Tracking Rural Change

Tracking Rural Change
Author: Francesca Merlan
Publisher: ANU E Press
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2009-04-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1921536535

A key, intensifying change affecting rural areas in the last few decades has been a decline in the proportion of national populations whose principal livelihood is farming. The corresponding re-distribution of population has typically resulted in a net population loss to rural areas, and diversification of rural activity. The corporatization and technological modification of food production has prompted new policy challenges, and has bound rural and urban populations together in new relationships articulated in moral discourses of custodianship, food safety, and sustainability. Contributors to this volume came together in the attempt to stimulate collective insight into trends of rural change in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The first two countries have been characterised by avowedly `neoliberal' rural policy - with considerable departures from it in practice; Europe, on the other hand, by a mix of policy measures which attempt to integrate land management and sustainability, diversification and maintenance of a competitive farming sector within an overarching policy framework more overtly, though only partially, oriented towards sustaining rural society. Aiming to build on research relating to the character of rural transitions, this volume offers substantive and critical contributions to the understanding of the sources of unpredictability, instability, and continuity, that underpin rural transition. The papers explore changes and continuities in policy, the governance of rural spaces, technological developments relating to rural areas and populations, and social forms of subjectivation and participation in increasingly diverse rural settings.

Rural Change in Australia

Rural Change in Australia
Author: John Connell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2016-04-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317060881

New twenty-first century economic, social and environmental changes have challenged and reshaped rural Australia. They range from ageing populations, youth out-migration, immigration policies (that seek to place skilled migrants in rural Australia), tree changers, agricultural restructuring and new relationships with indigenous populations. Challenges also exist around the 'patchwork economy' and the wealth that the mining boom offers some areas, while threatening regional economic decline in others. Rural Australia is increasingly not simply a place of production of agriculture and minerals but an idea that individuals seek and are encouraged to consume. The socio-economic implications of drought, water rights and changing farming practices, have prefaced new social, cultural and economic reforms. This book provides a contemporary perspective on rapidly evolving population, economic and environmental changes in 'rural and regional Australia', itself a significant concept. Bringing together a range of empirical studies, the book builds on established rural studies themes such as population change, economic restructuring and globalisation in agriculture but links such changes to environmental change, culture, class, gender, and ethnic diversity. Presenting original and in-depth interventions on these issues and their intersections, this book assembles the best of contemporary research on rural Australia.

Emerging Treatment Technologies for Waste Management

Emerging Treatment Technologies for Waste Management
Author: Izharul Haq
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2021-08-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9811620156

This book is focused on the current status of industrial pollution, its source, characteristics, and management through various advanced treatment technologies. The book covers the recycle, reuse and recovery of waste for the production of value-added products. The book explores industrial wastewater pollution and its treatment through various advanced technologies and also the source and characteristics of solid waste and its management for environmental safety. It discusses new methods and technologies to combat the waste-related pollution and focuses on the use of recycled products. This book is of value to upcoming students, researchers, scientists, industry persons and professionals in the field of environmental science and engineering, microbiology, biotechnology, toxicology, further it is useful for global and local authorities and policy makers responsible for the management of liquid and solid wastes.

Rural and Small Town America

Rural and Small Town America
Author: Glenn V. Fuguitt
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Total Pages: 500
Release: 1989-11-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1610442326

Important differences persist between rural and urban America, despite profound economic changes and the notorious homogenizing influence of the media. As Glenn V. Fuguitt, David L. Brown, and Calvin L. Beale show in Rural and Small Town America, the much-heralded disappearance of small town life has not come to pass, and the nonmetropolitan population still constitutes a significant dimension of our nation's social structure. Based on census and other recent survey data, this impressive study provides a detailed and comparative picture of rural America. The authors find that size of place is a critical demographic factor, affecting population composition (rural populations are older and more predominantly male than urban populations), the distribution of poverty (urban poverty tends to be concentrated in neighborhoods; rural poverty may extend over large blocks of counties), and employment opportunities (job quality and income are lower in rural areas, though rural occupational patterns are converging with those of urban areas). In general, rural and small town America still lags behind urban America on many indicators of social well-being. Pointing out that rural life is no longer synonymous with farming, the authors explore variations among nonmetropolitan populations. They also trace the impact of major national trends—the nonmetropolitan growth spurt of the 1970s and its current reversal, for example, or changing fertility rates—on rural life and on the relationship between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan communities. By describing the special characteristics and needs of rural populations as well as the features they share with urban America, this book clearly demonstrates that a more accurate picture of nonmetropolitan life is essential to understanding the larger dynamics of our society. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Census Series

Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation: A Review of the Landscape

Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation: A Review of the Landscape
Author: Dennis Bours
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2015-10-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1119157579

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of climate change adaptation (CCA) poses an assortment of thorny methodological challenges. Individually, none are unique to CCA, but together they represent a very distinctive conundrum facing practitioners and policy makers. Adding to this complexity further, climate change may be global in nature but its impacts, and how we respond to them through adaptation efforts, cut across scales, sectors, and levels of intervention. As investments in climate adaptation increase, organizations are seeking to measure, assess and understand an array of adaptation initiatives, and derive learnings to inform policy and praxis. This issue presents findings from many of the most important contemporary CCA program evaluation research initiatives. The chapters represent the most coherent and current collection of CCA M&E research in this emerging and important field, written by many of its leading experts. Filled with examples and insights in formulating coherent responses to methodological challenges, it will be of interest to M&E scholars and practitioners globally. This is the 147th issue in the New Directions for Evaluation series from Jossey-Bass. It is an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

Next Generation Geospatial Information

Next Generation Geospatial Information
Author: Peggy Agouris
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2005-08-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0415380499

With the turn of the century our ability to collect and store geospatial information has increased considerably. This has resulted in ever-increasing amounts of heterogeneous geospatial data, an issue that poses new challenges and opportunities. As these rich sources of data are made available, users rely, now more than ever, on the geospatial data infrastructure. The availability and accessibility of such data, as well as the ability to effectively manage, model, index and query the data is becoming a cornerstone in numerous applications. Moreover, the ability to formalize and represent data is becoming key to integration and interoperability. With the introduction of distributed geospatial data infrastructure and the implementation of web-based services, the impact of such issues is becoming even more evident. Inspired by these challenges, this book on Next Generation Geospatial Information offers a collection of original contributions from leading experts in spatial information modeling, image processing and analysis, database management, ontologies and data mining. It provides a unique insight into the current state-of-the-art and future challenges in geospatial information through four thematic chapters, each of which represents a primary research theme, namely distributed spatial infrastructure, image-based geospatial information management, indexing and querying geospatial databases, and ontology and semantics for geospatial data.

Sustainable Nanotechnology

Sustainable Nanotechnology
Author: Yashwant V. Pathak
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 388
Release: 2022-03-29
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119649978

Sustainable Nanotechnology A robust examination of the use of nanotechnology in the manufacture of sustainable products In Sustainable Nanotechnology: Strategies, Products, and Applications, a team of distinguished researchers delivers a comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of nanotechnology applications in environmental, pharmaceutical, and engineering products in the context of global sustainability. The book offers balanced coverage of the benefits and risks of nanotechnology. Divided into three parts, the editors have included contributions from leading scholars discussing sustainability, toxicological impacts, and nanomaterial-based adsorbents. This edited volume helps readers understand how nanotechnology and nanomaterials apply in different global sustainability challenges. It also discusses models for understanding the lifecycle and risk assessments of manufactured nanomaterials. Case studies are included to explore such topics as design, remediation, and technology assessment. The book also provides: Thorough introductions to nanotechnology-based research priorities for global sustainability and the challenges and opportunities of modern, sustainable nanotechnology Comprehensive explorations of improving the sustainability of bio-based products with nanotechnology and the improvement of the environmental sustainability of biopolymers using nanotechnology Practical discussions of nanotechnology-based polymers for drug delivery applications In-depth examinations of green nanotechnology-driven drug delivery systems Perfect for nanotechnology-focused professionals, sustainability experts, biomedical experts, and pharmaceutical industry practitioners, Sustainable Nanotechnology: Strategies, Products, and Applications will also earn a place in the libraries of neuroscientists, bioengineering professionals, and those involved in neuroprosthetic engineering.

Rural and Regional Futures

Rural and Regional Futures
Author: Anthony Hogan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2014-09-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317687124

Agriculture, mining and related rural industries have been central to the development of Australia’s economy. This book details the role that the Australian Government has played in the making of rural and regional Australia, particularly since World War II. The book reviews these policies and evaluates them with regards the commitments undertaken by the Government to contribute towards vibrant, rural communities. Policy areas addressed include agriculture, water, education, welfare and population, natural resource management, resource extraction, Indigenous and affairs, localism, rural research and regional innovation, Youth Affairs and the devolution of regional governance. Overall two distinct policy strategies can be observed: one wherein the government saw its role as part of the entrepreneurial state and a sector wherein government has increasingly taken itself out of industry development, leaving this role to the market. Having considered these strategies and their impacts, the book concludes that policy over the past 40 years has not in fact contributed to a more vibrant, prosperous rural and regional Australia. Rural and Regional Futures concludes with several chapters looking to the future. One chapter explores what the role of the state can be within a social market economy while the final chapter gives consideration to the initial steps rural communities will need to take to begin the process of revitalisation. While these materials present as a case study of developments in Australia, the policy shift from the Government as entrepreneur to a focus on markets is an international one and as such, the insights offered by this book will have wide appeal.

Communication for Social Change Anthology

Communication for Social Change Anthology
Author: Alfonso Gumucio Dagron
Publisher: CFSC Consortium, Inc.
Total Pages: 1409
Release: 2006
Genre: Communication in social action
ISBN: 0977035794

Contains nearly 200 readings published between 1927 and 2005, in English or translated from other languages, on the historical roots and pioneering thinking regarding communication for social change. Covers a variety of topics, including the radio, tv and other mass communication, information and communication technology, the digital gap, the formation of an information society, national information policies, participatory decision making, communication of development, pedagogy and entertainment education, HIV/AIDS communication for prevention, etc.