Farming Differentiation in the Rural-urban Interface of the Middle Mountains, Nepal: Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)Modeling

This article investigates the dominant factors of farming differentiation in the rural-urban interface of the densely populated Kathmandu Valley, using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) modeling. The rural-urban interface in the Kathmandu Valley is an important vegetable production pocket which supplies a large amount of the vegetables in the city core. While subsistence farming in the rural area is characterized by a system which integrates livestock and forestry with agriculture, the intensification in the urban fringe is characterized by triple crop rotations and market-oriented intensive vegetable production. Seven factors which were supposed to cause farming variation in the interface were incorporated in the AHP framework and then subjected to the farmers’ judgment in distinctly delineated three farming zones. These factors played crucial yet differing roles in different farming zones. Inaccessibility and use of local resources; higher yield and accessibility and agro-ecological consideration and quality production are the key impacting factors of subsistence, commercial inorganic and smallholder organic farming respectively. The quantification of such factors of farming differentiation through AHP is an important piece of information that will contribute in modeling farming in the rural-urban interface of developing countries which are characterized by a high diversity of farming practices and are undergoing a rapid change in the land use pattern

Farming at the Rural Urban Interface

Population growth and development at the rural urban interface (RUI) is creating challenges and opportunities for farmers. A standard thesis is that agriculture will steadily decline in the face of increased non-farm competition, but closer inspection reveals a more dynamic process of change. This poster describes the leading models for describing the structure of agriculture at the RUI and presents a bivariate analyses of Census of Agriculture data to assess the extent to which certain types of farm adaptations exist in proximity to large, urban areas. The aim of this research is to identify the relationship of urbanization and the structure of agriculture.USDA-NR

A METHODOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO THE DETERMINATION OF THE RURAL-URBAN INTERFACE

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Building Community Among Farmers and Non-Farmers

Conflict at the rural-urban interface may often be due to a lack of social connections or communication between farmers and non-farmers. Extension educators may be at a loss as to how to bring these two groups together. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), or a variation of CSA, may be one avenue for developing connections. Findings from a qualitative study of a Midwestern CSA reveal a number of ways CSA met the goals of participants while also building community among farmers and non-farmers. Extension personnel might promote CSA at the rural-urban interface to build community and support for local agriculture

Nutrition transition in the Indian rural-urban interface

While economic growth in many low- and middle-income (LMICs) has led to the reduction of poverty and undernutrition, some of these LMICs are undergoing a simultaneous increase in overnutrition and micronutrient deficiency. Urbanization is one of the widely attributed factors for this nutrition transition. However, urbanization in many LMICs is non-linear, messy, and hidden. Due to this, there has been a horizontal and outward growth of cities extending their formal boundaries. This has resulted in the creation of complex rural-urban interfaces at the peripheries of rapidly urbanizing cities. The rural-urban interfaces offer unique opportunities as well as challenges for the food consumption and nutritional status of people. For example, proximity to urban centers facilitates improved access to input, output, and labor markets and enables households to engage in diversified livelihood strategies. This increases average household income. With the increased income individuals and households might consume a diversified diet that is rich in nutritional quality. However, urbanization and globalization of the region might increase the temptation among people to consume energy-dense, fatty, salty foods, and sweetened beverages. In addition, the better infrastructure of the region and livelihood diversification into off-farm employment popularize a sedentary lifestyle among inhabitants of the rural-urban interface. Interactions among all these factors – such as increased income, diversified and globalized diet, and sedentary lifestyle – might lead to a faster transition of the nutrition-related problems from undernutrition to overnutrition in the rural-interface regions. Thus, studying the food consumption pattern and nutritional status of millions of people who live in the rural-urban interfaces might provide important insights into the rapid nutrition transition occurring in many LMICs. To this end, this dissertation considers the rural-urban interface of Bangalore, a mega-city in southern India, to study individual and household nutrition in the face of the rapid urbanization of the region. For this, the data from a primary socioeconomic survey of 1275 households conducted between December 2016 to May 2017 was used in the empirical analyses. The first two essays presented in this dissertation study how the consumption of diversified diets and the energy-dense processed foods are associated with the nutritional status of individuals. The third essay of this dissertation studies how different livelihood strategies – such as agricultural operations and off-farm employment – are associated with household nutrient consumption adequacy. The first essay investigates the association of dietary diversity with the anthropometric outcomes of children and women. This relationship is estimated not just at mean but also at different points of the conditional distribution of anthropometric outcomes using the quantile regression method. This estimates whether the relationship between dietary diversity anthropometrics outcomes differs for undernourished vs. overnourished individuals. In addition, the use of six different measures of the individual- and household-level dietary diversity helps to test whether the relationship between dietary diversity and anthropometric outcomes depends on the indicator used. The results of this essay show that there is no strong and monotonic relationship between dietary diversity and (most) anthropometric outcomes among children and women. A consistent and significant association is found only for overweight/obese children. That is, for these demographics increased dietary diversity is associated with adverse anthropometric outcomes. These results indicate that the increased dietary diversity as a means to improve anthropometric outcomes might not be effective, especially, in those areas facing multiple burdens of malnutrition. The second essay investigates the relationship between processed foods and obesity. It applies a probit regression model to estimate how the share of calories from the semi- and ultra-processed foods are associated with the prevalence of obesity among women. The results show that excess consumption of calories from semi-processed foods is positively associated with the increased prevalence of obesity among women. This association is stronger for women in lower-income groups in the rural-urban interface of Bangalore. For the high-income groups, the diet correlates of obesity shift towards ultra-processed foods. This shows that the increased risks for obesity are occurring at a lower level of dietary transition in India. This calls for strategic interventions to prevent a rapid increase in the obesity epidemic among lower-income groups in India. The third essay estimates how the diversification of livelihood strategies affects household nutrition. This essay is particularly interested in estimating the full composite effect of different employment choices – agricultural operations and off-farm employment – on households' nutrient consumption adequacy. It applies a multivariate regression framework to household-level nutrient adequacy ratios of three macronutrients (calories, protein, and fat) and three micronutrients (vitamin A, iron, and zinc). The results show that it is not just either of the employment choices but also different combinations of agricultural operations and off-farm employment that are important to explain household nutrition. The results also imply that the relationship between income generated from different combinations of agricultural operations and off-farm employment and nutrition is non-linear. That is, increased income improves household nutrient consumption in the beginning, however, a further increase in income is associated with overnutrition. Furthermore, undernutrition is most prevalent among socio-economically disadvantaged households. The findings of these three essays provide important insights into the food consumption and nutritional status in the rural-urban interface regions. The relationships between diets and nutritional status, and the relationship between livelihood strategies and nutrient consumption are mostly non-linear in the context of the rural-urban interface of Bangalore. To understand these intricate relationships it is, thus, necessary to go beyond the mean analysis and study different sub-samples (such as undernourished vs. overnourished, lower-income vs. higher-income, calorie-adequate vs. calorie-inadequate, etc.). This also calls for strategic interventions that follow a double-duty policy action framework to cater to the nutrition-related problems of different subsets of the population in the rural-urban interface regions.2021-08-0

The rural-urban interface : challenges for the extension system

The purpose of the study was to describe how two county Extension Services successfully changed their service orientation from rural/agricultural to urban/suburban in an exemplary manner. The research questions guiding the study were: How did each of the two selected county Extension Services successfully change their service orientation from rural/agricultural to urban/suburban; and what were the common success factors that can be identified from the two case studies? Case study method was used to secure the richest, thickest data and the widest array of insights into the phenomenon of successful transition from rural to urban. Drawing on recommendations from knowledgeable individuals within the Extension Service system, Waukesha county, Wisconsin and Gwinnett county, Georgia were chosen as exemplars of the successful transition. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews with county and state faculty and staff, including Extension Service and county government officials, and written documents which were then analyzed using a coding schema to identify thematic areas. Then the cases were examined for common themes. Three broad factors (themes) were identified as critical to the successful transition in Waukesha county: leadership, forced change, and the influence of changing demographics. Three broad themes were also identified as critical to the successful transition in Gwinnett county: leadership, gradual change, and an appreciation for the traditional role of Extension

Challenges in landscape planning: the rural-urban interface

Peri-urban, and rur-urban categories emerged in the last decades. Functional linkages and conflicts between urban and rural areas can be found in peri-urban areas. Recent policies by UN, OECD, EU aim at creating 'Rural-Urban Partnerships’ as an integrated approach to economic development, by strengthening national and regional development planning. The paper discuss how landscape planning can offer spatial solutions in metropolitan areas, with particular reference to the concept of Green Infrastructure, and illustrate a range of implementation tools. A case study in Japan, Nishi-Tokyo, provide further insights on actual challenges for conserving urban farmlands in metropolitan areas and shrinking cities

Apparel and Textiles Education: A Case for Rural-Urban Interface

The purpose of this study was to explore the understanding of these social learning and interaction concepts in AT curriculum (Saiki & Adomaitis, 2014) among students in different regions of the United States. The main research questions were: (1) Will students from two regions (rural and urban) have different definitions of (a) fast fashion and (b) apparel quality? (2)If there are rural and urban differences, how are the definitions different? The topic is significant because understanding how the demographics of students in AT programs can assist instructors in addressing student learning needs. It can also guide instructors in working with varied groups of students from different locations, such as in Land Grant Universities, State Colleges and online courses taught at different locations