The Social Contribution of Land-based Industries to Rural Communities

Courtney, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5683-8502, Short, Christopher J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0429-1143, Kambites, Carol J, Moseley, Malcolm, Ilbery, Brian W, Boase, Rosamund E, Owen, Stephen and Clark, Michael (2007) The Social Contribution of Land-based Industries to Rural Communities. Technical Report. Commission for Rural Communities, Cheltenham.

Preview

Text 15113 Courtney, Short, Kambites, Moseley, Libery, Boase, Owen, Clark (2007) The Social Contribution of Land-Based Industries to Rural Communities.pdf - Published Version Available under License All Rights Reserved. Download (332kB) | Preview

Abstract

This study explores the social interaction between land-based industries (LBIs) and rural communities. More specifically, it is concerned with the social impacts of land-based industries upon rural communities and, in parallel, the expectations that rural communities have of land-based industries, and vice versa. The rationale for the research stems from the profound changes that have occurred in recent decades with regard both to England’s land-based industries and to the nature of its rural communities. While agriculture remains the dominant activity in terms of land management, there is evidence that this is also in decline and that the amount of land managed by other land-based industries is growing. In parallel, it is often perceived that the role of farmers and other landowners in rural local governance is now largely diminished. Likewise, it is assumed that the rural population now has much weaker ties to the land as most are host to a diverse range of inhabitants including commuters, retired people and service sector workers. Five potentially useful indicators are identified which a) chime with the evidence arising from the ethnographic work; b) have some relevance to all five communities examined in this study; and c) are judged to be realistic in terms of either data availability or the practical application of such data if it were made available. These are: • Extent of rural diversification • Local sales and purchasing of land-based products • Number of farmers / land-based representatives on parish councils • Number of land-based-related complaints • Change of use/ occupancy of farm holdings (and buildings)

Item Type:	Monograph (Technical Report)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Rural; Rurality; Rural Communities; Land-Based Industry; Rural Policy; Ethnography
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human geography. Human ecology. Anthropogeography H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > Countryside and Community Research Institute
Depositing User:	Caitlin Mackenzie
Date Deposited:	10 Jun 2025 10:18
Last Modified:	10 Jun 2025 10:18
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/15113

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record