scholarly journals Ageing and Inclusion in Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ira Verma ◽  
Jonna Taegen
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Population Loss ◽  
Older Populations

This paper is presenting a research and development project related to areas with decreasing and ageing population. The focus of the study is on housing and the inclusion of older people in rural communities. The case study method was implemented in three shrinking municipalities in remote areas. The population loss in small ageing municipalities is affecting the number of local services as well as access to public transport. Most people 75 years old and older live in owner occupied single-family houses. The accessibility renovations of these houses for low-income older residents are challenging. Strategic long-term concepts are needed to improve the housing for older people and the urban quality of small municipal centers. Initiatives focusing on wellbeing and social cohesion are needed to enable people to remain living in rural areas in the future. Actions related to planning and services for the older population should contribute to social cohesion within the community. A dense and walkable municipal center with accessible apartments may help municipalities provide for their older populations. Future developments need to be based on resource efficiency and an intergenerational approach to keep these municipalities good places to live.

TURNING FARMERS INTO SOCIAL FARMER ENTREPRENEURS FOR DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remus Runcan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Healthy Environment ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Development Programme ◽  
Rural And Urban

According to Romania’s National Rural Development Programme, the socio-economic situation of the rural environment has a large number of weaknesses – among which low access to financial resources for small entrepreneurs and new business initiatives in rural areas and poorly developed entrepreneurial culture, characterized by a lack of basic managerial knowledge – but also a large number of opportunities – among which access of the rural population to lifelong learning and entrepreneurial skills development programmes and entrepreneurs’ access to financial instruments. The population in rural areas depends mainly on agricultural activities which give them subsistence living conditions. The gap between rural and urban areas is due to low income levels and employment rates, hence the need to obtain additional income for the population employed in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, especially in the context of the depopulation trend. At the same time, the need to stimulate entrepreneurship in rural areas is high and is at a resonance with the need to increase the potential of rural communities from the perspective of landscape, culture, traditional activities and local resources. A solution could be to turn vegetal and / or animal farms into social farms – farms on which people with disabilities (but also adolescents and young people with anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide, and alexithymia issues) might find a “foster” family, bed and meals in a natural, healthy environment, and share the farm’s activities with the farmer and the farmer’s family: “committing to a regular day / days and times for a mutually agreed period involves complying with any required health and safety practices (including use of protective clothing and equipment), engaging socially with the farm family members and other people working on and around the farm, and taking on tasks which would include working on the land, taking care of animals, or helping out with maintenance and other physical work”

scholarly journals Community stakeholders' perceptions of crime and victimization: A mixed-methods approach to understanding collective efficacy and social cohesion in the rural heartland

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-115
Author(s):  
Ashley Lockwood ◽  
April Terry
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Rural And Urban

Previous criminological literature has mostly neglected rural communities, often treating these places as smaller pieces of urban culture. Literature suggests rural communities operate differently than urban neighborhoods, with distinctive values, norms, and community cohesion. For example, concepts surrounding collective efficacy may work counterproductively in rural areas—further exploiting outed community members within "close-knit" environments. The current study sought to compare perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion, crime, and victimization between rural and urban counties across one Midwestern rural state. Using a mixed-methods approach, community stakeholders from a variety of professions were surveyed. Quantitative results suggest similar perceptions of collective efficacy and social cohesion in rural and urban communities while qualitative responses paint a much different picture—an image of rural communities "minding their own business" and both formally and informally intervening only in the most extreme and personalized scenarios.

Linkages between migration and the care of frail older people: observations from Greece, Ghana and The Netherlands

2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
SJAAK VAN DER GEEST ◽  
ANKE MUL ◽  
HANS VERMEULEN
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Older People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Private Care ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
And Migration

There are at least four ways in which old age and migration cross each other's paths. First of all, there are people who migrated for economic reasons, usually at a relatively young age, and who have grown old in a foreign country. Secondly, there are older people who migrate when (or because) they are old: in Europe, they are mostly from the affluent northern countries and travel southward. Thirdly, there is increasing employment of, and demand for, immigrant workers in old-age institutions in the northern countries. Finally, there is the out-migration of young people, mainly from rural areas, that results in older people being left behind without children to look after them. In all these cases, migration has a profound effect on the wellbeing and care of older people. The authors of this article explore a fifth linkage between migration and old age, by focusing on the (mainly illegal) immigrants who take on roles as private carers and, in effect, replace the children who have emigrated. Two cases, from Greece and Ghana, are presented and viewed in the two countries' political, cultural and economic contexts, and are then compared to conditions in The Netherlands. In both cases, involving a ‘stranger’ in the care of an older parent is regarded as a good and respectable solution to the problem of absent children and grandchildren: it follows rules of reciprocity and normally provides a good quality of care. Ironically, hiring full-time private care for older people is feasible in low-income countries but a rare luxury in high-income societies.

scholarly journals Impact of Industrialization on Employee Income Distribution in Rural Texas Communities

1977 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Reinschmiedt ◽  
Lonnie L. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Rural Life ◽  
Industry Location ◽  
High Dependency

A basis of concern for rural development has been lagging economic growth in rural communities. Many rural areas have long been faced with the dilemma of low income, inadequate or expensive community services, net out-migration and high dependency rates. Numerous programs have been enacted over the years to alleviate these problems. A recent program, the Rural Development Act of 1972, interprets the main objective of rural development as encouraging and speeding economic growth in rural areas providing for jobs, improving quality of rural life, and doing so on a self-earned, self-sustaining basis. One chief component of all these programs has been promoting industry location in rural communities.

scholarly journals Food Security and Climate Change: Differences in Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Rural Communities in the Global South and North

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhashni Raj ◽  
Sam Roodbar ◽  
Catherine Brinkley ◽  
David Walter Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global North

This research highlights the mismatch between food security and climate adaptation literature and practice in the Global North and South by focusing on nested case studies in rural India and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but also has one of the largest wealth gaps. Comparatively, India has one of the largest populations of food insecure people. To demonstrate how adaptive food security approaches to climate change will differ, we first review the unique climate, agricultural, demographic, and socio-economic features; and then compare challenges and solutions to food security posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While both countries rely on rural, low-income farmworkers to produce food, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how agricultural and food security policies differ in their influence on both food insecurity and global hunger alike. Emphasis on agricultural production in developing regions where a majority of individuals living in rural areas are smallholder subsistence farmers will benefit the majority of the population in terms of both poverty alleviation and food production. In the Global North, an emphasis on food access and availability is necessary because rural food insecure populations are often disconnected from food production.

scholarly journals Water crises in a water-rich country: case studies from rural watersheds of Nepal's mid-hills

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 826-847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anup Gurung ◽  
Sanot Adhikari ◽  
Raju Chauhan ◽  
Sudeep Thakuri ◽  
Selina Nakarmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Ground Survey ◽  
Drying Up

Abstract The main objective of this paper is to assess the water crisis in Nepal by conducting a series of case studies in rural watersheds in the mid-hills. This was achieved through the applied qualitative method, especially combinations of desk study/structured searches, consultation, and field observation. The ground survey revealed that most of the rural communities in the mid-hills have an unreliable water supply. According to the local stakeholders, 20–25% of water resources have dried up as compared to 20 years ago. Drying up of water resources disproportionately affects women and girls in rural areas as women are responsible for household chores, including fetching drinking water. The findings also revealed that low-income households bear a disproportionate coping burden as compared to elite groups, as they often engage in coping strategies such as collecting water from distant water sources, which is labor- and time-intensive, and also yields smaller quantities of water. Assuming that unreliable water supplies will continue to exist in rural areas of the mid-hills for the foreseeable future, there is a critical need to consider which, if any, coping strategies will be most effective in ensuring that poor households will have access to safe and sufficient water supply.

scholarly journals Should I Stay or Go: Rural Ageing, a Time for Reflection

Geriatrics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Anderson ◽  
Sarah Larkins ◽  
Sarah Beaney ◽  
Robin Ray
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Older People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Ageing In Place ◽  
Embedded Case Study ◽  
Rural Ageing

(1) Background: Studies have shown that older people prefer to continue living in their own home and community as they age; however this is dependent upon available services and social support. In Australia about two thirds of people will age at home. The Australian Government provides home care packages to support ageing in place yet in rural areas not all services are available. The lack of employment opportunities in rural areas often results in family residing at a distance reducing available social support. This study aims to evaluate informal social support and its influence on ageing in place amongst older people in three Australian rural communities in Australia. (2) Methods: A multiple embedded case study was undertaken in three diverse rural communities. Eleven older rural residents ageing in place aged 65+ were interviewed about their ageing experience and plans for their future in the light of available social support along with 15 members of their social networks. Social networks were then visually depicted with the use of ecomaps and network members were interviewed. (3) Results show that kin and non-kin social networks support ageing in place however ageing is a time of change and reflection. (4) Conclusions: There is a need for more discussion within these networks when it comes to future planning.

scholarly journals Examining the role of urban form In shaping people's accessibility to opportunities: An exploratory spatial data analysis

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Scott ◽  
Mark Horner
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Spatial Data Analysis ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Retail Service

This study employs a comprehensive suite of accessibility indices to investigate whether American cities are designed in such a way that the locations of goods, services, and other opportunities favor certain socio-economic groups over others. In so doing, the study’s findings contribute to pressing policy issues such as social exclusion. Seven counties of the Louisville, KY-IN MSA serve as the study area for the investigation. Data are derived from three sources: a geocoded travel diary survey that was conducted in the study area in 2000, a geocoded database of all urban opportunities in the study area, and a database containing shortest path travel times between the locations of households and urban opportunities. Accessibility indices (i.e., gravity, cumulative opportunity, and proximity) are computed for households found in the trip diary survey. Furthermore, these indices are defined for 34 types of opportunities: four aggregate types (i.e., retail, service, leisure, and religious) and 30 disaggregate types representing the 10 most popular destinations for trips for each of the first three aggregate types. Non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum tests are used to compare the accessibilities of five socio-economic groups (i.e., individuals residing in rural communities, individuals residing in single-person and single-parent households, individuals residing in low-income households, women, and the elderly) to their counterparts. Except for individuals residing in rural areas, our findings indicate that groups, which conventional wisdom would suggest are at risk of social exclusion, are not disadvantaged in terms of accessibility.

scholarly journals Access to Services in Rural Areas from the Point of View of Older Population—A Case Study in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 4854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ira Verma ◽  
Jonna Taegen
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Access To Services ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Private Car ◽  
Older Populations ◽  
Permanent Residents ◽  
Social Intercourse

Independence and having control over one’s own life are important factors for residential satisfaction. In rural areas, the mobility of people is based on owning a private car, due to the lack of public transport. Furthermore, planning in rural municipalities is highly car oriented. Small municipalities with shrinking and aging populations have many challenges to ensure access to services for their residents. This paper focuses on a case study of a small municipality with less than 2000 inhabitants. The objective of the study was to enhance sustainable change in shrinking rural areas and maintain them as good places to live even in the future. Access to local services and social activities is a major challenge for older people, who no longer have the possibility to use their own car. The problem with relocation is the lack of suitable apartments for older people. A dense and walkable municipal centre with accessible apartments may help municipalities provide for their older populations. Moreover, in Finland, second homeowners are an important resource for small municipalities. Spaces for social intercourse between residents and between permanent residents and second homeowners may enhance vitality and community building in these municipalities.

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