Agri-food contestations in rural space: GM in its regulatory context

Why are genetic technologies necessary in the agri-food sector and why have they created such opposition in the rural domain? The paper attempts to place GM in its contested regulatory context, situated as part of three different and competing paradigms of agri-food and rural development: the agri-industrial, post-productivist and rural development models. Conceptually, it is argued that GM is currently positioned as a relatively new variant and component of the mutating and dominant agri-industrial paradigm. This sets the context and development of GM at a global level. The paper explores in its first part how the spread of GM relates to the maintenance of the unsustainable. Whilst this remains a driving force we see, in the second part, with reference to the unfolding nature of European regulation since 2000, the ways in which this agri-industrial imperative is shaped by particular State actions which blend this agri-industrial model with a wider set of consumer, private sector and environmental concerns. Overall, the EU has managed to translate a global agri-industrial imperative, despite significant external pressure, into a highly regulated ‘post-productionist’ framework in which both private and public interests are given responsibility for delivering consumer rights. This may, or may not allow room for rural sustainable development alternatives to take hold. At least it provides something of an opportunity.     

A pioneering reputation: Assessing Piers Blaikie’s contributions to political ecology

This paper assesses the key contributions made by Piers Blaikie to the field of political ecology. Those contributions relate to the way in which this scholar has sought to dismantle barriers to thought by: (1) integrating the insights of political economy with those from environmental science, (2) opening up theoretical space in political ecology by engaging fruitfully with post-structural critiques, (3) moving beyond a narrow area-studies and development studies focus, and (4) helping to internationalise the research field beyond its core American base. The paper also highlights ambiguity in the role played by Blaikie in political ecology, as stances that he has taken in his work have provoked wider debate over the field’s purpose and coherence. Ensuing tensions over theory and practice as well as single versus multiple truths persist yet, pace Blaikie and others (e.g. Robbins), a robust political ecology is nonetheless able to consider what people ‘do’ from a healthy diversity of theoretical positions. The multiple contributions of Piers Blaikie underpin a reputation for having produced a pioneering body of work that has inspired scholars across theoretical, empirical and disciplinary boundaries, thereby ensuring that his will be a reputation that is interpreted and re-interpreted for many years to come.     

‘Jack of all trades’? The negotiation of interdisciplinarity within geography

This paper explores the relationship between interdisciplinary studies and research and researchers’ positionalities, both within and beyond geography. The profound degree to which researchers’ assumptions, expectations and attitudes (which in turn are affected by their personal backgrounds, training, location, etc.) influences the very notion of interdisciplinarity, and what it involves and consists of, is often neither noted nor appreciated. This paper will illustrate, particularly through personal examples, how positionality is part of the circuit of knowledge production, informing academic research, employment and publishing to no small extent. The boundaries of interdisciplinary research are shown to be under constant negotiation, still far from mutual understanding or consensus, a fact which explains the often uneasy identification and negotiation of oneself as an interdisciplinary scholar. The paper concludes by making recommendations at individual and institutional level on how to overcome some of the constraints imposed by researchers’ positionalities to the promotion of interdisciplinary research.     

A look inside the struggle for housing in Buenos Aires,Argentina

Set in the broader context of increasing urban precarity and displacement of the urban poor and working classes, this paper examines the social and collective significance of housing precarity and eviction as it is experienced by Latin American, immigrant families living in informal hotels in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I analyze the internal dynamics, interactions and relationships between residents of informal hotels, the housing organization CIBA (Coordinadora de Inquilinos de Buenos Aires), which fights for housing rights for the poor in the city, and the city government sponsored housing subsidy. I argue that urban precarity severely limits opportunities for collective organization around better housing and political and social change. I show that despite CIBA’s objectives to transform social and political conditions for the poor in Buenos Aires, residents often operate under other assumptions and goals, in part because of the temporal and spatial restraints under which they live. Instead, residents of informal hotels work with CIBA in order to secure access to basic, urgent needs. These different expectations and understandings produce contentious relationships of dependence and subordination that are exacerbated by the eviction process and the city government housing subsidy.     

乡村湿地发展模式探讨:以泥仓溇乡村湿地为例

在当前城镇化快速发展的过程中,工农业发展对乡村湿地造成一定的影响和破坏。阐述了泥仓溇乡村湿地建设与保护的必要性,从改善区域水环境,科学分区管理,丰富生物多样性、传承湿地文化等方面对泥仓溇乡村湿地实施了因地制宜的生态恢复,构建良好的湿地生态系统,达到生态效益、社会效益、经济效益的共赢,以期为我国乡村湿地的生态保护与合理利用提供参考。     

变化发展中的中国人文与经济地理学

学科方向与研究领域的确定是学科发展的灵魂。人文与经济地理学是研究领域乃至研究方向均处于变化中的学科,重新认识人文与经济地理学的研究领域与学科方向至关重要。通过梳理几十年来中国人文与经济地理学主要分支学科发展阶段,总结了人文与经济地理学对转型发展社会背景的响应,一方面要坚持学科交叉的性质,以“人-地系统”为理论方向和走理论与实践相结合的道路,另一方面人文与经济地理学者要以新的心态、新的视野,来思考未来发展的重点领域、发展理念以及理论与方法的创新。对长期以来学科涉及到的主要问题,战略性、咨询性、预测性甚至总结经验性（成果表现为发展学科理论）的工作将会逐渐增加,重要性将逐渐显现。阐述了信息化与社会空间经济组织、区域经济新格局与新型城镇化等重要研究领域的发展变化趋势,就“国际热点”与“国际前沿”、理论研究及理论与实践的关系等重要问题的研究理念以提出了新设想,并提出将“人文地理学”改称为“人文与经济地理学”的建议。     

自然的社会建构：西方人文地理学对自然的再认识

自然的社会建构作为西方人文地理学界对自然的再思考,渐成为理解自然与社会互动的重要理论框架,并逐步成为推动人地和谐、可持续发展研究的新范式。通过梳理自然的社会建构研究理论源起并对西方涉及自然的社会建构的研究文献进行全面梳理发现,自然的社会建构并非单纯指基于建构主义视角考察自然的知识生产或价值与意义,还应该关注自然被生产与形构的商品化过程。现有议题主要聚焦于政治与自然、商品化与自然、社会情感与自然以及日常生活与自然四大方面。在此基础上,进一步提出了国内未来研究需要关注的重要方向。     

Book Reviews

Cresswell, TimIn Place/Out of Place: Geography, Ideology, and Transgression Cho, GeorgeTrade, Aid and Global Interdependence Colten, Craig E. and Skinner, Peter N.The Road to Love Canal: Managing Industrial Waste before EPA DeMers, Michael N.Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems Frantz, Klaus and Sauder, Robert A. (eds)Ethnic Persistence and Change in Europe and America: Traces in Landscape and Society Hardwick, Susan Wiley and Holtgrieve, Donald G.Valley for Dreams: Life and Landscape in the Sacramento Valley Herbert, StevePolicing Space: Territoriality and the Los Angeles Police Department Jackson, TimMaterial Concerns: Pollution, Profit and Quality of Life King, Russell; Connell, John, and White, Paul (eds)Writing across Worlds: Literature and Migration Majumdar, S. K.; Miller, E. W., and Brenner, F. J. (eds)Environmental Contaminants, Ecosystems and Human Health Tuathail, Gearóid ÓCritical Geopolitics: The Politics of Writing Global Space Pinch, StevenWorlds of Welfare: Understanding the Changing Geographies of Social Welfare Provision Poulsen, Thomas M.Nations and States: A Geographic Background to World Affairs Reid, DavidSustainable Development: An Introductory Guide Simmie, James (ed.)Innovation, Networks and Learning Regions?     

安徽省怀远县双桥镇农村经济发展与战略构想

本文从区域开发的角度，对双桥镇的自然与社会要素，农村经济发展现状进行了分析，提出了水土资源优化配置方案：一是强化农田水利的配置工程及合理开采地下水，实行节水农业；二是种养结合，建立有机肥与无机肥相结合的地力培肥体系，建立种养结合的良种繁育体系，培植双桥特色的名、优、特、稀产品。     

乡村地理学发展的回顾与展望

本文提出了乡村地理学的修正定义;总结了乡村地理学发展的主要特点和成就,剖析了存在的主要问题和不足;并提出了90年代我国乡村地理学的研究重点及对促进我国乡村地理学发展的理论和实践意义。