A Researcher's view of the Rural Development - 7. lecture
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The topic of the lecture is "Place Attachment: Should I stay, or should I go?"
Lector: Ms Joanna Storie UK/Latvia
YouTube VIDEO LINK
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Photos: maainfo.ee/index.php
EST
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A Researcher's view of Rural Development
22. November 2019
Ministry of Rural Affairs, Lai tn 39/41, Tallinn
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| 09.30 - 10.00 |
Welcoming Coffee |
| 10.00 - 13.00 |
- Lector Ms Joanna Storie
- PRESENTATION
- Short break
- DISCUSSION PANEL Mrs Joanna Storie, Mr Rivo Noorkõiv (Geomedia), MRS Kai Kalmann (Ministry of Rural Affairs), Mrs Kaire Luht (Ministry of Finance, head of regional policy unit), Mrs Triin Kallas (Estonian Leader Union) - moderator Ms Ave Bremse
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More information
Article "Place Attachment and Its Consequence for Landscape-Scale Management and Readiness to Participate: Social Network Complexity in the Post-Soviet Rural Context of Latvia and Estonia." 2019 LINK
- Rural areas are places of production and recreation. What social environment is needed to support production and recreation where job quality is often low and seasonal?
Employing workers full time is not always feasible in resource starved farms. Also, education and medical care is often poor in rural areas and so how do young farmers raise a family in this environment? Reducing supportive infrastructure also moves in the opposite spirit to funding and support for young farmers to offset the rising age of farmers. The internet is one option through the expansion of opportunities for remote working and learning, but people are social creatures, how can this be balanced? Can government workers be relocated to rural areas? How is the resilience of cities impacted by rural areas? I would argue that resilient cities need flourishing rural areas.
- In what ways do urban constraints hinder rural, seasonal schedules?
Here I’m thinking in terms of the support for rural areas, which has to conform to schedules set in urban areas. I’ve heard of farmers filling in forms whilst in their GPS guided tractors, of farmers who tell the tax service that they work 40 hours a week because it is not allowed to work longer, of forms that need filling in at the beginning of January and July, the first period is busy for stock farmers who are raising young animals and the second is possible peak haymaking time, along with other summer jobs.
- Urban farms and urban gardening are in vogue, what is the role of the rural farmer?
Rural farmers are on the defensive and so the push back needs to be creative. I would suggest that urban people need to understand that they cannot live off salads and so there is still a huge role for the rural farmer to play. It can be – at least in the Baltic States- rain-fed, conservational-minded agriculture, agroecological and/or regenerative farming. What other features of the Baltic State agriculture can be presented in a more positive light?
- What infrastructure changes are going to be necessary in the years ahead in rural areas?
Cities are increasingly looking at low carbon options, such as green transportation and reducing cars in cities etc. and moving towards electric cars where possible. This will have an impact on rural areas that will struggle to transition – electric cars are expensive and currently do not travel far enough, especially in remote areas and tractors cannot run on electric yet. What happens when petrol stations shut down in rural areas due to the reduction in fossil fuels generally? Supporting farmers without adding more debt for expensive equipment is going to be an issue that needs addressing. However, rural areas can also become energy hub generators through solar, wind, new generation biofuels – currently maize for biogas units to my mind is not green, I’ve seen the equipment and farmers growing maize year after year with the large inputs of chemicals. This maize growing also replaces native pastures and the biodiversity associated with them.
Previous lectures:
Loengutesarja "Teadlase vaade kogukonna juhitud arengule" korraldavad Maaeluministeerium ja Põllumajandusuuringute Keskuse maaelu võrgustikutöö osakond.
Sündmuse korraldamine on toetatud Eesti maaelu arengukava tehnilise abi vahenditest maaeluvõrgustiku tegevusele.
Üritus on registreeritud osalejatele tasuta.
Viimati muudetud: 25.11.2019
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