Muradian, G. Muricho, D.J. O'Brien, S. Pascucci, D. Pesche, C. Plaisier, R. Ruben, J. Schuurman, B. Shiferaw, S. Singh, K. Wedig

Settlements at the Edge examines the evolution, characteristics, functions and shifting economic basis of settlements in sparsely populated areas of developed nations. With a focus on demographic change, the book features theoretical and applied cases, which explore the interface between demography, economy, wellbeing and the environment. This book offers a comprehensive and insightful knowledge base for understanding the role of population in shaping the development and histories of northern sparsely populated areas of developed nations including Alaska (USA), Australia, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland and other nations with territories within the Arctic Circle. In the past, many remote settlements were important bases for opening up vast areas for resource extraction, working as strategic centers and as national representations of the conquering of frontiers. With increased contemporary interest from governments, policy makers, multinational companies and other stakeholders, this book explores the importance of understanding relationships between settlement populations and the economy at the local level. It features international and expert contributors who present insightful case studies on the role of human geography, primarily population issues, in shaping the past, present and future of settlements in remote areas. They also provide analysis on opportunities and challenges for northern settlements and the effects of climate change, resource futures, and tourism. A chapter on the issues of populating future space settlements highlights that many issues for settlement change and functions in isolated and remote spatial realms are universal. This book will appeal to those interested in the past, present and future importance of settlements 'at the edge' of developed nations as well as those working in policy and program contexts. College students enrolled in courses such as demography, population studies, human studies, regional development, social policy and/or economics will find value in this book as well. Contributors include: P. Berggren, D. Bird, O.J. Borch, A. Boyle, H. Brokensha, F. Brouard, D. Carson, D. Carson, T. Carter, B. Charters, J. Cleary, J. Cokley, S. de la Barre, W. Edwards, S. Eikeland, M. Eimermann, P.C. Ensign, J. Garrett, G. Gisladottir, K. Golebiowska, J. Guenther, P. Hanrick, L. Harbo, S. Harwood, P. Heinrich, L. Huskey, G. Johannesdottir, I. Kelman, A. Koch, N. Krasnoshtanova, V. Kuklina, J. Lovell, R. Marjavaara, M. McAuliffe, R. McLeman, J.J. McMurtry, T. Nilsen, L.M. Nilsson, P. Peters, A. Petrov, G. Petursdottir, B. Prideaux, W. Rankin, J. Roto, J. Salmon, G. Saxinger, A. Schoo, P. Skoeld, A. Taylor, M. Thompson, P. Timony, A. Vuin, M. Warg Naess, E. Wenghofer, E. Wensing, D.R. White, D Zoellner

investigates the relationship between mining, mine closure and housing policy in post-apartheid South Africa argues that the dependencies created by the mining industry and mine housing policies while a mine is operational causes serious societal problems when it closes applies the concepts of place attachment, asset-based development and social disruption will be of interest to students and scholars researching the social impacts of mining and the extractive industries, social geography and sustainable development, as well as policymakers and practitioners working with mine closure or social impact assessments.

Alvar Aalto and The Art of Landscape captures the essence of the Finnish architect's landscape concept, emphasising culture and tradition, which characterised his approach to and understanding of architecture as part of the wider environment. From the forests of his youth to sights from his travels, Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was influenced by outdoor landscapes. Throughout his career, he felt the need to shape the terrain and this became a signature of his architecture. Divided into five chapters, this book traces Aalto's relationship with landscape, starting with an analysis of his definitions and descriptions of landscape language, which ranged from natural references and biological terms, to synonyms and comparisons. It includes beautifully illustrated case study projects from the 1950s and 1960s, discussing Aalto's transformation of different landscapes through topography, terracing and tiers, ruins and natural elements, horizon outlines, landmarks, and the repetition of form. Featuring archival sketches, garden drawings, and plans, the book also contains Aalto's text 'Architecture in the Landscape of Central Finland' from 1925 in the appendix. This book provides fascinating, untold insights into Aalto's relationship with landscape and how this developed during his lifetime, for scholars, researchers, and students interested in architecture and landscape history, landscape art, and cultural studies.

The agriculture sector around the world has experienced profound changes in recent years. This unique and path-breaking Handbook draws together the best current research in the area of entrepreneurship in agriculture, food production and rural development.Agriculture policy reforms have impacted farm incomes, while demand side changes have required the development of sophisticated market driven strategies. Farmers have demonstrated uneven abilities to adapt and adjust to these ongoing changes. The ability and propensity of farmers to engage in entrepreneurial behaviors is a key explanation of the different patterns of responses within the sector. This book examines these issues through three main themes. The first theme focuses on the firm and the individual entrepreneurs, exploring entrepreneurship within the farm sector. The second takes a sector and industry perspective, exploring new developments in food production and distribution systems. The third theme explores the inter-relationship between agricultural entrepreneurship and its spatial context. Contributions are drawn from international research settings (Scandinavia, Europe, Asia, North America, Australasia) and offer an interdisciplinary approach to the subject.This astute Handbook, which will challenge and enrich the current literature, will appeal to academics in entrepreneurship, small business studies, agriculture, rural studies, rural sociology and agricultural economics, as well as food industry economists, policymakers and all those interested in supporting agricultural and rural businesses.

Originally published in 1991, the focus of the contributions in this book is the relationships between rurality and small-scale production, particularly in Europe. This remains relevant, as then, as when the book was first published, the issues covered had a particular resonance in the shifting terrain of Europe and the political debates surrounding its common future. The contributors explore the diversity and significance of rural small-scale production in different countries and the regional disciplinary theoretical discourses which inform research.

The importance of community-based and participatory approaches to rural development in developing countries has long been emphasized. Local Societies and Rural Development demonstrates how rural people, who are economically and politically weak as individuals, can only participate in development projects when they are collectively organized. With the input of expert collaborators in the field, this book identifies the local social mechanisms that motivate and control people's self-organizing activities.Through their use of typology and case studies the contributors identify the mechanisms through which rural people can best organize themselves to meet their development requirements. With the understanding that social context matters, the authors propose a method that both researchers and practitioners of rural society can apply to their work. Providing a unique and enlightening perspective on rural development, this book will be of value to academics interested in development, regional and rural studies, particularly those who are interested in researching collective action in community-based societies. It will also appeal to practitioners in the field including planners and front-line workers. Contributors: A. Hayama, M. Iwai, I. Okamoto, S. Shigetomi, M. Shimagami, A. Venkateswarlu, N. Yamada

This book draws on preeminent planning theorist Patsy Healey's personal experiences as a resident of a small rural town in England, to explore what place and community mean in a particular context, and how different initiatives struggle to get a stake in the wider governance relations while maintaining their own focus and ways of working. Throughout the book, Healey assesses the public value generated by community initiatives and the impact of such activity on wider governance dynamics. Healey explores the power which small communities are able to mobilise through self-organisation and grassroots activism. Through the lens of Wooler and Glendale as a micro-society, the book centres on a community experiencing an economic and demographic transition. It focuses on three initiatives developed and led by local people - a small community development trust, an informal attentionmobilising network, and a Neighbourhood Plan project which uses an opportunity provided within the formal planning system. It examines how, in such civil society activism, people came together to promote local development in a place and community neglected by the dominant political economy. The book details the power and force of community initiative and its potential for transforming both the future possibilities for the place and community itself, as well as wider governance relations. Overall, it seeks to enrich academic and policy discussion about how the relations between formal government and civil society energy could evolve in more productive and progressive directions.

This book, first published in 1985, provides an overview of resource management, together with a geographical treatment of physical, landscape and social resources. Drawing on British, European and North American material, the book has three main objectives: to offer an integrated review of the rural resource system, to isolate potential and actual conflicts between resources in the countryside with the aid of detailed case studies, and to explore various broad management techniques and their applicability to differing types of resource use and resource conflict. This title will provide important insight for students of geography, resource management, environmental planning and conservation.

This book analyses the key forces affecting the affordability of rural homes in Britain and the changing shape of housing markets. It takes as its starting point, demographic trends impacting upon rural communities and upon market dynamics. From this point, it explores consequent patterns of housing affordability, examining changing opportunities in the rental and sale markets, at different spatial scales. The book also focuses on how markets are analysed, and how data are selectively used to demonstrate low levels of affordability, or a lack of need for additional housing in small village locations. Building on the demographic theme, the book considers the housing implications of an aging population, before the focus finally shifts to community initiative in the face of housing undersupply and planning's future role in delivering and procuring a more constant and predictable supply of affordable homes. In a speculative conclusion, the book ends by examining the current political trajectory in England, and the prospects for housing in the countryside in the context of localism and neighbourhood planning at a village level. This book was published as a special issue of Planning Practice and Research.

First published in 1965, this reissue is a report on the Second Rehovoth Conference of August 1963, convened by the then Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, Mr Abba Eban, in order to enable the scientists and political leaders of developing countries to establish meaningful communication on the overall topic of comprehensive planning of agriculture in developing countries. Conference discussions centred on the three main topics of; agricultural planning and rural development; the human factor in agricultural development; and agricultural research, extension, and education.

Although most countries in the world are rapidly urbanizing, the majority of the global population - particularly the poor - continue to live in rural areas. This Handbook rejects the popular notion that urbanization should be universally encouraged and presents clear evidence of the vital importance of rural people and places, particularly in terms of environmental conservation. Expert contributors from around the world explore how global trends, state policies and grassroots movements affect contemporary rural areas in both developed and developing countries.Rural development policies have historically focused primarily on increasing agricultural productivity, but this volume demonstrates the need for a much broader approach as rural producers become increasingly integrated into the global economy. Following a comprehensive discussion of rural development theory and policy, the contributors tackle a number of diverse topics, including resource dependence, migration, entrepreneurship and microfinance, tourism and gender issues. The book concludes with detailed explorations of rural development in different areas of the world, including Africa, China and Latin America. Professors and students of development studies, agricultural economics, environmental studies and sociology will find this Handbook an indispensable resource, as will practitioners and policymakers working in rural areas around the world. Contributors: A. Bonanno, I. Carrillo, K.J. Curtis, M. Dougherty, S. Gasteyer, R. Goe, S. Goetz, S. Golding, G.P. Green, C. Herman, T.G. Johnson, D. Kraybill, L. Lobao, D. Marcouiller, A. Mukherjee, C. Sachs, J. Sharp, R. Stedman, E. da Via, L. Zhang, J.A. Zinda

Balancing the Commons in Switzerland outlines continuity and change in the management of common-pool resources such as pastures and forests in Switzerland. The book focuses on the differences and similarities between local institutions (rules and regulations) and forms of commoners' organisations (corporations of citizens and corporations) which have managed common property for several centuries and have shaped the cultural landscapes of Switzerland. At the core of the book are five case studies from the German, French and Italian speaking regions of Switzerland. Beginning in the Late Middle Ages and focusing on the transformative periods in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it traces the internal and external political, economic and societal changes and examines what impact these changes had on commoners. It goes beyond the work of Robert Netting and Elinor Ostrom, who discussed Swiss commons as a unique case of robustness, by analysing how local commoners reacted to, but also shaped, changes by adapting and transforming common property institutions. Thus, the volume highlights how institutional changes in the management of the commons at the local level are embedded in the public policies of the respective cantons, and the state, which generates a high heterogeneity and an actual laboratory situation. It shows the power relations and very different routes that local collective organisations and their members have followed in order to cope with the loss of value of the commons and the increased workload for maintaining common property management. Providing insightful case studies of commons management, this volume delivers theoretical contributions and lessons to be learned for the commons worldwide. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of the commons, natural resource management and agricultural development.

This book investigates changing geographies of fast growing Asian metropolitan regions, in particular their peripheral areas. Through examining the intersection of global suburbanisation and Asian urbanism, the book depicts a complex (sub)urban world in Asia. It explains how the forces of globalisation, the logic of capital accumulation, and the history of rural-urban divide and interaction, path-dependent local institutions, and government policies work together to reshape the geographies of Asian urbanism. Touching on social, environmental, governance and planning aspects of contemporary urban Asia, the chapters in this volume provide grounded studies of residential relocation and changing rural settlements, property development by a congregation of developers, political ecologies of water provision, middle-class consumers, and local state agencies, transit-oriented development and infrastructure finance in peri-urban areas. It demonstrates an assemblage of actors and coexistence of multiple urban governance regimes with everyday negotiations. Changing Asian Urban Geographies will be interesting not only to those who wish to know more about Asian urban geographies but also to scholars and students wishing to see Asian metropolises in a comparative perspective of (sub)urban dynamics. The chapters in this book were originally published in Urban Geography.

Not since the 19th century has the future of the countryside been such a focus of political and public attention, nor of profound uncertainty and anguished debate. A watershed has now been reached, and in this time of unprecedented change, new tools are needed for planning and managing the countryside. Increasingly the 'drivers' of countryside management and conservation are European and international. They aim to provide comprehensive new frameworks for the whole countryside, and encourage community-driven planning and protection. There have been numerous responses at the country and local levels within the UK. In this book, a broad range of scholars and practitioners review the international drivers affecting countryside policy and practice, and - through a variety of case studies - they assess the value of country and local responses. The result is a powerful and coherent volume that provides a fully up-to-date review and analysis of the pressures on the countryside, the policies for the future and the keys to successful implementation. Countryside Planning is essential reading for planners, local authorities and rural organizations, conservationists and environmental groups, as well as academics and students in planning, rural studies, environmental studies and geography.

Not since the 19th century has the future of the countryside been such a focus of political and public attention, nor of profound uncertainty and anguished debate. A watershed has now been reached, and in this time of unprecedented change, new tools are needed for planning and managing the countryside. Increasingly the 'drivers' of countryside management and conservation are European and international. They aim to provide comprehensive new frameworks for the whole countryside, and encourage community-driven planning and protection. There have been numerous responses at the country and local levels within the UK. In this book, a broad range of scholars and practitioners review the international drivers affecting countryside policy and practice, and - through a variety of case studies - they assess the value of country and local responses. The result is a powerful and coherent volume that provides a fully up-to-date review and analysis of the pressures on the countryside, the policies for the future and the keys to successful implementation. Countryside Planning is essential reading for planners, local authorities and rural organizations, conservationists and environmental groups, as well as academics and students in planning, rural studies, environmental studies and geography.

This book investigates the concept of human landscape in rural settlements in Southern China, where communities and their cultural landscapes are facing contemporary challenges following a period of rapid urbanization in the last 50 years. While metropolitan cities, such as Hong Kong, are experiencing accelerated urban development, underpopulated rural villages are struggling to maintain the cultural heritage of their regions. Rediscovery of Cultural Landscapes in Southern China provides a detailed account into indigenous living cultures in traditional, rural settlements upon natural landscapes. Beginning with an overview of the theoretical framework, the book presents six unique cases, including: Tai O, Yim Tin Tsai, Lai Chi Wo, Nga Tsin Wai, Cangdong, and Meinong, while illustrating a relevant comparison between Hakka and Satoyama landscape systems. The spectrum of theoretical and case analyses allows for a rethinking of the evolving cultural landscape’s positioning with valuable heritages in the context of a post-industrial society. The book is written towards reinterpreting the cultural landscape by conceptualizing the human landscape for scholars, practitioners, and students interested in rural-cultural conservation and revitalization, heritage management, traditional architecture and landscape planning, and urban-rural development.

a. The COVID-19 has changed the parameters of local economic development, especially in remote areas. Businesses and employees are comfortable working remotely so rural areas that are attractive places to live now have new opportunities. This scenario presents many opportunities for local development strategies in rural areas. Discussions in the book address these issues. This book will be especially timely in helping policymakers understand and implement potential policies. b. State and local policy makers have struggled for many years to find ways to revitalize declining rural areas that have lost businesses and faced population outmigration. Technology is now a game-changer and this book address what these changes can bring to nonmetro areas. c. There has been a definite movement to engage residents more directly in local issues and cause them to invest their time and financial resources in local businesses. Residents are responding in ways such as community owned business and other formats. This book provides insights into ways that rural places have succeeded in these local engagement efforts and how they can continue in the future.

Originally published in 1981, this book explores the plight of the locally born or locally employed faced with spiralling house prices and strong and unequal competition from the wealthier commuter, second-home owner or retirement migrant. It was the first book to examine the policy and planning issues in relation to these problems from the starting point of basic research and analysis.

This book draws on preeminent planning theorist Patsy Healey's personal experiences as a resident of a small rural town in England, to explore what place and community mean in a particular context, and how different initiatives struggle to get a stake in the wider governance relations while maintaining their own focus and ways of working. Throughout the book, Healey assesses the public value generated by community initiatives and the impact of such activity on wider governance dynamics. Healey explores the power which small communities are able to mobilise through self-organisation and grassroots activism. Through the lens of Wooler and Glendale as a micro-society, the book centres on a community experiencing an economic and demographic transition. It focuses on three initiatives developed and led by local people - a small community development trust, an informal attentionmobilising network, and a Neighbourhood Plan project which uses an opportunity provided within the formal planning system. It examines how, in such civil society activism, people came together to promote local development in a place and community neglected by the dominant political economy. The book details the power and force of community initiative and its potential for transforming both the future possibilities for the place and community itself, as well as wider governance relations. Overall, it seeks to enrich academic and policy discussion about how the relations between formal government and civil society energy could evolve in more productive and progressive directions.

Rural Regeneration in the UK provides an accessible yet critical overview of rural regeneration policy and governance in the UK. It charts the key patterns and processes of rural change since 1945 and the emergence and evolution of rural regeneration policy and governance in shaping rural spaces. A key objective of the book is to highlight how, and to what extent, rural regeneration policy and governance are responsive to an increasingly differentiated and uneven rural economy and society. Part One considers the context for rural regeneration, including theoretical frameworks of relevance and the ways in which rural regeneration policy and governance have been framed. In particular, it includes a consideration of how the rural has been made 'thinkable', and the extent to which this has moved beyond traditional concerns with agricultural development. Part Two highlights the key dimensions and spaces of rural regeneration. This includes responses to rural change from 'within the rural', including community-led approaches, the use of culture and the extent to which approaches may be converging or diverging within a devolved UK. Rural Regeneration in the UK provides a comprehensive and integrated analysis of responses to rural change that will appeal to a broad audience of students, scholars and practitioners both in the UK and abroad.

This book focuses on the transformation of rural places, peoples, and land endemic to the contemporary manifestations of globalization. Migration, global economic restructuring, and climate change are rapidly transforming rural places across the globe. Yet, global attention characteristically focuses on urban social and economic issues, neglecting the continued roles of rural people and places. Organized around the three core themes of demographic change, rural-urban partnerships and innovations, and landscape change, the case studies included in this volume represent both the Global North and Global South and underscore the complexity and multi-scalar nature of these contemporary challenges in rural development, planning, and sustainability. This book would be valuable supplementary reading for both students and professionals in the fields of rural land management and rural planning.

Drawing from empirical analyses, case studies, and a synthesis of best practices, this book explores how innovation manifests itself in rural places and how it contributes to entrepreneurial development and resilience. Innovation in rural places may come about as a result of new forms of collaboration; policies that leverage rural assets and address critical service or product gaps; novel strategies for accessing financial capital; infusion of arts into aspects of community life; and cultivation of networks that bridge entrepreneurs, organizations, and institutions. The chapters illustrate how a number of innovation-related characteristics relate to economic vibrancy in rural places such as a strong connection to the arts, adaptive and sustainable use of natural resources, value-chain integrated food systems, robust bridging social capital networks, creative leveraging of technology, and presence of innovation-focused entrepreneurs. Through exploration of these and other topics, this book will provide insights and best practices for rural community and economic development scholars and practitioners seeking to strengthen the rural innovation ecosystem.