Roundup: November 8, 2024
A regular feature of our growing online journal, The Rural Review, these roundup posts collect notable recent research, analysis, and related rural news and commentary. Feel free to send suggestions for future collections to us here. And, more details on other opportunities to contribute to The Rural Review can be found here.
Recent Publications
Rural Sociology published Early Family Formation, Selective Migration, and Childhood Conditions in Rural America by Matthew M. Brooks (Sociology, Florida State University) and Shelley Clark (Sociology, McGill University) exploring the reasons underlying the age gap between rural and urban Americans when it comes to getting married and starting families. The authors note the significant implications patterns of early family formation in rural America have for community health and rural depopulation.
Grete Gansauer (Earth Sciences, Montana State University) published For Growth or Equity: A Taxonomy of ‘Bidenomics’ Place-based Policies and Implications for US Regional Inequality in Regional Studies, identifying 33 place-based policies in recent US legislation and considering the implications of the country’s policy resurgence addressing regional inequalities. The article questions the capacity of emerging place-based programs to address historical and structural mechanisms of regional disadvantage and deliver greater spatial equity.
In The Future is Only the Beginning, Joeva Sean Rock (Anthropology, Stony Brook University), Maywa Montenegro de Wit (Environmental Studies, University of California), Ann Kingiri (African Centre for Technology Studies, Kenya), and Matthew A. Schnurr (International Development Studies, Dalhousie University, Canada) introduce a special feature published by Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene that explores the complex realities of the biotechnology often touted as necessary for advancing food and climate security.
News & Commentary
The Wall Street Journal published a piece highlighting efforts to save main streets across America. Once the lifeblood of small businesses, small town main streets have faced serious decline. The article features three entrepreneurs in three small towns—Helena-West Helena, Arkansas; Big Stone Gap, Virginia; and Dansville, New York—who challenged the odds.
An article in USA Today explored the reasons fueling ongoing migration of young Americans from big cities to rural areas across the country. The article notes that since the pandemic, cities with more than 1 million residents have lost adults ages 25 to 44 while towns with smaller populations have continued to gain young people.
Relatedly, The State featured 18 rural communities that may attract remote workers in search of lower-cost living, accessible amenities, and opportunities for community connection. The article identifies several criteria by which to judge a location’s suitability, including the distance to major metro areas and Amazon delivery timeframes.
Ag Update published an article on first generation farmers bringing optimism and a spirit of adventure to their communities. Focusing on a Wisconsin couple, the article highlights the contributions of new farmers working to fill gaps in their local community, from meat production to volunteering for the local fire department and ambulance service.
Events & Announcements
Our own Project Director, Jessica Shoemaker, will give the Nebraska Lecture as part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Speaker Series on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. Her talk, Ground Rules: How Property Makes the Countryside, is free and open to the public, either in person at the Nebraska Union or online via a webstream option. More details here.
The final webinar of the “Cultivating Caution: A Monthly Guide to Farm Safety & Health,” co-sponsored by the University of Illinois, meets on November 19, 2024, and explores AI’s effect on agricultural safety. Experts will showcase research around autonomous equipment, wearable tech, telematics, and digital training tools that aim to improve safety in agriculture and health outcomes for agriculture workers. More information, links to previous webinar sessions, and registration available here.
Rural LISC is hosting its annual seminar for Rural LISC partners and stakeholders on December 3-4, 2024, in Little Rock, Arkansas. The seminar is an opportunity to bring together nationally recognized economic development leaders, rural program partners, and community stakeholders to discuss challenges, opportunities, and emerging trends in the field. Find out more and register here.
Boston College Law School’s Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights (ILHPR) is currently hiring for three positions: Research Director, Policy Director, and Finance & Operations Manager. The ILHPR seeks to preserve and expand property rights for disadvantaged communities across the country and focuses on wide-ranging issues such as rural land loss and the issues rural and urban so-called heirs’ property owners face in retaining their properties.
