International Comparative Rural Policy Studies
by the editors 9/9/2013 “Global Food Security: Challenges for the Food and Agricultural System” from the OECD How do you get young people to be excited about becoming a farmer? (The Guardian) In the US, the number of farms operated by women is increasing, according to Public News Service. It is estimated that more than Read More …
by Eric Marr, 25/02/2013 On Friday, February 15 I had the opportunity to sit as a panellist at the 2013 Farmland Forum hosted by the Ontario Farmland Trust and the University of Guelph. The topic of the forum was “The Farm Economy & Rural Resilience: Coping with Climate Change & Rising Energy Prices” and brought Read More …
by Wayne Kelly, 21/01/2013 After a five year hiatus, I have started doing some work again in the area of rural youth, a critical issue for rural communities. One of the projects I am working on focuses on the importance of digital skills and the knowledge-based economy for rural youth. Economic development in rural Canada Read More …
by the editors 15/01/2013 Articles on food waste has been recurring in our Recently Read column. Latest news on this front is a new report that states that 2 billion tons of all food – 50 % of all food produced – ends up as waste. What challenges is agriculture facing? Five scenarios for 2050. Read More …
by Eric Marr, 26/11/12 I expect few would doubt that the agriculture sector is treated as a special case by governments. There are examples of exemptions from environmental regulations, labour laws, and even market forces. However this raises the question, should agriculture be treated as a special case? I have been hearing it argued more Read More …
by Eric Marr, 5/11/2012 “Density is not the main barrier to providing public transport that offers a real alternative to the car; rather, it is a rationalization for inaction.” Paul Mees (2011), Transport for Suburbia If one resides in a rural area and does not have access to a personal vehicle how do they get Read More …
by Stuty Maskey, 30/10/2012 Last month I attended a micro entrepreneurs’ trade fair in Kathmandu and met many micro entrepreneurs and home-based workers. Such fairs are one of the few opportunities that these rural communities get where they can come into direct contact with buyers as well as learn about market prices, competition and current Read More …
by Wayne Kelley, 14/09/2012 After I heard an interview with Cyrus Farivar on CBC radio, I read his book “Internet of Elsewhere” to better understand how the Internet has developed in four countries besides Canada. Farivar’s book describes how the Internet has emerged in four different countries and settings: South Korea, Senegal, Estonia and Iran.This Read More …
by Wayne Kelly, 12/08/2012 Why invest in rural broadband? What is the benefit of hooking up small rural communities? These are common questions when working in the field of rural Internet. While there are a wide range of important benefits from the Internet for rural communities, its the economic benefits and perceived lack thereof for Read More …
by Stuty Maskey 04/07/2012 My work, in broad sense, requires me to connect rural economy to the market system. Recently I was out in a field trip assessing the capacity to up-scale smallholder businesses dependent on forest resources. My trip got extended by a day due to lack of transportation to return home and I decided Read More …