Understanding rural landscape for better resident-led management: Residents’ perceptions on rural landscape as everyday landscapes

The rural landscape is “the dwelling place” of rural residents who generate a unique landscape through their daily activities. In order to strengthen the resident-led landscape management in rural areas, this study intends to gauge how and to what extent such rural landscapes are unique, as these landscapes are not easily appraised by existing landscape assessments that rely mainly on visual criteria, and suggest residents’ perception should be consider in the landscape planning. To conduct this study, residents’ subjective perceptions, in contrast with experts’ perceptions, were collected via a survey method referred to as photo-elicitation with walking. The survey revealed various everyday landscape objects perceived by the residents as meaningful, as well as scenes where visual characteristics were prominent. The results of survey also demonstrated that the residents are relatively insensitive to the visual and physical characteristics of landscapes objects, while sensitive to the “relationship” with the landscapes formed through the residents’ experiences. This pattern of sensitivity appears to be linked to the residents’ consideration of the landscape as a kinetic “dwelling place” rather than a static image. This pattern can be regarded as the reason residents perceive meaning in everyday landscapes. The results of this study suggest that by interpreting rural landscapes as everyday landscapes, landscape planning and management could be adapted to fit the needs and perceptions of rural residents and could, therefore, provide a basis for sustainable resident-led landscape management methods in connection with the everyday lives of rural residents.     

Values and attitudes of the urban public towards peri-urban agricultural land

Peri-urban agricultural landscapes around the world are undergoing rapid transformation due to urban expansion. While some landscape values are being protected by current land-use planning frameworks, we know little about the broader values and attitudes of the urban public shaping this transformation. The structure of the values assigned to peri-urban agricultural landscapes by residents of Melbourne, Australia was explored and related to stated landscape preferences and people's underlying values. Exploratory factor analysis was used to categorise assigned values in multifunctional, food and native biota groups, and stated preferences for photographs into four landscape categories: intensive landscapes, extensive landscapes, high tree cover and plantations. The structure of underlying personal values closely resembled other studies of environmental value orientations. Multiple regression analysis revealed that preferences for all landscape categories were predicted strongly by multifunctional assigned values. Significant relationships were also evident between all assigned value groups and the biospheric underlying value orientation. Attitudes towards residential development approaches were also related significantly to assigned but not underlying values. Assigned values appear therefore to mediate between underlying values and attitudes towards peri-urban landscapes. This research demonstrates that peri-urban agricultural landscapes are perceived as multifunctional systems by the urban public and are valued for a range of functions not typically included in land use policies. This study also suggests that in the context of rapid land use change, a variety of landscape types should be retained on the urban fringe for their benefit to the urban public, and synergies promoted between landscape functions.     

Explaining public preferences for high voltage pylon designs: An empirical study of perceived fit in a rural landscape

In many countries, electricity transmission networks are being upgraded and developed arising from policies aiming to decarbonise energy systems. However, new power lines are often controversial, due to their perceived negative impacts on rural landscapes. Despite the fact that visual impacts are an important element of public objections, to date, little research has analysed public preferences for alternative pylon designs, as well as investigating the social and psychological factors that might explain such preferences. This paper sought to address this gap, informed by research on public acceptance of renewable energy technologies, using a survey conducted with a representative sample of UK adults (n = 1519). The findings indicate that the ‘T-pylon’ design, winner of a recent competition, was most strongly preferred and the one most perceived to fit with a rural landscape, by comparison to the conventional ‘A frame’ design and a ‘Totem’ design shortlisted in the competition. Linear regression analyses indicated three factors that explained perceived fit, regardless of the designs: lower levels of educational attainment, positive general attitudes towards transmission lines and higher levels of trust in National Grid were associated with positive perceptions of fit of the pylons in a rural landscape. Finally, findings concerning public support for diverse mitigation measures indicated that the use of alternative designs was less supported than burying new powerlines underground and routing pylons away from homes and schools. The implications of these results for more sustainable grid networks are discussed.     

Urban population looking for rural landscapes: Different appreciation patterns identified in Southern Europe

In the context of the peripheral European rural landscapes, the role of the urban population, generally referred to as the ‘outsiders’, has shown to be influential in the dynamics of rural space. This influence occurs namely through the demand for non-productive functions leading to the emergence of new modes of occupancy. In addition, the emerging policy framework concerning policies and planning in rural landscapes call for an improved understanding of the diversified social demands for these landscapes. We argue that a more profound knowledge on the urban demand for rural landscape is needed to better integrate the urban interests into rural policy and planning. The present paper aims to gain greater insight on this demand by identifying landscape preferences of urban users, framed by the multifunctional transition theory, and using a photo-based survey with contrasting land covers derived from CORINE Land Cover classes. Furthermore, the use of land cover classes as the main landscape component, and thereby relating preferences to specific land covers, offers a sound basis for a territorial approach, able to integrate landscape into rural policy and land use planning practice. A case-study in Southern Portugal was developed at the regional scale and results showed different appreciation patterns for rural landscapes varying from humanised and more naturalised landscapes according to the different functions sought by urban users. Another prominent result is that urban demand for rural landscapes, even if driven by consumption, is strongly influenced by both protection and production values. A deeper knowledge on the interests of urban population can be a step forward for rural communities, land managers, and sectoral policy decision-makers to better define investment strategies in rural-urban partnerships facing the growing urban demand over rural space.     

收入不平等对农村居民健康的影响——基于相对剥夺的微观视角验证

收入不平等对居民健康的影响是造成收入增长与健康变化不一致的重要原因,这一点已经得到学术界的广泛认可,但是在微观层面还未得出一致结论并缺乏进一步的机制讨论。本文采用客观和主观个体相对剥夺来衡量个体收入不平等,利用2010—2018年中国家庭追踪调查面板数据,从心理途径、资源配置以及社会凝聚三方面分析并验证收入相对剥夺对健康的影响和机制。研究发现:客观个体相对剥夺程度越高,农村居民的自评健康和心理健康状况就越差,主观相对剥夺程度越高还会损害身体健康,采取工具变量控制双向因果关系后的结果仍然稳健。同时,上述影响在男性、中老年组、非农工作者以及在低收入、高收入的群体中更为明显。并且,相对剥夺的拉大主要通过增加个体负面情绪、降低其对医疗资源的可得性以及降低社会凝聚力三种路径损害个体健康水平。     

Unplanned rural living and its policy implications: Some findings from Bundaberg,Australia

Research conducted in the Bundaberg Region in north-eastern Australia sought to explain the pattern of unplanned rural living and to assess whether its impacts are adverse enough to warrant land use policy change. It found there was limited conversion of suitable sugarcane land to ‘unplanned’ rural living during the 1980–2000 period. Parcels converted to unplanned rural living during this period were, on average, much smaller, had lower agricultural production potential, and were situated in more undulating and forested landscapes further from Bundaberg than parcels that remained in sugarcane production.     

Adaptation strategies to climatic variability: A case study of small-scale farmers in rural Mexico

Climate change is predicted to have major consequences for small-scale farmers in the developing rural areas of the world. Rural areas, nonetheless, harbor opportunities to mitigate global climate changes. Identification of innovative adaptation strategies used by small-scale farmers, therefore, is crucial in order to understand the extent of their implications. This paper identifies the relationships between livelihood units and landscapes that they depend upon, in a small-scale farm community. It examines their experiences of increasing climatic variability, and how the different groups in the community are adapting to it. The study was conducted in a typical rural ejido community on the Pacific coast of Mexico (Ejido Ticuiz), where a detailed socio-cultural profile was obtained by means of semi-structured interviews. In the study area we encountered a range of individual and community-based adaptation strategies, built on farmers’ recognition of the different types of landscapes which supply goods and benefits. Small-scale farmers have used their landscape diversity to build adaptation strategies to guarantee the supply of goods and benefits to cope with uncertain of climate events. Households rather than individuals or the community as an institution were depicted as the core socio-cultural group for better understanding of patterns, behavior and aspirations related to climate change adaptation at local level. The adaptation capacities of rural communities could be significantly strengthened if political, financial and institutional support is targeted at households rather than at individuals or the community level only.     

Adaptive society in a changing environment: Insight into the social resilience of a rural region of Taiwan

Taiwan has abundant biological resources that provide a quality living environment; however, industrial land use may change that environment through urban sprawl and thus have impacts on rural society. This study examined the experience of a Taiwanese rural region that has been exposed to industrial wastewater discharge specifying the relationship of industrial development to rural society and its role in policy. We addressed the societal adaptation to environmental degradation from risk perception perspectives about land use. Drawing on social vulnerability concept, semi-structured interviews were conducted in five communities that use irrigation water exposed to wastewater discharge. The interviews were designed using the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) causal framework to examine residents’ risk perceptions highlighting both built-environmental sensitivity (degradation) and residents’ adaptability (capacity). In addition, remote sensing technology was used to identify the urban sprawl that led to industrial land use and exposed the rural region to water pollution risks. As a result, we present a social resilience cycle to introduce adaptive responses underlining social amplification of risk. Both local knowledge of the locals (the Hakka people) and their societal response to environmental change reflect the role of culture in influencing land use policy. It is underlined that individual and community responses shape the social experience of risk and are related to both the ethnicity of the locals and the land use policy of the government. We indicated further that a large-scale survey that would really quantity this exploratory study to support land use decision-making is expected.     

Impact of Agriculture on Rural Tourism: A Hedonic Pricing Approach

The increased awareness of farmers' role in the maintenance of rural landscapes may contribute to a reassessment of the place of agriculture in society. In this paper, we look at how this role, in relation to landscape, is valued by rural tourists or, in other words, whether it is a response to a societal demand, as is argued by defenders of multifunctional agriculture. The results from a hedonic pricing analysis indicate that landscape features associated with agricultural activities (such as meadows and grazing cattle) positively influence the demand for rural tourism and have a positive impact on the price tourists are willing to pay for rural accommodation. This is also illustrated by the adverse impact of perceived negative externalities from agricultural production (such as intensive maize cultivation) on this price.     

山西省农村居民生活用水定额初探

根据山西省自然条件、经济状况等特点,将全省分为4个分区,选择13个典型县进行现场调研工作。通过对山西省农村居民生活用水的调查,了解和掌握了目前农村居民的用水现状和节水潜力,确定合理可行的居民用水定额。     

The visual impact of agricultural sheds on rural landscapes: The willingness to pay for mitigation solutions and treatment effects

New rural and industrial sheds cause significant transformations determining a negative change in landscape perception. In this paper the willingness to pay (WTP) of residents to mitigate the visual impact of sheds in the rural areas of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato” is estimated through a Choice Experiment (CE). The CE survey was carried out through face-to-face interviews involving 400 residents. The set of mitigation attributes was selected by means of a landscape analysis and presented to respondents using a set of images (close and distant views). Conditional Logit (CLogit) and Mixed Logit (MXL) models both in preference and in WTP space were estimated. From the empirical point of view, the study shows that sheds are generally perceived as negative landscape elements, and that residents are willing to pay for mitigation solutions, such as tree lines and formal hedgerows. The results are relevant for policy makers since they suggest how agricultural sheds are perceived and which mitigation strategies are preferred by local residents. From the methodological point of view, we estimate and test different models for assessing the effect of the visual treatment (close vs distant view). We show the theoretical equivalence of a fully interacted model (i.e., estimated on the whole sample and including interaction terms with the treatment), with split models of the choice for separate subsamples submitted or not to the treatment. We find that in estimation the equivalence holds in the results of Conditional Logit models, but not in Mixed Logit models. The reasons and implications are discussed.     

Do rainfall conditions push or pull rural migrants: evidence from Malawi

This article uses nationally representative data from Malawi's 2004/05 Integrated Household Survey (IHS2) to examine whether rainfall conditions influence a rural worker's decision to make a long‐term move to an urban or another rural area. Results of a Full Information Maximum Likelihood regression model reveal that (1) rainfall shocks have a negative association with rural out‐migration, (2) migrants choose to move to communities where rainfall variability and drought probability are lower, and (3) rainfall shocks have larger negative effects on the consumption of recent migrants than on the consumption of long‐time residents.     

乡村集中社区建设模式、运作机制及其比较——以太仓市4个社区为例

"人"、"地"与"钱"一直是乡村集中社区建设的核心问题。基于乡村集中社区建设中"人"、"地"、"钱"来源及其不同的组合关系,可将乡村集中社区建设划分为若干种模式。文章基于乡村调查,以太仓市4个社区为典型案例,将具体案例嵌入到特定的、地方化的社会经济制度场景中,对不同乡村集中社区建设模式及其运作机制进行解析和比较。分析结果表明,根据是否享有拥有宅基地及其获得方式、集中社区建设资金分摊状况、社区居民身份及组成,将太仓市乡村集中社区建设划分为"村内并点"的集居模式、公寓房式的城镇社区模式、宅基地跨村置换的集居模式和宅基地使用权市场化的集居模式。距离城镇远近、村庄经济实力差异、地方政府政策与资金约束状况变化,不仅是形成不同乡村集中社区建设模式的重要因素,也是影响乡村集中社区建设运作的关键变量。以农村土地制度创新为突破口,基于农业现代化、土地利用集约化等多重目标,赋予农民更多的选择权、建立"农民—村集体—地方政府"利益共享机制对推动乡村集中社区建设具有普遍意义。     

Analysis of the potential socio-economic impact of establishing plantation forestry on rural communities in Sanga district,Niassa province,Mozambique

This study assesses the livelihoods of rural households in a proposed green field forestry area located in Sanga district of Niassa province, Mozambique. The livelihood analysis was used to analyze potential socio-economic impacts of introducing forest plantations to rural households located within the proposed afforestation area. The study made use of household interviews, key informant interviews and secondary data. The sustainable livelihoods framework was used in the research process to develop the household questionnaire and to identify livelihood strategies. Data were analyzed using 331 household questionnaires collected throughout the proposed afforestation area in various communities in the study area. Findings from the study indicated that there is minimal wealth gaps between rural households; but that the introduction of the forestry industry and the subsequent employment created thereof may result in larger wealth gaps between wage earning and non-wage earning households. The study further concludes by linking the potential socio-economic impacts with mitigation recommendations that could be harmonized with FSC Standard requirements for forestry companies interested in developing a forest industry in the study area.     

财政支出与拉动农村居民消费

后危机时代我国经济增长要靠消费、投资、出口的协同拉动,农村居民的消费不旺一直是影响消费增长的主要原因.由于农村居民收入增长缓慢、农村社会保障制度不健全、农村消费环境不佳、农村基础设施不完善等因素的限制,农村居民的消费能量难以释放.在中央不断出台的积极的财政政策中,财政支出对农业、农村、农民的倾斜越加增多,有利于解除各种...     

Urbanization strategies, rural development and land use changes in China: A multiple-level integrated assessment

This paper links urbanization strategies to changes in land use and associated impacts on rural communities and agro-ecosystems in a rural area of China. Energy, monetary and human time variables as well as information on environmental pressures, have been combined to compare different typologies of households and the metabolism of different patterns of land use from an integrated perspective. The results show that urbanization strategies, aimed at shifting the current land use and at displacing the local population, while increasing the economic efficiency is also associated with an increase in fossil energy consumption and environmental pressure, as well as a reduction of the multifunctional characteristic of the area under investigation. Based on these findings the paper also offers a critical discussion of the Chinese rural development policy arguing that the multifunctionality of rural areas should be taken into account by Chinese policy-makers and planners as a viable strategy to achieve rural development targets.     

Restructuring rural settlements based on subjective well-being (SWB): A case study in Hubei province,central China

Subjective well-being (SWB) has long been neglected in the process of rural settlements restructuring. In order to explore the possibility of integrating SWB in rural settlements restructuring, this paper verifies two hypotheses. The first hypothesis postulates that SWB is positively correlated with accessibility to facilities and services at a village scale. The second one suggests that SWB is positively related to the personal satisfaction level of demands in daily life at an individual scale. Verification of these hypotheses indicates the application of SWB into rural settlements restructuring and planning. This study uses self-reported SWB from a questionnaire-based survey to examine its correlates. Objective well-being (OWB) of every village was derived through comprehensive evaluation. The villages of the study area were classified into four categories based on OWB, namely, key, sub-key, general, and marginal villages. We calculated the spatial accessibility of key, sub-key, and general villages from land-cover types, transportation, vehicle choice and commuting time, given that well-developed villages are often equipped with good facilities and services. The correlations between SWB and OWB and between SWB and spatial accessibility were tested and compared using crosstabs analysis and chi-square test. The drivers of SWB were identified using an ordinary least squares regression model. Results show that SWB is more positively correlated to the spatial accessibility of developed villages than to the villages themselves in the context of meeting residents’ daily needs. Results also show positive relations between SWB and the satisfied level of local peoples’ daily activities including working, shopping, seeking medical care and visiting relatives or friends. Thus, we proposed the relocation of rural settlements with poor access to main villages to good service areas. The proposed restructuring method combines SWB and OWB, and aims at increasing the quality of life of rural residents. This study contributes to the understanding of rural SWB and proposes a new perspective on restructuring rural settlements.     

Identifying livelihood strategies and transitions in rural China: Is land holding an obstacle?

Using nationally representative rural survey data from 2010 and 2014 in China, this paper quantitatively investigates the factors determining Chinese rural households’ livelihood strategies and dynamics in transitions. Using a multinomial probit regression and ordered logit regression (OLR), we find that human assets and transport facilities are the most important factors in improving the livelihood strategies of rural Chinese households. These factors also encourage upward livelihood mobility. However, factors such as land endowment, land renting-in, and land expropriation have a negative effect on rural Chinese households’ upward mobility in livelihood strategies.     

Local ecological knowledge reveals effects of policy-driven land use and cover change on beekeepers in Costa Rica

Land use and cover (LUC) change is a major driver of ecosystem service loss worldwide. In response, policymakers have designed conservation strategies that incentivize the establishment and maintenance of LUC types associated with higher ecosystem service provision. Many of these policies also aim to promote social and economic goals such as reducing poverty. Attempts to measure the impact of policy-driven LUC change on stakeholders typically focus only on economic outcomes for landowning participants or aggregate the socio-economic outcomes of diverse groups. In this study, we applied local ecological knowledge (LEK) held by beekeepers in Costa Rica to understand the impact of policy-driven LUC change on this specific group of often non-landowning stakeholders. Beekeeping is a globally important rural livelihood and provides pollination services to crops and wild plants. We synthesized beekeeper LEK using a mixed-methods approach including apiary mapping exercises (n = 215 apiaries), questionnaires (n = 50 participants), and follow-up interviews (n = 21 participants). Our study revealed that some policy-driven LUC changes have limited beekeepers’ access to preferred land uses, such as secondary and mature forests with native trees. Participants reported concern for their livelihoods due to policy-driven spatial and temporal change of floral resources via the establishment of tree plantations, changes in pasture management, and laws that prohibit beekeeping in national parks and reserves. Our study provides evidence of unintended outcomes from land use policies, including Payment for Ecosystem Services, with disproportionate negative impacts on non-landowning residents who depend on natural resources in the landscape for their livelihoods. Our study illustrates potential inequality rising from current incentive mechanisms associated with Payments for Ecosystem Services and other conservation policies and calls for policymakers to consider LUC change impacts on non-landowning stakeholders.     

重庆市乡村旅游资源空间特征及其与乡村振兴关系研究

[目的]探究重庆市乡村旅游资源的结构类型和空间特征,分析乡村旅游资源数量与乡村振兴之间的关系,对重庆市乡村旅游产业发展和促进乡村振兴具有指导意义。[方法]文章利用GIS技术定量分析重庆市乡村旅游资源的空间分布特征,通过空间分布模型探究乡村旅游资源空间分布的聚集程度,利用地理联系率探析人口规模和经济发展水平与乡村旅游资源分布的配合度。采用回归模型从整体上对重庆市乡村旅游资源数量与乡村振兴的关系进行分析,利用Pearson相关系数对不同经济发展区域关系进行研究,试图得到乡村旅游资源数量与乡村振兴的辩证关系。[结果]重庆市乡村旅游资源具有4种类型,农事体验类所占的比重最大,达到43.46%,乡村文化类所占比重最低为2.30%。乡村旅游空间布局特征结果表明重庆市4种乡村旅游类型在空间上的分布存在较大的区域差异,都呈现集中分布, 4种类型的景点与人口和经济的配合度较高。回归分析结果表明,乡村旅游资源数量与休闲农业和乡村旅游接待人次、农村卫生厕所普及率、村综合性文化服务中心覆盖率、县级以上文明村和乡镇占比和农村居民人均纯收入之间存在均衡关系。Pearson相关性分析结果表明除休闲农业和乡村旅游接待人次外,乡村旅游资源数量仅与农村居民人均纯收入之间存在低度相关性,不同经济区相关系数差异较大。[结论]综合以上研究结果,乡村旅游资源的空间分布特征既受当地经济发展的影响,同时又促进当地经济的发展,表明重庆市乡村旅游资源对乡村振兴具有一定的促进作用。建议在今后的发展中应拓展乡村旅游类型,提高乡村文化类景点的数量和比重,促进重庆市乡村旅游产业的均衡发展,实现不同经济区乡村经济的协调发展。