Re-organizing Peasant Labour for Local Resilience in China

The recurrent crises of financial capitalism that has erupted within core countries have resulted in a double cost-transfer to countries in the Global South in conditions where the South suffers from political upheaval, economic down turns and social unrest. Encountering the challenges of global financialization and de-industrialization, the Global South needs to strengthen national sovereignty over common resources and enhance its capability of reorganizing the labour force, in order to protect the livelihood of the majority. Other than the usual approach of providing more urban jobs, an alternative more socially and culturally beneficial to society in the long term is to enhance local resilience against globalization and reactivate rural communities to promote jobs as well as reincorporate young people. Though the Chinese government’s central policy of ‘New Socialist Countryside’ attempts to absorb the crises of overproduction and unemployment through large scale domestic investment in basic infrastructure and social welfare in rural areas, it does not necessarily strengthen local resilience. Local resilience evolves through initiatives from below for social transformation through self-organization, popular participation, reciprocity and ecological practices.

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The transformation of Cuban agriculture after the cold war

American Journal of Alternative Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0889189300005762 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 98-108 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ivette Perfecto

Keyword(s):

Soviet Union ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Agricultural Development ◽

Diagnostic Techniques ◽

Environmental Conservation ◽

Appropriate Technology ◽

Agricultural Cooperatives ◽

Food Imports

AbstractCuba's agriculture after the 1959 revolution had been based on large-scale, capital intensive monoculture, which made Cuba heavily dependent on the socialist bloc for subsidized agrichemical inputs and for set prices of agricultural exports. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies in 1989–90, Cuba's inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, and petroleum dropped by more than half Cuba responded with a dramatic shift in its agricultural development model that featured appropriate technology, alternative organization of labor, alternative planning, and environmental preservation. Cuban pest control efforts now focus on biological control and on enhanced monitoring and diagnostic techniques. Soil management emphasizes biofertilizers and vermiculture. Minimum tillage and crop rotation are frequent practices among Cuba's independent farmers, agricultural cooperatives, and state farms. The transition to low-input agriculture has decreased the exodus of people from rural areas to cities, and has lead to establishment of lab or camps with volunteer labor and long-term programs for rebuilding rural communities. To address the loss of important food imports while ensuring environmental conservation, agricultural planning now gives priority to crop rotations, city gardens, and introduction of food crops in sugar cane areas.

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Partnership Model for Optimizing the Use of Village Funds

Journal Ilmu Sosial, Politik dan Pemerintahan ◽

10.37304/jispar.v7i2.426 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Mukhtar Sarman

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Human Resources ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Field Research ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Partnership Model ◽

Self Reliance ◽

The Government

Since 2015, the Government has allocated village development funds in the form of Village Fund policies of IDR 20.7 trillion, then in 2016 it increased to IDR 46.9 trillion, and continues to increase in the following years. However, based on field research in a number of regions in Indonesia, it turns out that the use of Village Funds is not optimal, some of which have been proven wrongly targeted, not transparent in use, and not accountable in reporting. The aspect of planning activities and the quality of human resources implementing policies and coordination between parties that should play a role are still a major problem. The PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model is actually intended for the development of large-scale projects, such as the construction of highways or seaports and airports. But by taking the substance of cooperation from the parties that each have strengths, the PPP model (and its variants) may be applicable in the use of Village Funds. Using secondary data analysts, the following article discusses the theoretical aspects of the advantages of the PPP model. This model is juxtaposed with cases of success in building the economic self-reliance of rural communities with the help of private parties and academics. It is assumed that the partnership model can be an alternative solution to further optimize the use of Village Funds in order to reduce poverty in rural areas.

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Changing Pattern of Rural Life and Livelihood: An Ethnographic Investigation

Nepalese Journal of Development and Rural Studies ◽

10.3126/njdrs.v15i0.31598 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 52-62

Author(s):

Megh Vilas Bhatta ◽

Suman Kharel

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Social Transformation ◽

Livelihood Strategies ◽

Livestock Farming ◽

Contemporary World ◽

Causative Factors ◽

Community People ◽

Tools And Techniques ◽

Key Informant Interview

The changing livelihood is an unstoppable phenomenon of the contemporary world at the present era. In the due course of social development, changes have been noticed and the social transformation has become an inevitable process. In the study upon the Aarukharka village, various external interventions like modernity, urbanization and globalization have been found to be the causative factors of ongoing changes in the pattern of people’s life and livelihood strategies in the studied community. A qualitative approach backed up by the ethnographic method was applied while various tools and techniques such as elongated stay with the community people followed by key informant interview (KII) and interaction with the participants, observation and discussion were used to gather data. Although change is a dynamic and a common phenomenon, this study implies that the change in the livelihood pattern of the target community is because of the increasing influence of the above mentioned interventions. The finding indicates that livelihood strategies are changing rapidly in the rural areas of Nepal. Despite the fact that the agriculture with livestock farming was an important traditional source of livelihood in the past, the roles of non-agricultural sectors have become significant for livelihood sustaining in the rural communities of Nepal in the present days.

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Partnership Model For Optimizing The Use of Village Funds

Iapa Proceedings Conference ◽

10.30589/proceedings.2018.175 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 8

Author(s):

Mukhtar Sarman

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Human Resources ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Field Research ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Partnership Model ◽

Self Reliance ◽

The Government

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The periurban water security problem: a case study of Hyderabad in Southern India

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2013.140 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 454-469 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Anjal Prakash

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Water Security ◽

Water History ◽

Absolute Increase ◽

Security Problem ◽

Basic Infrastructure

The 2011 Census of India produced some interesting facts about the process of urbanisation in India. For the first time since Independence, the absolute increase in population is more in urban than in rural areas. The increase in urban areas has put pressure on the basic infrastructure, including access to water for both urban and periurban locations. Most Indian cities have formal water supply for only a few hours a day and only in limited areas. The question is – where are the remaining water requirements coming from? For much of India's ‘water history’, the focus has been on large-scale surface-water projects to provide access, focusing more on irrigation and neglecting sources within the city and the periurban areas. Over time an enormous informal groundwater market has arisen in several cities to bridge the demand–supply gap. This water demand is met through supplies of water through informal water markets. Water is sourced from the periurban regions, which are usually richer in surface water and groundwater. This paper focuses on the change process as witnessed by periurban areas with a case study of Hyderabad. This paper presents an overview of a trend that is leading to immense water insecurities due to a combination of issues.

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Prevalence and determinants of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) among children under five years of age in rural communities of Lahore, Pakistan.

The Professional Medical Journal ◽

10.29309/tpmj/2021.28.01.6251 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (01) ◽

Author(s):

Zafar Iqbal Bhatti ◽

Khuram Nawaz ◽

Muhammad Ali

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Educational Level ◽

Large Scale ◽

Protein Energy Malnutrition ◽

Housing Condition ◽

Children Under Five ◽

Under Five ◽

Protein Energy

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and determinants of Protein energy malnutrition among children under five years of age in rural areas of Lahore, Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Four Rural Communities (Hussainabad, Shershah Colony, Dubai Town and Bhobtia Pind) of Lahore, Pakistan. Period: September 2016 to March 2017. Material & Methods: Convenient sampling technique was used to collect data. Anthropometric measures were obtained from children under five years of age. Results: Prevalence of PEM was found to be 52.8% in children under five years of age in the rural communities of Lahore, Pakistan. Significant association was found in PEM and number of siblings, mother’s literacy, father’s educational level, socioeconomic status, Knowledge of mother regarding diet, housing condition. So, all these factors are considered as significant determinants of PEM. Conclusion: More children suffer from the burden of PEM. Risk factors like age, sex, type of family, number of siblings, mother’s literacy, father’s educational level, socioeconomic status, Knowledge of mother regarding diet, housing condition contribute greatly to develop PEM. There is a need to take measures to prevent the nation from this suffering. Steps must be taken to implement polices to prevent PEM. Government should launch educational interventions on large scale to alleviate this suffering. Health professional must pay special attention to this debilitating issue.

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Contested natures: Coca, the War on Drugs, and ecologies of difference in Colombia's Afro-Pacific

Journal of Political Ecology ◽

10.2458/v26i1.23060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 305 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Alexander Huezo

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

National Parks ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Ethnic Difference ◽

War On Drugs ◽

Global South ◽

Ethnic Communities ◽

Global North ◽

Ecological Difference ◽

Descendant Communities

While there is growing consensus that the 'war on drugs' has failed to decrease drug consumption in the Global North, we know much less about how drug production has impacted communities of the Global South. This is particularly true for the cultivation of coca leaf in Colombia, which is increasingly planted in isolated rural areas such as national parks and in the collectively titled lands of ethnic communities (indigenous and Afro-descendant) where it is both difficult to detect and to eradicate. This article explains how Afro-descendant communities in Colombia have resisted both coca cultivation and a controversial war on drugs strategy to eliminate coca –aerial eradication – through a framework of ecological difference. It also explores why political ecologists can be important allies in this struggle and in the greater context of socio-environmental justice for rural communities in the Global South. Key Words: rural, ethnic, difference, war, coca, Colombia

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Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural America

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2019378118 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 118 (1) ◽

pp. 2019378118

Author(s):

J. Tom Mueller ◽

Kathryn McConnell ◽

Paul Berne Burow ◽

Katie Pofahl ◽

Alexis A. Merdjanoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Research Effort ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Rural Populations ◽

Exogenous Shock ◽

The North ◽

Scientific Attention

Despite considerable social scientific attention to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on urbanized areas, very little research has examined its impact on rural populations. Yet rural communities—which make up tens of millions of people from diverse backgrounds in the United States—are among the nation’s most vulnerable populations and may be less resilient to the effects of such a large-scale exogenous shock. We address this critical knowledge gap with data from a new survey designed to assess the impacts of the pandemic on health-related and economic dimensions of rural well-being in the North American West. Notably, we find that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural populations have been severe, with significant negative impacts on unemployment, overall life satisfaction, mental health, and economic outlook. Further, we find that these impacts have been generally consistent across age, ethnicity, education, and sex. We discuss how these findings constitute the beginning of a much larger interdisciplinary COVID-19 research effort that integrates rural areas and pushes beyond the predominant focus on cities and nation-states.

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Welcoming Migrants? Migrant Labour in Rural Scotland

Social Policy and Society ◽

10.1017/s1474746409004941 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 391-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Philomena de Lima ◽

Sharon Wright

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Large Scale ◽

Eu Enlargement ◽

Migrant Labour ◽

Local Labour ◽

Working Age ◽

Scottish Government ◽

Eastern European Countries ◽

The Uk

For a decade, Scotland has had a declining natural population, dispersed throughout a diverse geography, including remote highlands and islands, which presents a policy making context that is very different from other parts of the UK. Rural Scotland accounts for 95% of Scotland's landmass and only 18% of the population (Scottish Government 2008). In particular, the familiar challenges, presented by the combination of population ageing with below-replacement level fertility rates, have, until 2007, been reinforced by the extent of out-migration amongst people of working age. Evidence suggests that following EU enlargement in 2004, rural areas have experienced an influx of labour migrants from Central and Eastern European countries on an unprecedented scale. Whilst such large-scale migration into rural communities has provided a major challenge for public service provision and ‘social integration’, it has also addressed local labour market shortages and created opportunities for regeneration. This article explores critical questions about the role and impact of migrant labour in rural communities in Scotland and the role of agencies in addressing the needs of all rural residents.

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Polish Rural Sociology in the Period of Political and Social Transformation

European Countryside ◽

10.2478/euco-2020-0008 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 138-155

Author(s):

Andrzej Kaleta

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Social Transformation ◽

Social Research ◽

Rural Society ◽

Transition Process ◽

Rural Sociology ◽

Social Effects ◽

Standard Of Living ◽

The Social

AbstractThe aim of the present study is to attempt to evaluate the Polish rural sociology of development during the period referred to as a political and social transformation (1989–2019). The time of this transformation had brought up new and difficult challenges for the rural sociology, urging it to examine the social effects of the transition process in the rural society, moving from a totalitarian system to a democratic one, from centrally managed economy to market economy. Theoretical and methodological orientations, which prevailed throughout the entire period of changes, have been analyzed here by taking into consideration the most important publications, which appeared in Poland after 1989 under the banner of social research on countryside and agriculture. Moreover, attention was given to problem areas particularly intensely penetrated through empirical research such as: transformations in the agriculture as well as within the social and professional group of farmers, standard of living of rural residents, changes of the local rural communities. In the final part of the article, our attention was focused on the outlook and possibilities to confront the challenges of the future with regard to rural areas in the situation of constant weakening of the institutional base of the Polish rural sociology.

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