Anthony M. Fuller

From part-time farming to pluriactivity: a decade of change in Rural Europe

Abstract Introducing 10 papers on pluriactivity and agro-rural change in western Europe requires a context-setting paper at the outset. This paper outlines some of the characteristics of applied social science research and the need for more policy-oriented studies with a critical perspective. Influential social changes in Europe in the 1980s (reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, environmentalism) are used to reflect the need to adjust the emphases and methods of social science. The shift from part-time farming to pluriactivity studies in western Europe reflect these changes. The Arkleton Trust research project on Multiple Job Holding Farm Families is described and used to illustrate the shift in research priorities and scope as policy debates and changes continue to occur in western industrial nations. The fallacy of part-time farming is demonstrated, and the preference for the term pluriactivity is supported. Related methodological concerns are discussed in reference to the preliminary results of the 12-nation comparative and longitudinal study. The need to engage in policy research is confirmed.

Towards an ecosystem approach to policy process: insights from the sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem health approaches

Reductionism in rural development policy making can have serious practical ramifications for human life and well-being. Ecosystem health and sustainable livelihoods (SL) are two approaches that have been assisting development practitioners to avoid reductionism and to take complexity seriously. Both of these approaches have primarily been applied at relatively small scales, and the application of SL at policy level has been largely in terms of the substance of policy – considering the impacts of policy on livelihoods. Nevertheless, we argue that they offer insights for policy processes, as well. Drawing on these insights, we outline factors that should be considered in an ecosystem approach to policy process. This is an approach that would be characterised by a set of nested deliberation and decision-making processes, by a method of problem definition, analysis and solution seeking that is iterative and based on negotiation among multiple stakeholders, and by careful attention to the cross-scale aspects of decision-making processes and the flow of information.

Globally important agricultural heritage systems (giahs) of china: the challenge of complexity in research

Abstract The challenge of researching Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) as complex systems forms the subject matter of this study. Complex adaptive systems are those that combine natural ecological processes with human interactions to produce a mutually supportive agro‐ecological system. In China, these highly varied systems have the added dimension of long historical time, in that they have evolved over many centuries and thus add a historical dimension to the natural and human dimensions of complexity. In preparing research on GIAHS, it is clear that seeing GIAHS sites as whole systems is an essential starting and ending point. Examining the adaptive capacity of a GIAHS with its multiple scales and complex interdependencies is a major challenge for researchers accustomed to specialized disciplinary thinking. A GIAHS represents a mature agro‐ecological system with human agency as a central component that has been honed over many centuries, and has already adapted to many perturbations and changes. The beauty of the GIAHS is in the integration of custom, knowledge, and practice, and it should be studied for its “wholeness” as well as for its resilience and capacity for “self organization.” The agro‐ecological approach opens the possibility of researching a system as a whole and of taking its complexity seriously. This study reviews the essential features of the GIAHS as a complex adaptive system where uncertainty is normal and surprise is welcome and, in a case study of Qingtian rice–fish culture system, focuses on new perturbations, namely loss of young people and the introduction of tourism.

Agricultural Heritage Systems Tourism: definition, characteristics and development framework

Agricultural Heritage Systems Tourism (AHST) has increased considerably in the past ten years and is projected to continue growing in the future. Despite such growth, there is not a shared understanding of many aspects of the tourism development framework for all kinds of agricultural heritage sites. Given that meanings and characteristics are critical to determining the appeal of a particular activity among tourism consumers and because the development directions of AHST are essential for achieving heritage conservation goals, a study was conducted in 2014–2015 to assess stakeholder preferences for definitional phrases and their perceptions. This manuscript summarizes the characteristics of AHST in four aspects, taking agricultural heritage systems in China as examples: 1) synthesis of agritourism, cultural heritage tourism, and ecotourism; 2) annual variation of tourism attractions and activities; 3) the dominant role of artisan farmers; 4) the unique gastronomic experiences of traditional food. Finally, there are some objectives offered by this research from economic, environmental, cultural, social and political perspectives to build a framework of AHST according to its features and characteristics. Based on environmental and cultural objectives, with political and social support, through reaching the core objectives of economic development, AHST will be sustainable and agricultural heritage systems will be well conserved. This study carries important implications for the further applications of AHST.