Rural Sociology, Sociology of Agriculture And Food - Abstracts

TITLE: LIVELIHOOD ADAPTATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO CHANGE IN THE FISHING INDUSTRY IN KERALA, INDIA
Presenter: Kenton Lobe
ABSTRACT: The importance of diversity, with respect to both livelihood strategies and resource management institutions, is apparent in the small-scale inland fishery of the backwaters of Kerala, India. It is clear that in this system, exogenous changes, particularly the increased export orientation of fisheries in the 1970s and the change in access rights to fishing grounds, have had a dramatic impact on the livelihood strategies of smallscale fishers. As a result of these changes, there has been increased fishing activity for export-oriented species and a corresponding decline in the diversity of traditional gears being used. The increased fishing pressure has given rise to institutional adaptations to assert traditional fishing rights over the gear and locations associated with those species with an increased value on the export market. The paper examines the historical context
of change in the fishery, focusing on livelihood adaptations and institutional responses to this change. - uoguelph.ca/~rsconf/papers.shtml

TITLE: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PARTICIPATORY AND DEMAND RESPONSIVE APPROACH TO RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND MANAGEMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Presenter: Frank Arku
ABSTRACT: Access to clean water remains a major challenge for the majority of people in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). As a consequence of lack of clean water thousands of people in LDCs, especially in the rural areas of sub-Sahara African countries die yearly from water-related diseases (Chauhan and Gopalakrishnan 1983; WHO 1999; Gleick 2001; WSCC 2001). Rural women, who are home managers in LDCs, also spend a lot of time, daily, collecting water for household uses (White et al. 1972; ITDG 1978; Atintola et al. 1980). The international development agencies and Non-governmental organization are making several attempts to provide these rural people with water. But one of the funding conditions in most countries is that the projects are to be based on a demand-responsive approach (DRA). The core principles of a DRA are: i) water, which was considered as social good in LDCs is to be considered as an economic good (Rall 1999; Oliveres1986) because it is assumes that people manage resources that they pay for more effectively; ii) women, home managers and main drawers of water for domestic use in LDCs, are to take part in the decision-making, because development efforts planned and implemented with male bias have succeeded in increasing women’s poverty (Vainio-Mattila 1996; Mosse 1993; World Bank 2002). Even though the idea with regards to the DRA towards rural water resource management looks good, socioeconomic conditions that prevail in most rural areas in sub-Sahara Africa (e.g. Ghana) make the application of the DRA difficult, if not impossible. For example how can people who are already poor contribute cash towards investment cost of a water project? Therefore, the aim of the paper is to discuss the socioeconomic problems that make the application of DRA difficult, and suggest a framework that combines local knowledge, empowerment and power sharing within the rural communities in sub-Saharan African countries, with particular reference to Ghana with a DRA for an effective management of rural water. - uoguelph.ca/~rsconf/papers.shtml

Some Observations on Rural Sociology and Its Prospects
R. J. Hildreth
ABSTRACT: Rural sociology developed largely in the land grant-USDA complex. The current status of rural sociology is briefly examined. The new agenda of rural sociologists probably will include such areas as sociology of agriculture, sociology of natural resources, and the sociology of development and economic change. The environment in which sociology will work on its new agenda, the land grant-USDA complex, is in disarray. The causes of the disarray are various academic chauvinisms. Chauvinism of philosophic orientation, disciplines, administrative structures, and academic excellence create the need for a new covenant for academe to serve society. Modest suggestions for rural sociology include providing a useful balance among problem-solving, subject matter analysis and disciplinary analysis as well as a balance between the emerging agenda and work in the traditional areas of emphasis. Also needed is a clear focus on problems and issues defined by the various elements of the political system for rural sociology to serve society. - ag.auburn.edu/srs/journal/toc/v3.html

Adoption of Irrigation Technology: The Effects of Personal, Structural, and Environmental Variables
Don E. Albrecht and Howard Ladewig
ABSTRACT: During the past decade, there has been a growing interest in expanding the list of factors affecting the adoption and diffusion of agricultural technology. It has been suggested that most previous research efforts have been insensitive to contextual variables and institutional constraints. the physical environment has been suggested as one contextual variable that has been largely ignored in past adoption-diffusion research. The present study tested for the relative effects of a site-specific indicator of the physical attributes and farm structural characteristics for the adoption of irrigation innovations in the Texas High Plains. The results revealed that saturated thickness is an important variable in understanding the adoption of the irrigation innovations considered. While a multivariate analysis revealed that farm size overall was the most important variable, the environmental factor was more important than traditional research variables selected for use in this study. It is concluded that the use of environmental variables does contribute to our knowledge of adoption of technology and should be included in studies of the diffusion of innovations. - ag.auburn.edu/srs/journal/toc/v3.html

Agrarian and Political Attitudes Among Small-Scale Farmers: A North Carolina Case Study
Michael D. Schulman and Regina Luginbuhl
ABSTRACT: This paper examines the agrarian and political attitudes of a sample of predominantly black, small-scale farmers from three North Carolina counties. Factor analysis identifies agrarian (agrarianism) and political-economic attitudes (socio-political powerlessness and stratification system illegitimacy). Regression analysis identifies the social bases of agrarianism and its relationship to socio-political powerlessness and stratification system illegitimacy. Agrarianism has a differential impact upon the legitimation of economic and political inequalities among this regionally specific segment of small farm strata. - ag.auburn.edu/srs/journal/toc/v3.html

Agricultural Service Firms: Organizational Characteristics and Linkages to Production Agriculture
Thomas A. Lyson
ABSTRACT: Using data from the 1978 Census of Agriculture and the 1978 Census of Agriculture Services, this paper examines some of the organizational characteristics of firms in seven agricultural service industry subgroups. Using the 48 contiguous states as units of analysis, an ecological analysis attempts to identify structure characteristics of farm systems that give rise to, and foster development of, off-farm agricultural service firms. Results show that considerable variation exists in the organizational and labor force characteristics across the seven industry subgroups. Other findings indicate that the spread of agricultural services in a state is positively associated with the proportion of farmland controlled by nonfamily corporations and with large-scale farming. Energy intensity and mechanization, on the other hand, are inversely correlated with the incursion of agricultural services in a state. Recommendations for future avenues of research in this area are offered. - ag.auburn.edu/srs/journal/toc/v3.html

Satisfaction Among Ecological Management Workers
Theodore D. Fuller and Donald J. Shoemaker
ABSTRACT: This paper explores levels and correlates of job satisfaction for a series of occupations concerned with ecological management in Virginia. To enhance job satisfaction, a careful balance must be maintained between organizational requirements and individual needs. Fortunately, organizational factors over which the manager can exert considerable control (specially, dimensions of bureaucratization) are more consistently related to job satisfaction than are individual factors (extent of job training, evaluation of job training, education, and job tenure). - ag.auburn.edu/srs/journal/toc/v3.html

Community Development in Rural America: Sociological Issues in National Policy
Kenneth P. Wilkinson
ABSTRACT: Definitions of the concepts of rural, community, and development suggest problems for a policy of rural community development. An effective policy must address two barriers to development of community among residents of rural areas: 1) deficits in access to resources for meeting common needs and 2) severe inequalities in access to resources that are available. Rurality encourages community development when these barriers are low. The aim of policy should be to attack rural barriers while cultivating rural potentials for community development. - ag.auburn.edu/srs/journal/toc/v3.html

A CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH ON CONSUMERS ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS TOWARDS ORGANIC AND LOCAL FOODS - Lucie Sirieix, ENSA, Montpellier, France - Burkhard Schaer, TU Muenchen, Germany - Abstract - The aims of this study are first to compare the image of organic agriculture in two regions of France and Germany, and second, to know if attitudes and behaviors towards organic products and respondents’ origin influence attitudes towards local products and organic local products. Significant differences appear between the two regions. - marketing.byu.edu/htmlpages/ccrs/proceedings99/sirieixschaer.htm

Fear of Food - Mad cow malady causing French to change eating habits - ''Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are,'' goes the adage penned by famed gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who aptly took the pulse of his countrymen 175 years ago. Food, with its symphony of flavors, textures and smells, has long defined France, where eating is something of a carnal pleasure. But that last bite of blood-red steak or that final forkful of steak tartare is going down less easily of late. - staugustine.com/stories/112600/wor_1126000040.shtml