52 research outputs found
Women's Cooperatives and their Contribution to the Local Development of the North Aegean Region, Greece
In the last twenty years Greece has witnessed the emergence and establishment of womenâs cooperatives, a form of productive agricultural cooperatives. This paper explores their importance and their contribution to local development. Evidence is presented for an island region, the North Aegean. Personal interviews, using structured questionnaires, were conducted with the chairwomen of all the regionâs cooperatives in order to obtain an insight into their structure and dynamics. According to the findings of this study, womenâs cooperatives are characterized by substantial potential on the one hand and by serious drawbacks on the other. The economic performance of the cooperatives is satisfactory, while the use of local resources and âknow howâ contribute to the development of the region. Interpersonal problems, the inability of the cooperativesâ members to fully understand their new role as businesswomen and the small participation of rural women are the cooperativesâ major problems. The future of the womenâs cooperatives is still unclear despite their 20 years of existence.womenâs cooperatives, North Aegean, local development, Community/Rural/Urban Development,
Accessibility of Peripheral Regions: Evidence from Aegean Islands (Greece)
Islands, especially smaller ones, are characterized by discontinuity of space and are considered as some of the least accessible areas. In this paper, we seek to shed light on the accessibility problems that islands face from the point of view of island residents. This shift in emphasis considers additional aspects to accessibility that include the availability of connections to access services required to cover the needs of island residents and the different destinations where these may be available, and the time that one may have to spend to get to these destinations in order to use these services. An alternative measure of accessibility is proposed, based on the time required to travel; this is then applied to three different Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. The accessibility of the residents of these islands to selected services is compared with that of settlements in continental Greece of similar population and distance to the capital Athens. The findings clearly demonstrate the adversities that island residents have to face, especially for smaller islands, where accessing selected services may require as many as four destinations, with virtual distances 4 to 6 times longer than âreal distancesâ
Cultural landscapes and behavioral transformations:An agent-based model for the simulation and discussion of alternative landscape futures in East Lesvos, Greece
Agricultural intensification and abandonment have been identified as two of the more prominent and polarizing drivers of landscape change in Europe. These transitions may induce deterioration in landscape functioning and character, particularly in cultural landscapes demonstrative of evolving human-environment dynamics that have sustained environmental benefits through time. Cultural and behavioral motives are important root influences to such landscape transitions, yet efforts to address landscape degradation are often hampered by a failure to account for the heterogeneous decision-making nature of its agents of change and the inherent complexity of socio-ecological systems. Novel techniques are required to further disentangle responses to multi-level drivers and discuss alternative landscape development trajectories. Agent-based models constructed by means of participatory approaches present increasingly applied tools in this context. This study sought to capture and model the future perspectives emerging from presently occurring farming discourses in the region of Gera (Lesvos, Greece), characterized by persistent abandonment of its traditionally managed olive plantations. We constructed an agent-based model iteratively in collaboration with the local farming community and experts in landscape research. Empirical findings informed the model through the construction of a farmer typology, revealing a heavy reliance of the farming community upon sectorial profitability, prevalent cultural farming motives and emerging landscape initiatives. The model examined the de-coupled role of agricultural profitability and landscapes initiatives in shaping the behavior of land managers, mapping alternative landscape futures over a period of 25 years. Model results illustrate both increased profitability and action by landscape initiatives are required to reverse abandonment trends within the simulated time frame. The hypothesized ability of landscape initiatives to maintain and promote a cultural drive amongst adhering farmers is crucial for securing behavioral transformations towards professionalism. This study confirmed agent-based modelling to be intuitively received by stakeholders who significantly contributed to model structure refinement and the rejection of a status quo scenario
Island identities? Comparing the perceptions of islanders towards governing institutions and quality of life
In this paper, we seek to shed light on issues related to satisfaction with
government institutions and personal quality of life from living on an island, teasing out
common themes to determine whether there is a shared identity among islanders, regardless of
geography, level of development and size, as it relates to governance. We explore these
qualities in six different groups of island residents across ten islands or archipelagos, ranging
in size, location and governance features. Half are sovereign states and the rest are subnational
island jurisdictions: Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago), Grenada, Prince Edward Island (Canada),
St. Lucia, Lesvos (Greece), Cyprus, Newfoundland (Canada), Iceland, Reunion (France) and
Mauritius. Using a Likert-type questionnaire, island participants were asked about the factors
that constitute âquality of lifeâ on their islands, with a particular focus on governance. The
construction of composite indicators from survey questions and cluster analysis allows us to
compare the attitudes within and between different groups of islands and stakeholder groups.
Results suggest that, despite significant contextual variances among stakeholders and island
locations and situations, some common threads run through all groups and all islands, related
to the group the respondents were classified in. These threads comprise a rough basis for a
deeper understanding of island identities.peer-reviewe
Advancing the study of driving forces of landscape change
Over the past 25 years, the study of driving forces of landscape change has developed into a central theme in land change science by contributing to theory development, promoting the analysis of causation of change and gaining insights into how landscape development could be steered into a societally more desirable direction. Based on this progress, we designate important research avenues, reviewing critical challenges forming the base for advancing the study of driving forces of landscape change and addressing the question on how the study of driving forces can contribute to system transformative research. For each of the research avenues, we describe the current dominant approach and provide some specific ways of advancing both the conceptualization and the research methods. Together, advancing on these research avenues will promote a more social-ecological systems perspective to the study of driving forces of landscape change.ISSN:1747-4248ISSN:1747-423
Farmers' attitudes and landscape change: evidence from the abandonment of terraced cultivations on Lesvos, Greece
Agricultural landscapes are the product of the interaction of the natural environment of an area and the practices of its farmers. In this paper, farmers' practices are examined in order to describe and understand processes of landscape change in terraced fields on the island of Lesvos, Greece. We examine the changes of the terraced fields of each farmer and the reasons for these changes, practices concerning the maintenance of terraces and how farmers view this landscape change. The concept of farming systems is used to link farmers' practices at the farm level with changes at the landscape level. Data come from research via questionnaires to farmers in order to record their practices, to explore changes in land use and the landscape elements and the reasons behind these changes, and finally to record their opinions on the landscape change that result. Findings indicate that although farm households in the case study areas depend on farming incomes by very different degrees, they employ similar cultivation and landscape management practices. At the same time, "hobby" farm households may be more prone to abandonment of fields and negligence of landscape elements (here terraces)
The ESPON 2013 programme : the development of the islands â European islands and cohesion policy (EUROISLANDS)
The report was accepted by the ESPON Monitoring Committee as it demonstrates interesting outputs and observations on the situation and development of the European islands. The report raises awareness of the specificities and diversity of this specific type of territories and takes into consideration the current policy debate related to European Cohesion Policy. The revised version of the Final Report has been considered meeting the minimum demands in contractual terms. However, some case studies raised comments from individual stakeholders involved. Some improvements requested were not implemented to their entire satisfaction as part of the revision of the Final Report. It was felt that the case studies could have been better used and integrated in the analysis, making the report richer, more precise and evidence based, enhancing its narrative.peer-reviewe
Farmer surveys in Europe suggest that specialized, intensive farms were more likely to perceive negative impacts from COVID-19.
It has been shown that the COVID-19 pandemic affected some agricultural systems more than others, and even within geographic regions, not all farms were affected to the same extent. To build resilience of agricultural systems to future shocks, it is key to understand which farms were affected and why. In this study, we examined farmers' perceived robustness to COVID-19, a key resilience capacity. We conducted standardized farmer interviews (n = 257) in 15 case study areas across Europe, covering a large range of socio-ecological contexts and farm types. Interviews targeted perceived livelihood impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on productivity, sales, price, labor availability, and supply chains in 2020, as well as farm(er) characteristics and farm management. Our study corroborates earlier evidence that most farms were not or only slightly affected by the first wave(s) of the pandemic in 2020, and that impacts varied widely by study region. However, a significant minority of farmers across Europe reported that the pandemic was "the worst crisis in a lifetime" (3%) or "the worst crisis in a decade" (7%). Statistical analysis showed that more specialized and intensive farms were more likely to have perceived negative impacts. From a societal perspective, this suggests that highly specialized, intensive farms face higher vulnerability to shocks that affect regional to global supply chains. Supporting farmers in the diversification of their production systems while decreasing dependence on service suppliers and supply chain actors may increase their robustness to future disruptions.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13593-022-00820-5
Rural Environmental Management in Greece as a Cultural Frontier between the âOccidentâ and the âOrientâ
Greece, in the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, is biogeographically and culturally a transition zone between the âeastâ and the âwestâ. Some of the older farming styles in it were considered as typical examples of an âoriental production styleâ. In the Greek state, these farming styles were considered as âoutdatedâ and âbackwardâ and the radical transformation of farming and the rural landscape was sought through intensification of agriculture and modernization of the rural society, a target accomplished by the 1970s and strengthened after the accession in the EU. Only recently, some of the features of older farming systems were reevaluated, in the light of negative environmental impacts of some modern farming styles. In this paper, the rural landscapes of Greece today are presented with a mention of the farming styles that have formed them, both âtraditionalâ and âmodernâ. Some of the most important changes are discussed in an environmental management light via some examples: grazing management and forestry in the mountains; mixed and olive cultivation on the islands and southern Greece; and arable farming in the plains. The paper focuses on the visual and the environmental impacts of farming styles changes and briefly discusses possible future trends. The impacts are evaluated by empirical work, especially for the mixed farming and olive cultivation landscape and by the literature. The findings indicate that âtraditionalâ farming styles did indeed have positive environmental impacts compared to âmodernâ ones and today some of their features could be used for sustainable rural landscape management.<br><br>Grecia, en el extremo sur de la provincia de los Balcanes, es cultural y biogeogrĂĄficamente una zona de transiciĂłn entre el âesteâ y el âoesteâ. Algunos de los estilos tradicionales agrarios estĂĄn considerados ejemplos tĂpicos de un âestilo de producciĂłn orientalâ. En el Estado de Grecia, estos estilos de producciĂłn agraria estĂĄn considerados como âcaducadosâ y âfuera de sitioâ en el contexto de la transformaciĂłn radical de la producciĂłn agraria y del paisaje rural fruto de la intensificaciĂłn de la agricultura y la modernizaciĂłn de la sociedad rural, unos procesos que se establecen hacia 1970 y se aceleran despuĂ©s del acceso a la UE. SĂłlo recientemente, algunas de las caracterĂsticas de los antiguos sistemas agrarios son reevaluadas, a la luz de los negativos impactos ambientales de algunos modernos estilos agrarios. En este artĂculo, el paisaje rural de Grecia todavĂa se presenta en relaciĂłn a los estilos agrarios que lo han formado, tanto âtradicionalâ como âmodernoâ. Algunos de los cambios mĂĄs importantes son discutidos en el marco de una gestiĂłn ambiental, mediante algunos ejemplos clave: gestiĂłn forestal y laboreo en las montañas, cultivos mixtos y olivar en las islas y sur de Grecia; y tierras de labor en las llanuras. Este artĂculo presenta los impactos ambientales y visuales de los cambios en los estilos agrarios y discute brevemente posibles tendencias futuras. Los impactos son evaluados mediante trabajo empĂrico, especialmente en el caso de los paisajes de cultivos mixtos y olivar y por la literatura. Las conclusiones indican que los estilos agrarios âtradicionalesâ suponen impactos ambientales positivos comparados con los âmodernosâ y actualmente algunas de sus caracterĂsticas pueden ser usadas para la gestiĂłn sostenible del paisaje rural
- âŠ