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Agricultural and Food System Development at the Rural-Urban Interface

Barton, Julia Allison

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Rural Sociology.

Agricultural and food system economic development is important to farmers, local food-related businesses, policy makers and rural and urban communities. While rural economic development has been a longstanding interest of rural sociologists, there has been little work that has focused on the development potential of agriculture and the food system. With the growing interest in local food systems, the opportunity may exist for communities to think strategically and act collectively to develop farming and food enterprises in their locales.

The goal of this research is to draw from and build upon both the agricultural and food system development literature and the community development literature to identify what types of communities choose to organize around agricultural economic development and whether organization within rural-urban interface communities impacts the type and function of agricultural economic development activities in those communities. Data are derived from the 2008 survey Agricultural Change, Land Use, and Economic Development at the Rural-Urban Interface.

The community development literature indicates that a certain degree of organization enables communities to engage in self-development. However, agricultural economic development and food system literature does not clearly illustrate how community organization impacts various forms of agricultural economic development activities in communities. This study explores two questions: 1) Do communities with greater agricultural social infrastructure at the rural-urban interface engage in more agricultural and food system-related development activities than those communities with less social infrastructure, and 2) Do communities with greater agricultural social infrastructure at the rural-urban interface engage more in agricultural and food system-related self-development activities, compared to extra-local development strategies? I anticipate that social organization, or social infrastructure, within a community will be related to the presence of agricultural and food system-related development activities. Further, I anticipate that greater social organization within a community will be related to the presence of agricultural and food system self-development versus extra-local development activities. I anticipate that social infrastructure, as characterized by broad and diverse community input, the flow of shared agricultural information, and agricultural leadership, will be positively associated with a community’s capacity to engage in development around agriculture and the food system. This research helps identify ways in which communities at the rural-urban interface may organize to support local agricultural economic development despite the current economic downturn and pressures of growing urbanization and globalization. This study finds that communities with social infrastructure do engage in more agricultural and food system-related development activities than those communities with less social infrastructure. It also shows that greater social infrastructure in rural-urban interface communities is significantly and positively related to high levels of engagement in both self-development and extra-local development activities related to food and agriculture.

Jeff S. Sharp, PhD (Advisor)
Maria Manta Conroy, PhD (Committee Member)
88 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Barton, J. A. (2010). Agricultural and Food System Development at the Rural-Urban Interface [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1284742419

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Barton, Julia. Agricultural and Food System Development at the Rural-Urban Interface. 2010. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1284742419.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Barton, Julia. "Agricultural and Food System Development at the Rural-Urban Interface." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1284742419

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)