SUSTR: Graduate Module
Sustainable Rural Development: Agriculture
Title: Paradigm Shift in Agriculture for Rural Development
Presenters: Katie Snyder-Marr, Mariah Maggio, Ellis Adams, Brie Rust, Meredith Ballard, Nawaf Bilasi
Background:
Historical agriculture began based upon the realization of the economic value of agricultural land,
mostly in rural areas. The initial phase of agriculture was centered on resource extraction and
departure, i.e. the boom town to ghost town phenomena. After the initial phase, there was another
wave of agricultural development that was based upon resource substitution, emergent agricultural
technologies, commercial fertilizers, and irrigation. This reversed the trend of ghost towns and helped
create long-term communities and towns. At this time, rural development was much less constrained
by the fertility of the local land. During this period, farming communities specialized in single crops,
developing monocultures. The growth of industrial agriculture developed significant economic,
environmental and social concerns with the insurgence of technologies to replace human labor thereby
displacing farm families and promoting low levels of income, education, health, and community service
(Ikerd, 1998). The future of rural communities may be significantly impacted by the way society
addresses the future of agriculture and sustainability.
We are rapidly depleting natural resources and consequently there is a need to shift from the economy
of reliance on nonrenewable energy and depletion of resources to dependence on renewable energy
and harmonious living with natural and human resources. This may require a shift from narrow selfpursuit of wealth to the pursuit of equity and justice for society. To meet these demands, some call for
sustainability to create new opportunities and visions for rural communities and the future of rural areas
(Ikerd, 2010).
For the past 20 years there has been a shift in the sociological aspect of rural communities, including the
maintenance of local knowledge and populations. Currently, these communities are still experiencing
out migration to inviting cities for greater opportunities and jobs and thus changing the face, values, and
economies of these rural communities. The economies depend on the economically dominant industrial
agriculture system which translates into very few family farms and jobs. The International Assessment
of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, and Technology for Development (IAASTD) demanded that “global
society must undertake a "paradigm shift" in agriculture” (Block, 2008). This demand is realized by the
transition to sustainable agriculture system through the linkage of values inherent in geographically
fixed resources in rural communities. The shift represents a conflict between two opposing worldviews
and social equity. The competing worldviews are illustrated through Beus and Dunlap’ s (1990) six
dimensions: 1) centralization vs. decentralization 2) dependence vs. independence 3) competition vs.
community 4) domination of nature vs. harmony with nature 5) specialization vs. diversity and 6)
exploitation vs. restraint.
The transition to ecologically sustainable agriculture will substitute internal resources for the external
purchased inputs, thus increasing farm labor, operators, and families by building natural and human
capital in the rural communities. Alternatively, this transition may provide sustainable energy for local
and regional communities through the use of biofuels. Inherent in this agricultural shift are levels of
governance driven by regional, national and international policy. The module will focus on the social,
economic and environmental aspects of the agriculture paradigm shift as a potential for sustainable
rural community development. The module will engage students in the discussion of the sustainable
agriculture as a plausible transition for world food production, community sustainable development,
and energy production.
Objectives:
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to understand the historical trends in rural agriculture
to understand the paradigm shift from conventional to sustainable agriculture in rural
communities
to illustrate the possibilities and constraints through case studies in North America
to understand how the different forces interplay in the adaption of agricultural strategies in
rural development (governance – local and national)
Synopsis: With these objectives in mind, we’ll look at the following topics to understand the dynamics of
agriculture as a tool for sustainable rural development:
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History of the paradigm shift
Shift to Local Based Ecological Agriculture
Transfer of Local Knowledge and Increase in Social Equity
The use of policies to drive rural development (Governance)
Bio-fuels
Outline:
I.
History: Background on agrarian shifts
II.
III.
Current Agricultural Structure
Paradigm Shift: Conversion to sustainably rural development (Katie & Mariah)
1 Rationale: What is driving this shift?
2 Examples: Organic, Permaculture, Rotational Crops, Community-based
Agriculture
a. Community Supported agriculture (CSA-In Canada, Community Shared
Agriculture)
b. Permaculture
c. Organic
d. Rotational Crops
IV.
3 Linkage of resilience and local knowledge
Counter-Argument to Sustainability-Biofuels (Ellis)
V.
Conclusion/Discussion
Readings:
1. Beus, C.E. and Dunlap, R.E. 1990. Conventional versus Alternative Agriculture: The Paradigmatic
Roots for the Debate. Rural Sociology, 55: 590-616.
http://www.soc.iastate.edu/class/325/beus.pdf
2. Ikerd, John E. 1998. Sustainable Development as a Rural Economic Development Strategy:
http://web.missouri.edu/~ikerdj/papers/sa-cdst.htm
3. Stinner, D H, Paoletti, M G and Stinner, B R (1989). In search of traditional farm wisdom for a
more sustainable agriculture: a study of Amish farming and society. Agriculture, Ecosystems and
Environment. 27: 77-90.
4. Anderson, Molly D. 2008. Sustainable agriculture and rural development in the United States:
Progress and priorities. Supplement to Non-governmental Organization Major Group Paper for
the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)-16, 5-16 May 2008. Retrieved from
http://www.foodsystemsintegrity.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/US_NGO_Supplement.2103954.pdf
5. McFadden, Steven. 2003. History of Community Supported Agriculture Part 1 and 2:
http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0104/csa-history/part1.shtml and
http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0204/csa2/part2.shtml
6. Biofueling Rural Development: Making the case for linking biofuel production to rural
revitalization: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/PB_biofuels.pdf
Additional Resources
1. Petrini, Carlo. Short excerpt from Slow Food Nation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECzTRG7tjV0 and book Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food
Should Be Good, Clean and Fair (excerpt pdf attached)
2. Paul Fieldhouse. 1996. Community Shared Agriculture. Agriculture and Human Values 13 (3) 4347 http://www.springerlink.com/content/p070658054074768/fulltext.pdf
3. Biofuels: A major rural economic development opportunity:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bbb.104/pdf
4. Block, Ben (2008) “International Commission Calles for ‘Paradigm Shift’ in Agriculture”
Worldwatch Institute.
5. Pulido, J.S., and G. Bocco. (2003) “The traditional farming system of a Mexican indigenous
community: the case of Nuevo San Juan Paranagricutiro, Michoacan, Mexico.” Geoderma 11:
249-265.
6. Deborah Stiles, Greg Cameron, (2009) "Changing paradigms?: Rural communities, agriculture,
and corporate and civic models of development in Atlantic Canada", Journal of Enterprising
Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Vol. 3 Iss: 4, pp.341 – 354
7. Ikerd, John E. (2010) “Reclaiming Rural America; Sustainable Community Development”
presentation for Town Hall Meeting on Local Sustainable Community Development, Sioux City,
IA.
8. United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library Publications Webpage,
Community Supported Agriculture page http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml
9. International Centre for Research in Organic Food Systems (ICROFS)
http://www.icrofs.org/Pages/News_and_events/index.html
10. Local Harvest: www.localharvest.org/csa/
11. Organic Agriculture: UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Working Group on Organic
Agriculture. 2003. ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/y4587e/y4587e.pdf