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Copyright of Politai. Revista de Ciencia Política is the property of Asociacion Civil Politai and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A comprehensive understanding of the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is essential for rural governance in developing countries. Prior publications have argued that land fragmentation impedes the sustainable development of agricultural economies and rural societies, while the connection between humans and nature has not been considered comprehensively. Therefore, the conclusion that the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is purely negative may be one-sided. To examine this conclusion, this paper re-evaluates the relationship between land fragmentation and rural collective action from a multidisciplinary perspective. Based on a rural field survey using stratified random sampling, Oprobit regression was employed to conduct an econometric analysis on data from 798 rural households across 14 cities in the border region of Guangxi, China. The following research findings were obtained: (1) When the human–nature connection is considered, the relationship between land fragmentation and collective action follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Specifically, moderate initial increases in land fragmentation can lead to improvements in collective action; however, when the degree of land fragmentation exceeds a certain threshold, further increases in land fragmentation will decrease the collective action capacity. (2) This nonlinear relationship between land fragmentation and collective action may be realized through three pathways: agricultural production, land use patterns, and the ecological environment. Under the context of collective action, this study shows that a moderate level of land fragmentation objectively exists in reality. This insight provides a new impetus for developing countries to shift policy perspectives to increase their land use efficiency. Additionally, this paper integrates relevant findings from both social sciences and natural sciences. Thereby, it not only expands the existing understanding of key factors influencing rural household collective action but also emphasizes the potential for cross-disciplinary integration between social sciences and natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural house is a fundamental component of rural settlements, and understanding its construction and development characteristics is crucial for rural land use and development planning. This paper focuses on the spatiotemporal characteristics and influencing factors of Rural Houses Construction Development (RHCD) from 1980 to 2019 with a case study of Qingyuan Town in China. Based on the literature review and filed research, a set of evaluation indicators for RHCD was established. The article calculates RHCD indicators from temporal and spatial dimensions, uses the location entropy method to demonstrate the spatial distribution of indicators, and classifies the RHCD type of 14 villages in Qingyuan Town using clustering algorithms. It also analyzes the influencing factors of spatiotemporal distribution. The results show that the RHCD in Qingyuan Town exhibits typical characteristics of mountainous areas and aligns with the development trends of rural society in China. Population growth, geographical location, and economic development are the primary driving factors for the quantity indicator (Qi), while economic growth, construction technology, industrial development, and policy adjustments are the key factors influencing the form indicator (Fi). In future policy-making, greater emphasis should be placed on optimizing development strategies, improving data and monitoring systems, and integrating administrative strength with actual development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the formation in Italy of a school system focused on the training of technical and managerial personnel in the agricultural sector. Drawing on a rich literature on the relationship between school training, social change, and economic modernisation, this study details an under-researched aspect of the formation of the national state. Italy constitutes an exemplary case study as for the reforming action of public institutions in the field of education as well as the modernising policies that concerned the rural sector of the country before the First World War. Schools of agriculture in Italy became a means of social advancement not only for a wide sector of rural society but also for the children of the artisan and commercial bourgeoisie of small urban centres. This study thereby makes a novel contribution to the ongoing debate on the development of agriculture-related professions in Italy between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-enclosure charity lands in the period before the establishment of the charity commission in 1818 pose some fundamental questions. The amount and types of payment that recipients received, how they shifted over the period, and how the spectrum of relief adjusted to the massive macro-level changes – particularly the improvement in poor labourers' standards of living that occurred between c.1660 and c.1760 – are all of interest. By focusing on a dataset derived from an account book for a charity in Mere (Wiltshire) between 1656 and 1739, this paper reveals how the parish authorities coped with the developing economic polarities in rural society and made changes over time in the size and significance of the doles made from the funds arising from the charity lands, indicating the inextricably mixed nature of welfare – the balance between the different financial resources available both from formal relief and parish charities – in this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of gender equality is increasingly being raised today and is present at all levels of society. The topicality of the issue on farms is particularly evident, due to the particular inheritance processes on farms, the clear division of labour, and intergenerational cooperation that characterise the agricultural sector. In this research, a multi-criteria model (DEX-SOCIAL) was developed to understand the broader aspect of rural sociology and the issue of women's status on the farm. The paper discusses the status of women on a farm and assesses their social and economic situation. The methodology includes an online questionnaire in which women in the Eastern and Western Cohesion Regions participated, as well as other farm members and owners. Subsequently, the questions were transformed for the requirements of the assessment model, which assessed the life prospects of women on farms in both the Eastern and Western Cohesion Regions who were aged both over and under 40 years (criteria for "young successor"). The results of the study show that there is a clear difference in the qualitative assessment of women's socio-economic position in relation to the East–West cohesion region. The social position of women does not differ according to age structure. The conclusions of the study also present broader applications of the results in the field of rural development and rural sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This theme section editorial introduction presents a collection of papers brought together under the heading Rural transformations, rural futures. The papers are elaborations of work presented at a European Society for Rural Sociology 'satellite event' entitled Transitioning Rural Futures. Contributions to the theme section add to the emerging corpus of work that examines potentially transformative immediate and medium-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural areas, and also speak to other 'grand challenges' likely to transform rural places and shape rural futures: specifically, resilience, digitalisation, wellbeing, socio-economic inequalities, shifting rural policy landscapes and impacts of transnational economic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Degree Corrected Stochastic Block Model (DCSBM) is a probabilistic model for random networks with community structure in which vertices of the same community are allowed to have distinct degree distributions. On the modeling side, this property makes the DCSBM more suitable for real-life complex networks. On the statistical side, it is more challenging due to a large number of parameters. In this paper, we prove that the penalized marginal likelihood estimator, when assuming prior distributions for the parameters, is strongly consistent for estimating the number of communities. We consider dense or semi-sparse random networks, and our estimator is unbounded, in the sense that the number of communities k considered can be as big as n, the number of nodes in the network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of land was central to livelihoods in the villages of the Horthy era. The majority of Hungary's agricultural land is under the cultivation of large estates and manors, while the majority of the village population owns small, fragmented estates. Thus, they are dependent on large estates and the natural environment for their supplementary livelihoods, to varying degrees and in different forms. In this paper, after a national overview, I present examples from two settlements to illustrate the rural livelihoods of the period, along which options and strategies are outlined - without claiming completeness. My sources include local historical works, official statistics, periodical press publications, and studies on the social history of the era. The first settlement is Tiszaigar from Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, which is basically an agrarian proletarian settlement, most of its land is owned by large estates, the population is highly vulnerable to the surrounding large estates. The other settlement, Dudar's location in Veszprém County offers several opportunities for additional livelihoods: the mountainous environment and the proximity of forests provide the population with the possibility of multiple livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the development and use of a Blueprint for Rural Mathematics (herein referred to as the Blueprint) in a study of middle-primary mathematics teaching. The study presented a counter-narrative to the deficit discourse around rural education outcomes through an emic perspective of middle-primary mathematics on the Yorke Peninsula, a rural district in southern Australia. This study defined 'rural' as a sociological and geographical phenomenon. It takes a sociological stance acknowledging the situatedness of the rural and the social and cultural uniqueness of the people and their communities. Geographically, the rural locations in this study were those distanced from, and outside the commuting zone of, large urban areas and major cities. This study claimed that rural schools of Yorke Peninsula are unresearched, undertheorised and underestimated in their teaching of mathematics. Hence, very little was known about the experiences of the Yorke Peninsula teachers or the pedagogical practices they employed in their mathematics teaching. Yorke Peninsula people have an identity of deficit imposed on them with no opportunity to negotiate it. In understanding and addressing the accuracy of this pervasive negative framing, this study investigated Yorke Peninsula teachers of mathematics. It concluded that the rural social space, the identity of its members, and teacher pedagogy are essential considerations in mathematics teaching. The Blueprint provides a framework to explore these key components of rural education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change is a significant contributor to global environmental change. The expansion of urban areas has increasingly impacted rural ecological environments, in particular the shift from agro-ecosystems to urban ecosystems, leading to alterations in land use patterns. Rural land use has led to economic, social, and environmental problems, including poor economic efficiency, emissions of pollutants, and increased environmental crises. The research of alterations in rural land use and their consequential environmental ramifications has garnered escalating attention, evolving into an indispensable subject of inquiry within pertinent academic disciplines. This study aims to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts of rural land use change. We examined 1237 literature sources through the Web of Science database and conducted a bibliometric analysis utilizing the Bibliometrix tool. Secondly, based on the results of bibliometric analysis, we conducted a review study on the impact of rural land use changes on the ecological environment, clarified the current research status in this field, and looked forward to future research directions. The study's findings indicate that there has been a steady rise in publication volume from 1982 to 2023 and a significant potential for growth. The top three journals by publication volume are Sustainability, Land Use Policy, and Land. (2) A total of 4768 scholars from 95 countries or regions have contributed publications in this domain, notably led by researchers and institutions predominantly based in China. Developed nations, exemplified by the U.S., exhibit a notable citation frequency and robust research prowess within this field. (3) Land use, urbanization, China, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and remote sensing emerge as keywords of elevated frequency within the field, indicative of the scholarly emphasis on these subjects. (4) Studies in this domain are directed towards evaluating the effects on intrinsic components of the environment, including but not limited to soil quality, atmospheric conditions, water resources, and biodiversity. The implementation of sustainable rural land use strategies is essential for the realization of rural development and environmental protection. In future research efforts, the use of remote sensing technology holds immense potential as a robust technical tool for investigating both land use change and rural ecology, offering viable strategies for addressing environmental challenges in specific, localized regions. The results of this study can assist in comprehending the current state and direction of research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network-based rural development approaches, rooted in neo-endogenous or nexogenous models and aiming to mobilise the development potential of local assets and address local needs by connecting to broader external actor-networks, have been emphasised in rural development policies worldwide. Since the introduction of its National Rural Revitalisation Strategy in 2017, China has adopted more policies, and advanced more programmes, with networked features, which seek to involve local communities and non-governmental extra-local actors in the implementation of rural policy. The 'reaching in' state has a key role to play in the Chinese networked approach, which drives technocratic remedial programmes in response to rural marginalisation, and which seeks to generate new surplus value from supported local economies. This paper introduces the concept of neo-exogenous development (NED), distinguishing this emergent Chinese hybrid development paradigm from its European-Western counterparts. The 'reaching out' of communities in Europe is frequently a response to weakening state intervention, with connections made to non-state actors and networks. However, China's NED approach is characterised by a 'reaching in' active party-state and 'conducted' (or activated) communities , which are inter-connected by 'semi-formal party organisations.' To date, few research studies have explored the specific governance structure of China's NED practices and its dynamics, or sought to situate these in a broader international context of rural development paradigms. This gap in extant research impedes the transfer of knowledge on networked approaches across international rural contexts. This article reports on research investigating the implementation process of a Modern Agriculture Zone (MAZ) programme in Sichuan, a marginalised region of China. That research drew on semi-structured interviews with key actors from county and town governments, the MAZ Management Committee, local community and collective enterprises, and extra-local enterprises. It aims to unveil the distinctive local-state dynamics of NED practice, to show how the active party-state has provoked the reconfiguration of social relations and produced activated communities. • The paper introduces the concept of neo-exogenous development (NED), which is presented as an emergent rural development model. • From the imperial, to the Maoist, and to the modern period, China's rural development has been shaped by the state's desire to effectively integrate and govern an otherwise 'discrete' rural society. • Rooted in a semi-formal and clientelist rural governance tradition, NED combines exogenous 'reaching-in' state interventions with an array of steered endogenous features. • NED connects an active party-state with activated communities via semi-formal rural party networks. • Three drawbacks of NED are underscored: dependency on political recognition and impetus, reliance on public finance, elite capture of benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the reproduction of rural elites and the role of volunteering and participation in rural civil society institutions. Set in the context of popular discourses of the gentleman farmer and the agricultural elite as historic (as opposed to contemporary) leaders in the countryside, this research extends longstanding debates on rural class politics and gentrification, and resonates with a renewed sociological interest in the elites in society. Focusing on senior volunteer roles in the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS), we explore the connections between social and cultural capital, the maintenance of moral boundaries, and the relationship of these processes with recruitment at the committee level. Our findings indicate that systems of patronage remain significant in rural contexts, and that these systems interrelate with professional and business fields, and with embedded social and intergenerational networks. Data depicts an organisation that is looking to balance the sustained benefits to organisational capacity brought through longstanding obligations of public service, duty, and family ties, with an acknowledged need to recognize diversity and foster inclusivity. This requirement, however, is largely articulated and confined to considerations of gender, age and to a lesser extent, multiculturalism. • This paper pulls together debates in rural studies concerning discourses of power and the production of rural elites, symbolic components of class politics, and the role of 'elite volunteering' in civil society institutions. • We present an in-depth empirical case study of the Royal Welsh Show and explore the reproduction of patronage and positions of authority in this established Welsh rural institution. • We discuss the shifting leadership profile of the show and the organisation's role in embodying and facilitating civic exclusion and expansion in rural space, inclusive of attitudes towards equality, diversity and associated institutional restructuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of urbanisation and rural decline in the world, reverse entrepreneurship plays a vital role in facilitating the reverse flow of various resources for rural revitalisation. However, little is known about the process of community transformation in the Global South, referring to community participation and reconstruction of social relations, both internally and externally, for community development. This paper attempts to fill this gap by focusing on how reverse (return and/or immigration from urban areas) entrepreneurs work with the host community and stakeholders (government, investors, companies and other supporters) to develop a shared vision and collective identity. We pay special attention to how reverse entrepreneurs identify critical resources and innovation opportunities for community participation and facilitate effective communication and cooperation between community and stakeholders to develop common interests and long term cooperation. Based upon the analysis of 12 micronarratives of grassroots innovators collected along the Yellow River of China, this paper contributes to rural revitalisation debates by presenting a conceptual model, "resource-vision-identity" to illustrate the process of community transformation facilitated by reverse entrepreneurship. This paper extends our knowledge of reverse entrepreneurship by highlighting the importance of shared vision and collective identity as key outcomes of community transformation. Learning the lessons from rural revitalisation practices in China and other countries, the concept of community transformation emphasises the participation and contribution from smallholder farmers to co-development of vision and identity. Directions for further research and policy implications are provided. • A dimension of community transformation for farmers' participation. • A framework of "resource-vision-identity" for rural revitalisation debates. • Shared vision and collective identity for reverse entrepreneurship research and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-holder agriculture and rural societies are often presented as declining and deteriorating contexts in media as well as national and international policies. The solutions aimed at addressing this decline often is framed in terms of external (market and policy) interventions while simultaneously presenting agrarian-rural societies as static and impoverished. This essentialist view of agrarian-rural societies is based on a modernist knowledge politics that functions by creating asymmetries of power through the practices of definitions and categorizations of understanding and engaging with the world. Binary oppositional categories, such as the rural and the urban, knowledge and experience, and nature and culture, is one route through which this knowledge politics unfolds. Rather than providing sustainable solutions, approaches based on these binaries have often exacerbated the vulnerabilities and challenges of agrarian-rural societies in terms of resource depletion, loss of biodiversity and livelihoods, deterioration of social ties, and challenges to food, nutrition, and health. In this paper, we present a comparative study of two Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from India and Spain, which are engaged in the constructive practices of building relational connections across these binaries in order to re-envision agrarian-rural societies beyond modernist knowledge politics. Additionally, the paper brings together the cases from India and Spain to reflect on the binary of global south and north to build relationality and solidarity. • Agrarian-rural societies are often presented as declining and deteriorating in media and policies. • This is based on a modernist knowledge politics that functions by creating power asymmetries through binaries (such as urban and rural). • We study two CSOs engaged in practices that build relationality, interdependence, and care across modernist binaries. • The cases from India and Spain enable reflection on the political South-North binary and the possibility of building global solidarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restructuring rural spaces brings about essential changes in the everyday lives of rural societies. Rural restructuring shapes and alters the image, identity, and, ultimately, the content and physical environment of the countryside. The trajectories of change vary widely, although the globalisation of rurality severely challenges some parts of rural areas, too. Peripheries, deprived, and remote settlements suffer from the effects and processes of restructuring, and their spatial representation also changes. In Central and Eastern European rural areas, the globalisation of the countryside started right after the political transition, in which these areas were left with a declining population, a collapsed economy, and inadequate infrastructure. In many cases, these disadvantaged settlements could not cope with the challenges of a market-based economy; furthermore, their geographical location and inability to join the labour market created disconnected spaces with low spatial and social mobility. As a result of such a vicious circle, residents in these areas experienced the destruction of local societies and a deteriorating physical environment, supplemented by an ageing population, and because of all these consequences, different spatial representations emerged in and about rurality. This paper focuses on a disadvantaged, isolated rural area in Hungary, the Baranyai-Hegyhát micro-region. We assume that the changing nature of such rural areas affects local inhabitants' spatial imagination and representation. We surveyed to define values of spatial representation and social status, among other variables. In the evaluation, we compared survey indices and attempted to ascertain the types of spatial representation, social status, and their connections in the research area. As a main result, we found that spatial representations do not depend on spatial position but are strongly associated with social backgrounds. • Processes of marginalisation can lead to perforation of rural settlement networks. • Spatial representation in a deprived, isolated area is not necessarily negative. • Low social status does not lead to negative representations of space. • Negative spatial representation is always compared with lower social status. • Settlements with low social status and low levels of representation are perforated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anthropology Southern Africa (2332-3256) is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

LEADER development programs have a primary objective of enhancing the quality of life. However, their evaluation has been limited due to the extensive time required for analysis. This report investigates the contribution of the LEADER approach to improving the quality of life through a thirty-year case study in the Alcarria Conquense region of Spain (1991-2021). Funding for projects focused on rural heritage, infrastructure, and essential services has played a pivotal role in creating conditions for a prosperous life in the region. Nonetheless, limitations have emerged, including deepening territorial imbalances, a heavy reliance on local government entities, and potential drawbacks to the innovation and management capacity of other economic and social actors. While LEADER offer a valuable tool for policymakers seeking to enhance rural communities' quality of life, further analysis is necessary to refine their implementation and maximize their overall impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In rural China, the aging population faces unique challenges that affect their life satisfaction. These challenges are compounded by disparities in access to resources compared to urban areas, making it crucial to address these issues to ensure a dignified and fulfilling later life. Understanding and improving life satisfaction for this demographic is essential, not only for the well-being of the elderly but also for the overall social stability and economic sustainability of these communities. Using a rural sample from the Chinese Social Survey (CSS), this study investigates the interplay between social quality factors and life satisfaction among older adults in rural China. It focuses on the roles of socioeconomic security, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social empowerment in shaping the well-being of this demographic. It was found that the four conditional factors of social quality—socioeconomic security, social cohesion, social inclusion, and social empowerment—have different influences on life satisfaction among older adults in rural areas. The statistical model shows that the influence of absolute family income on social and economic security does not have statistical significance. In contrast, housing, pension insurance participation, and public safety perception positively affect life satisfaction among older adults in rural areas. Among the social cohesion factors, higher social morality, legal system evaluation, social identity, grassroots government, and interpersonal trust contribute to the life satisfaction of older adults in rural areas. Regarding social inclusion factors, good social tolerance, social equity, and perception of government public services can significantly improve life satisfaction among older adults in rural areas. For social empowerment factors, social participation helps expand the social support network of older adults in rural areas, enhancing their life satisfaction. Paths to improving the quality of rural society should be explored to improve relative poverty in rural areas. They should continue to be pursued to strengthen the old-age security system for older adults in rural areas. Further, the National Medium- and Long-Term Plan for Actively Responding to Population Aging should be the base for forming an elderly-friendly society. A good atmosphere promotes the participation of people, families, and society; supports social cohesion; enhances inclusion; and promotes social participation, improving life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use new survey data from 1,203 households in rural Eastern India to estimate cross-sectional models of overall energy use and embedded emissions. Findings indicate that the primary driver of household energy use is household size and affluence. This is unsurprising and consistent with findings from the engineering literature on energy demand. However, there is also a substantial and significant moderating influence of skills on energy use. For emissions, we observe a bifurcated relationship in line with educational attainment. For those that have completed secondary education or more, skills are negatively associated with energy use and emissions, whereas for those with lesser qualifications more skills are associated with more energy use and emissions. The results are consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve, which implies that a critical level of affluence is required before environmental impacts start lessening. The results also echo a sociological critique of human capital theory − that individual abilities are not productive in and of themselves, but rather in relation to socially determined opportunity structures. Our findings show that this could also hold for greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies reported that the implementation of local budgeting in the context of fiscal decentralization policy had no significant contribution in increasing rural community welfare. This study therefore evaluated the local budgeting policy implemented in Indonesia through Village Fund (VF) policy as well as examining the mediating role of local community empowerment. This investigation used crossectional data from 399 respondents from villages in Indonesia. The measures used in this study involved villagers' perception about policy and implementation of village fund, the success of rural welfare and local community empowerment. PLS-SEM was used to test the hyphoteses. The result of this study evidences that perceived of VF usage measured by perceived infrastructure development and perceived basic social services, except for perceived VF usage in rural economic development, have less significant impact on rural community welfare. Moreover, perceived involvement of community empowerment has minimum contribution on perceived rural community welfare. This study provides an understanding of paradox existing in the perceived role of local community empowerment in mediating the effect of local finance budgeting on rural welfare which is still rarely studied particularly in developing countries like Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A central premise of the first demographic transition theory is that demographic change would occur more slowly in rural than urban areas. Few studies, however, have investigated whether rural areas remain holdouts during the second demographic transition. To address this gap, this study (1) examines trends among rural and urban families in Canada and the United States over a 30-year period and (2) determines whether compositional differences in demographic, socioeconomic, and religious factors explain current differences between rural and urban families. We find that rural Canadian women continue to have, on average, 0.6 more children than urban women. However, rural families do not trail behind urban families on any other indicator of family change. In fact, rural women in both countries are now significantly more likely to cohabit and roughly 10 percentage points more likely to have children outside of marriage than urban women. These differences are largely explained by lower levels of education and income among rural American women and fewer immigrants in rural Canada. Examining family change through a rural–urban lens fills important empirical gaps and yields novel insights into current debates on the fundamental causes of ongoing family change in high-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mundo Agrario is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The excavation at Aderet, located south of Ha-Ella Valley, revealed a farmhouse with an olive-oil press, which operated under the administrative control of Idumea during the Hellenistic period. Based on the numismatic evidence and the pottery assemblage, the Aderet farmhouse was dated to the second half of the third century BCE, possibly extending into the beginning of the second century BCE. The firmly dated regional ceramic assemblage of the third century BCE expands our knowledge of Hellenistic rural society. The chronology of the Aderet farmhouse is considered in light of Yogev's suggestion to identify a late Iron Age occupation phase at the site based on its architectural plan and the presence of large quantities of Iron Age pottery. Also, the dating and typology of the oil press uncovered at the site are discussed in detail below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural transition and specialization in PUAs have reshaped the ecological landscape, economic structure, and rural cultural values worldwide. There is a gap in how to analyze the linkages of ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being (HWB) and how to clearly identify the differences on the dimension (primary concerns) of HWB from a comprehensive perspective. Thus, we selected three typical agricultural transformation modes in the Xi'an metropolitan zone in China, employing social surveys, field mapping, ecosystem service assessment methods, and qualitative analysis methods, and proposed an analytical framework from a comprehensive perspective of "ecological-social-cultural" contexts to examine the changes and mechanism between ES and HWB. The results indicated the following: (1) Agricultural transition has driven the changes not only in ecological landscape, agricultural structure planting and practice modes, and rural economic structure, but also the shift in rural social relationships and cultural values together restructured rural society during agricultural specialization. (2) Due to triggering by the agricultural transition and specialization, great changes occurred in "ecological-social-cultural" contexts in PUAs, the changes of HWB not only reflected in its degree (level), but more importantly, in its dimension (primary concerns). (3) With agricultural transition and specialization, the total value of ES increased, while the HWB rose in three transition modes. (4) The analytical frameworks proposed in the study are suitable to analyze the mechanisms of ES and HWB, and helpful to address the issues on the relation of ES to HWB inevitably being combined with the nature–land system. The approach proposed in the study on distinguishing the differences among the dimensions of well-being based on grounded theory could clearly identify the differences among different "ecological- social-cultural" contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread male out-migration presents major challenges to the sustainability of existing collective irrigation systems. However, the effects of socio-spatial changes on collective resource governance systems remain unknown. This paper addresses this gap by building a synthesis of translocality and Feminist Political Ecology (FPE). Translocality examines the socio-spatial interconnectedness of rural societies in the context of out-migration. FPE explores how changing gender and social relations shape resource governance. A translocal Feminist Political Ecology framework (tFPE) contextualizes resource governance within translocal social flows, and captures (i) translocal resource governance, (ii) translocal social relations, and (iii) translocal aspirations. Drawing from qualitative interviews and participatory methods on two farmer-managed irrigation systems in Far Western Nepal, I illustrate the complexity, intersectionality and ambiguity of translocal social relations in collective resource governance. Translocal resource governance is shaped by changing household and labor relations marked by remittances, and translocal flows of social and human resources, ideas and knowledge, e.g. migrants' advice via phone on when and how to irrigate. Translocal social relations entail marginalized groups, i.e., women and elderly people, providing increased labor contributions and possibly receiving migrants' support in the form of advice and networks. However, authority and power relations are sustained in resource governance by mostly upper caste men. Translocal aspirations to the home village by both migrants and non-migrants is ambivalent and leads them to hope for frequent visits home, while aspirations and shame turn them away from agriculture towards earning higher incomes through migration. The tFPE framework emphasizes important but understudied translocal social relations and aspirations in collective resource governance, water, irrigation and migration research. By linking translocality and FPE, I show how translocal resource governance, social relations and aspirations change everyday practices and gender, caste and labor relations in irrigation, and how we may understand the water-migration nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Century, there has been tremendous development in applying the principles of engineering for the well-being of society because of advancements made in science, innovation, and technology. Science and innovation are helping us to answer for the upliftment of society. Engineering students of our institution undertook a 6-month-long project and addressed the issues faced by people from marginalized economic backgrounds. The study included farmers, women, and diabetic patients. The students conducted a review of this population by undertaking a survey. The students developed low-cost and easily affordable products developed from Termite mounds such as biofertilizers, biocontrol, mosquito repellant, and natural face cream. Due to the introduction of this Project course into the curriculum of the university, there has been tremendous improvement in the livelihood of the study population. The products developed by the students were provided to the study population and it has shown improvement in the daily life of the study population. The initiatives taken by the students and their faculty mentors have helped to improve the factors in the fields of agriculture, health, and the environment. Thus, this project course can be applied by every engineering institution for the assistance of low-income clusters of rural societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Hamar Lawbook, a national law book issued in 1274, which contained general rules valid throughout Norway and special compilations for specific legal contexts. It explores the use and preservation of Christian laws in medieval Norway, comparing King Magnus's Christian law to older Christian laws. The article examines the manuscript tradition of these laws and their circulation in different regions of Norway. It also discusses the material aspects of a specific lawbook, Ms. 4° 317, used at the Church of Hamar, and its complex history. The text concludes by discussing the vernacular laws of the Church of Hamar and their connections to international legal culture. [Extracted from the article]

Prof. Sajogyo is one of the founders of rural sociology in Indonesia. He concerned himself very intensely with the problems of rural communities, especially rural poverty. In observing the current phenomenon of coastal communities, which are still highly characterized by poverty and social conflict, retracing Prof. Sajogyo's conception on rural development becomes very important and pertinent. This article was written using a literature review method by exploring the thoughts of Prof. Sajogyo from his writings and from several other relevant writers. The aim of this study is to trace the Sajogyo development paradigm which is relevant to the development of coastal areas in Indonesia. This study shows that "The Sajogyo development paradigm" can be summarized to "equal and civilized welfare". This means, in terms of content, for Prof. Sajogyo, development means increasing welfare or prosperity (growth dimension), especially for the lower class, the weak, and of course, the poor (equality dimension). Meanwhile, from the aspect of process, various efforts to improve welfare must be carried out in a civilized manner, namely by upholding dialogue, participation, capability, sovereignty, independence, and dignity of the poor and the weak. Thus, the Sajogyo development paradigm is conflict-sensitive and guarantees human security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]