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From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 February 2023) | Viewed by 13711

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maura Farrell

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Guest Editor

Discipline of Geography, School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, H91 TX33 Galway, Ireland
Interests: agricultural change; rural development

Dr. Aisling Murtagh

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Guest Editor

Discipline of Geography, School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, H91 TX33 Galway, Ireland
Interests: rural development

Prof. Dr. Willem K. Korthals Altes

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Guest Editor

Professor of Land Development, TU Delft, Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: urban planning; land development; land policy; land-policy instruments; planning; relation between single market and land development

Dr. Tuomas Kuhmonen

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Guest Editor

Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku | UTU, Turku, Finland
Interests: economic development; Strategic Analysis; strategic thinking; Rural development; food security; impact assessment; rural economics; Rural studies; agricultural policy; food systems; entrepreneurship

Dr. Marie Mahon

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Guest Editor

Discipline of Geography, School of Geography, Archaeology and Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, H91 TX33 Galway, Ireland
Interests: urban-rural change and development and on more specific processes of change in rural communities

Dr. John McDonagh

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Guest Editor

School of Geography, Archaeology, and Irish Studies, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
Interests: agriculture; small-scale farming; succession; multifunctional countryside
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Generational renewal relates to the levels of young people living and working in farming and rural areas. It is a key part of the regeneration challenge facing European rural areas and farms in overcoming rural decline. Decline issues directly linked to generational renewal include population decline, the ageing farming profession, and rural youth outmigration. Generational renewal is a core factor in the future social and economic sustainability of rural areas. For generational renewal, rural places, their services, and amenities, as well as the livelihood opportunities, must serve rural youth so they stay in or migrate back to rural areas. Farm viability and the attractiveness of the occupation are key issues, as well as access to land, particularly for new entrants. Levels of farm succession also bring wider issues such as the ease of farm transferability, the need for greater succession planning, and the social, economic, and cultural factors linked to retiring from farming. Wider rural decline problems also impact generational renewal, such as the quality and quantity of rural jobs, declining rural services, erosion of social capital, and gender inequality. These issues vary in different contexts, and the specific nature and extent of the generational renewal problem across Europe differs and is a matter for determination in national contexts (Coopmans et al., 2020; Dwyer et al., 2019). However, there is a clear need for a better understanding and examination of the key levers that can support improved rural generational renewal and regeneration, as well as the barriers inhibiting this process. These issues go beyond the CAP to areas such as planning and environmental policy, as well as existing at several governance levels from local, regional, national to European (Coopmans et al. 2020).

The papers in this Special Issue examine issues related to rural regeneration and generational renewal from this expanded perspective. They are based on research conducted as part of the Horizon 2020 RURALIZATION project. The project was examined how a process of ‘ruralisation’ can be created in rural areas where rural regeneration leads to generational renewal. This is a positive, reinforcing spiral of new rural opportunities. Ruralisation acts as a counterforce to urbanisation to promote development towards a new rural frontier where new generations have strong economic and social sustainability oppurtunities in rural areas. The papers here are concerned with better understanding the key levers and potential new policy instruments to support rural generational renewal and regeneration. The collection of papers engages in different ways with a range of levers from the individual to collective levels, as well as cutting across these, such as:

How specific actors in rural society, such as new entrants to farming or newcomers to rural areas, can provide a source of rural revival. This could be through, for example, cultural or farm-based innovations, resulting in improved opportunities for social and economic sustainability in rural areas.
Collective level responses emerging from civil society and community as a source of innovation, stepping in where policy and markets fail to provide solutions. Moreover, initiatives that bring together public and civic actors in innovative approaches to rural policy and governance.
New models of organising, such as collaborative farming and consumer–producer communities.
Novel methods to gain insight on the shape of future policy drawing on the importance of using foresight studies to shape rural policy, as well as giving youth a greater voice in the policy process.

References

Coopmans, I., Dessein, J., Accatino, F., Antonioli, F., Gavrilescu, C., Gradziuk, P., Manevska-Tasevska, G., Meuwissen, M., Peneva, M., Soriano, B., Urquhart, J., Wauters, E., 2020. Policy directions to support generational renewal in European farming systems. EuroChoices, (19), p.30–35.

Dwyer, J., Micha, E., Kubinakova, K., van Bunnen, P., Schuh, B., Maucorps, A., Mantino, F. 2019. Evaluation of the impact of the CAP on generational renewal, local development and jobs in rural areas. Technical Report, European Commission. Retrieved from http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/7547/

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Maura Farrell
Dr. Aisling Murtagh
Prof. Dr. Willem K. Korthals Altes
Dr. Tuomas Kuhmonen
Dr. Marie Mahon
Dr. John McDonagh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Future Dreams of Ireland’s Youth: Possibilities for Rural Regeneration and Generational Renewal

by Aisling Murtagh, Maura Farrell, Tuomas Kuhmonen, Louise Weir and Marie Mahon

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9528; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129528 - 14 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1125

Abstract

The renewal of younger generations in farming and rural areas is a key European policy concern and rural sustainability issue. European literature discusses what drives young people from rural areas while identifying diverse and often interlinked factors as responsible. This study uses a future foresight approach to understand what would facilitate young people to remain in or return to rural areas. Targeting youth aged 18 to 30 and examining their personal dream futures in 2035, this paper presents the ideal lifestyle and livelihoods young people envision for themselves in rural Ireland. However, future approaches to alleviate rural decline, support regeneration, and the wider issue of generational renewal must consider the wider impact on rural sustainability. Generational renewal is just one challenging part of rural decline, including wider social, environmental, economic, and cultural issues. Driven by this wider concern, this paper also explores the implications of the youth’s future dreams for rural regeneration and generational renewal from a broad rural resilience perspective. The results identify a range of issues. However, rural jobs emerge as a key issue, and the paper outlines how policy attention is particularly needed here for improved resilient rural regeneration and generational renewal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

16 pages, 5572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Promoting Rural Regeneration and Sustainable Farming near Cities Thanks to Facilitating Operators in France? The Case of the Versailles Plain’s Association Governance Model

by Camille Robert-Boeuf

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7219; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097219 - 26 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1560

Abstract

Food and agricultural systems in rural areas close to cities have been the subject of much academic research, revealing difficulties due to the proximity of cities, land pressure, and complex governance between cities and rural areas. This article aims to analyze the case study of the Versailles Plain Association (VPA), which proposes an original form of facilitation that contributes to the effectiveness of territorial governance in a rural area close to Paris. It is based on a qualitative method, gathering 52 interviews and heritage audits that were carried out in the framework of the European project H2020 Ruralization. The analysis shows that the VPA is a facilitating operator that brings together stakeholders from both the agricultural and urban worlds, allowing collective projects around a territorial identity. This territorial identity promotes agriculture and rural lifestyles, which become positive embodiments of local development. This facilitating operator thus offers an alternative to urbanization and produces forms of ruralization processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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20 pages, 2411 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reinventing a Rural Area: A Case Study into Cultural Festivals in Oldambt, The Netherlands

by Maarten C. J. Koreman

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6921; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086921 - 20 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1884

Abstract

The Oldambt area, in the northeast of the Netherlands, has recently suffered from depopulation and a negative image. However, four high-quality cultural festivals have been developed in or moved towards the area during the last decade. The festivals have different organisational models. This paper assesses how they contribute to rural regeneration through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders around the festivals and local youth. It adds to the existing literature by introducing the concept of rural regeneration, stemming from neo-endogenous rural development, into festival research and by conducting multiple case studies in one area. The paper investigates the festivals’ local legitimacy, rootedness, and ability to create interconnectedness. The findings suggest that the festivals are locally supported, use local resources, and benefit the area, notwithstanding their organisational model. The festivals also help to establish networks within and outside of Oldambt, and there is thus a positive effect on regeneration. The recent more positive developments in Oldambt may be related to the organisation of the festivals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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17 pages, 456 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Winding Pathways to Rural Regeneration: Exploring Challenges and Success Factors for Three Types of Rural Changemakers in the Context of Knowledge Transfer and Networks

by Krzysztof Janc, Sylwia Dołzbłasz, Andrzej Raczyk and Robert Skrzypczyński

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6612; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086612 - 13 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1682

Abstract

The regeneration of rural areas is a multifaceted process driven by a variety of actors operating in diverse contexts. Understanding specific barriers faced by these actors—as well as factors that contribute to the success of their initiatives—therefore seems to be a prerequisite for designing policies that can effectively support rural changemakers and thus promote rural regeneration. The goal of this exploratory paper is to identify key challenges and success factors for three types of rural changemakers—rural newcomers, new entrants into farming, and farming successors—based on empirical data gathered in three case studies conducted as part of the Horizon2020 project “RURALIZATION” in Poland in 2021. The results of the study show that one of the most important determinants of the success of rural changemakers’ activities is having adequate formal and informal knowledge. This is important in the context of knowledge transfer, interacting with and functioning in the local environment, and consequently laying the foundations for rural regeneration. Rural regeneration must be treated as a complex and long-term process that is strongly linked to the activation of knowledge transfer mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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17 pages, 1363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multifunctional and Agroecological Agriculture as Pathways of Generational Renewal in Italian Rural Areas

by Silvia Sivini and Annamaria Vitale

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5990; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075990 - 30 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1358

Abstract

Rural regeneration is a transformative process that can be based on multiple possible pathways that are not always clearly distinct and that can be combined or co-exist. We argue that regeneration can be understood as a new framework for socio-natural relations. This paper aims at demonstrating that the combination of agroecology and strong multifunctional agriculture play a central role in re-producing the conditions of socio-ecological wellbeing. The study uses data collected through a qualitative methodology. Two case studies were executed in two Southern Italian regions: the first on farm successors in Sicily and the second on new entrants to farming in Apulia. In total, 41 in depth-interviews, two focus groups, and two restitution meetings were conducted. Findings suggest that agroecology and strong multifunctionality are innovative approaches to farming, allowing new farmers to deal with social, environmental, and economic production challenges, spreading benefits to the rural areas where they operate. The conclusion highlights that policies need to be more effective to support these processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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13 pages, 1551 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small Municipalities Attracting Rural Newcomers and Fostering Local Cohesion: Innovative Approaches for Rural Regeneration in Italy

by Mauro Conti and Silvia Sivini

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5837; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075837 - 28 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1169

Abstract

The phenomenon of population decline—with all its associated economic, environmental and social consequences—characterizes many small rural municipalities. This study aims to discuss the role that small rural municipalities can have in addressing this phenomenon by promoting rural regeneration and attracting newcomers. The framework of the analysis is based on the neo-endogenous theories of rural development, which consider the interaction between endogenous and exogenous resources and forces. To analyse the role of small rural municipalities, this paper refers to the findings of a case study on the Italian rural village of Castel del Giudice and of the “confrontation” activities carried out in another village, Malito. The research suggests that a participatory process activated by a municipality can produce positive social and economic benefits for the local community. This process can enhance territorial cohesion, contribute to halting emigration, and favour the establishment of newcomers. Nevertheless, the research highlights that this approach requires adequate organizational knowledge, including political and administrative functionaries with appropriate skills who are also capable of experimenting with new modalities of fundraising. Moreover, it emerges that non-local resources and forces can support a solid participatory process focused on valorising local resources rather than having an extractive approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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17 pages, 1134 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What Can We Expect for the Development of Rural Areas in Europe?—Trends of the Last Decade and Their Opportunities for Rural Regeneration

by Florian Ahlmeyer and Kati Volgmann

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5485; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065485 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2326

Abstract

Rural areas in Europe have been undergoing structural change for years, resulting in strong functional differentiation and fragmentation into prosperous and structurally weak areas. Rural areas are as diverse as the challenges they face. Not only various megatrends but also social, economic, technological, ecological, and political trends influence and shape the development of rural areas. In order to understand the problems and causes of the current development of rural areas, this paper provides a differentiated trend analysis for rural areas at the European level. A content analysis of more than 70 EU-funded project reports on rural areas and rural development is carried out. The aim is to identify trends and their drivers over the last decade and to summarize opportunities and challenges for successful rural regeneration. These external and overarching trends, particularly in the context of a sustainable transition, renewable energies, the emergence of new technologies and growing awareness of environmental impacts, offer rural areas more opportunities than ever before. The interplay between external incentives (e.g., European Union policies) and endogenous regional development (e.g., local actors) is crucial for the successful exploitation of these opportunities for rural regeneration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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20 pages, 1200 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Access to Land: Markets, Policies and Initiatives

by Willem K. Korthals Altes

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5097; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065097 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1500

Abstract

Acquiring access to land is an important issue for new entrants into farming. Traditionally, the succession of farms is within the family; market transactions are geared towards the enlargement of running farms. Policies and institutions have been built to facilitate this process. Current challenges of climate change, resource scarcity, biodiversity and equity, as are analysed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the International Resource Panel (IRP), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reporting activities, make it so that there is a need to find alternatives for the current developments in farming, which is a process of up (scale enlargement) or out (stop farming). For these alternatives, new types of farmers who face the issue of access to land are needed. Based on FADN data and EUROSTAT data, current developments in the European farming sector were analysed to understand the impact of the process of modernisation on farmland markets and the complexities of access to land for new entrants. Whether these data may point to opportunities for alternative farming methods and the role of the direct payments of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy were analysed. Policies and consequences are discussed. It is concluded that, whereas alternative farming models are promoted at the level of policy aims, this is not performed at the policy guidance level of land markets. Alternatives outside traditional institutions face the issue of scaling up to create impact. The Common Agricultural Policy is, in many ways, more of an obstacle than it is a promoter of providing access to land for new farmers. New policies are needed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Rural Decline to Generational Renewal: Pathways towards a New Rural Frontier)

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