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        <rdf:li rdf:resource="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325689" />
        <rdf:li rdf:resource="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325691" />
        <rdf:li rdf:resource="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325687" />
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    <dc:date>2026-04-28T11:20:37Z</dc:date>
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  <item rdf:about="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325689">
    <title>Rural studies: A new paradigm that integrates previously separated disciplines</title>
    <link>https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325689</link>
    <description>Title: Rural studies: A new paradigm that integrates previously separated disciplines
Authors: van der Ploeg, Jan Douwe
Abstract: Rural studies are the theoretically informed and empirically grounded integration of disciplines that, until recently, were widely separated. This separation came with different grammars, mutually contrasting problem definitions and different methodological instruments that together resulted in a scattered understanding of countryside, farming, and the processing and distribution of food. The article discusses the main features of rural studies and especially explores the theoretical, institutional and historical backgrounds of these features. It argues that the specificity of agriculture strongly impacts its study and theoretical representation - as much as the resulting theories contribute to shaping the unfolding of agricultural activities over time.</description>
    <dc:date>2024-01-01T00:00:00Z</dc:date>
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  <item rdf:about="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325691">
    <title>The role of farmers: Governing the farm enterprise, markets, and networks</title>
    <link>https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325691</link>
    <description>Title: The role of farmers: Governing the farm enterprise, markets, and networks
Authors: Milone, Pierluigi
Abstract: Being a farmer is far more complex than we often consider. The job includes the capacity to organise and combine factors of production (land, capital and especially labour) and simultaneously meet the needs of consumers and many other things. To do so, the farmer has to face, time and again, strategic choices related to the "make or buy" decision that concern, and materially affect, the boundaries of the farm's operations. This article argues that agency and networking are crucial concepts in the analysis of such choices. These two concepts are also at the heart of rural studies. Here the focus will be on agency as strategic in the active organisation, combination and development of factors of production. In turn networking is central in the construction of (new) markets and other solutions to day to day or strategic problems. This article will use the experience of nested markets, as seen through the neo-institutional approach with a focus on transaction costs, to highlight that strategically organising production factors is central to being a farmer. It is a capacity that needs to be developed and strengthened rather than replaced and/or externalized. This applies especially when farmers seek to realign themselves with the needs of the environment and society.</description>
    <dc:date>2024-01-01T00:00:00Z</dc:date>
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  <item rdf:about="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325687">
    <title>"No farmers, no food": A sentiment analysis of the 2024 farmers' protests in Italy</title>
    <link>https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325687</link>
    <description>Title: "No farmers, no food": A sentiment analysis of the 2024 farmers' protests in Italy
Authors: Mazzocchi, Giampiero; Vassallo, Marco; Gabrieli, Giuliano; Henke, Roberto
Abstract: Starting in January 2024, street protests by farmers' groups spread in several European countries. The demands, which started from rather specific aspects, have broadened to involve economic, environmental and geo-political considerations, calling the already weakened European Green Deal even more into question. Starting from an analysis of the motivations for the protests and the responses provided by national governments and European institutions, the article tracks the main arguments that characterized the motivations of the so-called 'tractor protests', through the methodology of Sentiment Analysis applied to the social network of accounts (specifically, X) relating to different categories of subjects interested in the debate. The results indicate a generally positive sentiment, characterised by trust and anticipation, suggesting potential for improving the relationship between society, institutions, and the conditions of farmers. Farmers remain at the centre of the debate, which focused on two key areas: the economic and competitive conditions of agricultural businesses, and the compatibility and economic sustainability of the environmental regulations embedded in European policies. The research revealed that the demands were somewhat fragmented and inconsistent. Nevertheless, the protests, although short-lived, had a significant impact by prompting European institutions to steer environmental and agricultural policies in new directions. Additionally, the research highlights that innovative investigative methods can be effectively applied to examine the interplay between the technicalities of public policies and collective perceptions.</description>
    <dc:date>2024-01-01T00:00:00Z</dc:date>
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  <item rdf:about="https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325679">
    <title>The territorial basket of goods and services and the social construction of markets: Contributions from cooperatives and family-farmers' agrifood processing enterprises in Santa Catarina (Brazil)</title>
    <link>https://hdl.handle.net/10419/325679</link>
    <description>Title: The territorial basket of goods and services and the social construction of markets: Contributions from cooperatives and family-farmers' agrifood processing enterprises in Santa Catarina (Brazil)
Authors: Cazella, Ademir Antonio; Tecchio, Andréia; Schneider, Sergio; Boni, Valdete
Abstract: This article analyses the centrality of cooperativism in promoting sustainable territorial development, focusing on valorising territory-specific resources and promoting food and nutritional security through family-farmers' agrifood-processing enterprises. In theoretical terms, it combines the Territorial Basket of Goods and Services approach and the concept of social construction of territorialized markets. The reference territory is the operating region of a financial cooperative in western Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. For almost three decades this cooperative focuses its operations on six rural municipalities, with approximately 38,000 inhabitants. Various other forms of cooperation undertaken by farming families are promoted, highlighted by a forum of family farming social organizations. This is a sphere of territorial governance that demands various kinds of support from public bodies. The main methodological resources mobilized were an inventory of existing family-farmer enterprises in the territory, drawn from secondary sources, and interviews with territorial leaders and managers of a sample of these enterprises. Most of the processed products are sold through short routes, creating a dense and complex territorial market for quality agri-food products. We conclude that the process of building this territory reveals the collective creation of a complex and dense network of other social organizations, which work to create marketing channels that shape the territorial market.</description>
    <dc:date>2024-01-01T00:00:00Z</dc:date>
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