Urban%20choices%20in%20the%20use%20of%20rural%20space:

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Urban choices in the use of rural space

• Is it peri-urban or peri-rural?

Dr. Jim Riddell
March 2006
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Change is inevitable The dominant processes are

• Demography
• Globalization of the worlds food commodity
  markets
• Deteriorating economic returns to family farm
  agriculture
• Solutions must be compatible with democratic
  principles

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DemographyUrbanization
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Age of farmers as of all farmers
Source Eurostat Yearbook 98/99. A statistical
eye on Europe 1987 - 1997. Brussels, Luxembourg,
1999. (European Communities), p. 345
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Farm size
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Globalization of agricultural

• Food commodities and big business
• Agricultural subsidy issues will be resolved in
  the near term future
• EU is the worlds major food importer, yet pays
  high subsidies to produce food it cannot consume
• WTO is only facilitating processes which are
  evolving economically (the umpire)
• Thus no developed country can make policy in
  isolation anymore.

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Deteriorating economic returns to family farm
agriculture

• Off farm income essential

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Non-competitive nature of Agriculture

• Non-competitive for capital attraction
• Financial
• Physical
• Human
• Social/cultural
• Large-scale farming is also not competitive
  without subsidies, protection and other
  distortions.
• Vertical integration
• Impossible in any case in most Developed
  economies from a social, political and cultural
  point of view

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Solutions must be compatible with democratic
principles

• For the first time there is near global
  acceptance of what constitutes good governance.
• Democracy and development
• Policy implications
• Not because it is good but because it is
  necessary
• Rural populations have been voting with their
  feet

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Governments have tried many approachessome
examples

• Norway guaranteed income for degree holding farm
  families
• Sweden larger farms
• Denmark, Finland and Holland Continuous local
  planning
• Germany Village reorganization Wismar cluster
• England Producers Associations Orkney Marketing
  Scheme
• France SAFER and Chambres dagriculture

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Age of farmers as of all farmers
Source Eurostat Yearbook 98/99. A statistical
eye on Europe 1987 - 1997. Brussels, Luxembourg,
1999. (European Communities), p. 345
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Critical elements

• Access to Information and research
• Public environment that encourages
  entrepreneurial activities
• Existence of a critical mass of SMEs
• Networks for the exchange of experience and
  know-how
• Infrastructure and geographical isolation, real
  or perceived.

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New approaches why should it be different today

• Inclusive business models
• The more users, the more valuable
• Capital savings administration
• Rural resource users
• Value adding activities.
• Density of management
• The long tail

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Inclusive economic models

• Inclusive Model
• Internet more users the more valuable
• Information
• Maps
• Goods
• Services
• Cell phone
• Credit cards
• Smart cards

• Exclusive model
• Value from exclusive ownership
• Information
• Maps
• Stores
• Companies
• Owner of the lines
• Checks, drafts, etc
• Independent operators

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Capital savings administration

• The more users the better the administration
• Sales receipts and tax collection
• Land registry
• Open records
• Property owner can confirm

• The more users the more staff, etc. needed
• Fiscal police. An army of auditors
• Restricted access to maps, plans and records.
• Expensive to verify

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The long tail niche instead of hits
From Chris Anderson The Long Tail, Wired Magazine
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Topoclimate application in southern New Zealand

1. Measurements of accumulated heat (GDD),
2. Calculation of chilling periods,
3. Calculation of growing season lengths and
   patterns,
4. Identifying critical points for plant growth and
   production,
5. Growing-Degree-Days
6. Land use options
7. Sustainability
8. Soil vulnerability
9. Specific analyses and indices

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Rural residents control research and decide

• Tradition
• Wheat
• Beef
• lamb

• Today
• Manuka honey
• Tea tree oil
• Medicinal plants
• Fresh vegetable market
• Flower market
• Wheat
• Elk, deer, etc.
• Beef and lamb

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(No Transcript)
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Conclusions

• Farms will stay small
• Rural economy will become increasingly
  diversified and tied to urban institutionsThe
  peri-rural
• New uses of rural space
• Agriculture will become ever more specialized
• Organic foods, Specialized fruits and vegetables,
  etc.
• Non-food Bio-energy, Cellulose products, etc.
• Competition for rural resources will become
  intense and require major governmental policy
  intervention and institution building.
• Water registries, etc.
• Urban planning will have to include rural planning

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Examples from Taiwan?

• I would be very interested in Successes and
  failures you have observed.