Socio-political and ecological stresses on traditional pastoral systems: A review

Journal of Geographical Sciences - Pastoralism is a viable socio-economic system-shaped by landless and agro-pastoral communities in many pastoral regions of the world. This system is mainly based...     

Feminism and Social Theory in Geography: An Introduction*

This essay introduces a collection of articles based on papers developed for a Fall 2004 speaker series at the University of Minnesota. The articles address the continued relevance of feminist geography and the unique contributions of feminist perspectives in various areas of geographic research. They also point out directions for needed future research. This introduction briefly reviews the successes of and remaining challenges to feminist geography, including material inequities yet unresolved in two other (nonresearch) “places” of academic life: teaching and the workplace. We discuss the ongoing underrepresentation of women and people of color on our faculties and in the front of classrooms.     

南水北调中线核心区土地利用变化及其生态环境响应研究

本文以南水北调中线工程核心水源区淅川县为例,选取2004年TM、2014年GF1号影像等数据,解译获取了淅川县土地利用数据,对2004-2014年淅川县土地利用变化进行定量分析。通过选用区域生态环境质量模型,对研究期内淅川县土地利用变化的生态环境效应进行评估,并采用灰色关联法对导致淅川县生态环境质量变化的驱动因素进行分析。研究结果表明：① 2004-2014年,林地、建设用地和水域面积增加,耕地面积减少。在林地资源演化趋势上,有林地、疏林地、灌木林地和苗圃地与林地资源的整体演化格局一致,而宜林地和无立木林地、未成林造林地呈减少的趋势;② 在空间分布上,林地主要分布在海拔高、坡度较陡的北部山区,耕地和建设用地密集分布于海拔低、相对平缓的东南部地区;③ 2004年和2014年2期生态环境质量均在县域内表现出明显的空间差异,呈现出北高南低的分布趋势。研究期内淅川县区域生态环境质量指数从0.5443上升至0.6039,生态环境质量提高,其中宜林地和无立木林地转化为有林地、退耕还林对区域生态环境改善贡献最大;④ 局部地区生态环境呈负向发展,其中对森林资源采取掠夺式开采和粗放型管理、毁林开地对县域生态环境产生的负面影响最为深刻。⑤ 2004-2014年县域生态环境质量变化主要由政策和居民追求利益最大化的行为所驱动。     

地理边缘区:边缘化与反边缘化——基于海南西部的实证研究

地理边缘区因处于不同地理单元之间而使其资源环境具有过渡性、边缘性、转换性等特征,复杂的自然环境使地理边缘区的发展具有不确定性。地理边缘区的边缘优势不能有效发挥则使经济发展缓慢,出现边缘化现象。分析典型地理边缘区-海南西部以期探究边缘化的形成机制与反边缘化的有效对策。地理边缘区存在位置偏远等不利因素,该不利因素是引发边缘化的主要原因。削除不利因素的负面影响与挖掘边缘优势是反边缘化的关键措施。构建快捷交通通讯可改善地理边缘区的区位条件,壮大优势产业、发挥资源优势、延长产业链条等均有助于海南西部实现反边缘化。     

转型期农村宅基地边际化的内涵、特征与诊断指标

本文主要考察城乡转型发展与农村空心化背景下,农村宅基地利用形态的演变与边际化问题。在剖析农村宅基地边际化概念和内涵的基础上,探讨了宅基地边际化的类型及其在区域土地利用中的表现特征,提出了相应的诊断标准。农村宅基地的边际化是一种在现有的土地利用和社会经济结构条件下,农村宅基地原始的居住保障功能不断弱化、衰退或被其他用途取代的现象。农户对宅基地边际化的行为响应,将导致区域农村宅基地在利用程度、功能与使用制度等方面发生重大变化。农村宅基地的“利用率诊断”、“自住面积比例诊断”与“利用成本诊断”是诊断农村宅基地边际化类型、测度农村宅基地边际化趋势的三个主要步骤。一般而言,该宅基地的利用率明显下降是显性边际化的重要标志;而在宅基地多功能利用过程中,自住面积比例的不断降低,体现了农村宅基地的隐性边际化;最后,农村宅基地现有自住用途下利用成本的增加,是其边际化趋势预测的重要依据。本文可为城乡发展转型期农村宅基地利用形态和功能变化提供新的研究视角。     

Female Farmers in Canada, 1971–1986*

The discussion of agricultural restructuring has often failed to include farm women, particularly those who own and operate their own enterprises. Accordingly, this research presents an overview of Canadian female farm operators, who are a growing component of the farm operator population. Using previously untabulated data from the 1971, 1981, and 1986 censuses of agriculture and population, the study draws comparisons to male farmers in Canada and female farmers in the United States. The census data show that the socioeconomic and farming profile of Canadian female farmers differs from that of their male colleagues, and that the differences in certain key characteristics (such as farm size, sales, and commodity type) are becoming more noticeable over time. This raises questions about whether female operators are in danger of becoming marginalized from mainstream production, and whether their needs as a minority group among agricultural producers are being recognized.     

Identifying and Removing the Silences of Roma Culture in Polish School Texts

The Roma are the largest and, some scholars would argue, the most marginalized group in Europe, an observation evident in an examination of school texts for Polish children. Using the concept of the “geographies of silence,” we discuss the nature of text and graphical silences and the reasons behind the paucity of text, photo, and map coverage. We conclude by presenting photos that could be used in future texts to better inform Polish youth about a much-neglected part of their culture.     

传统村落分布的“边缘化”特征——以湖南省为例

传统村落伴随快速城市化、城进乡退的进程,呈现出“边缘化”分布趋势。以湖南省723个传统村落为实证对象,借助ArcGIS 10.0技术平台,选取影响传统村落的农业资源、经济、空间及交通等四类因素,以县域为统计单元,对湖南省域进行核心—边缘区评价。将评价结果与传统村落分布进行叠加,结果显示湖南省传统村落分布呈现农业资源边缘化、经济边缘化、空间边缘化和交通边缘化特征,并分析传统村落分布“边缘化”特征形成机理,提出保护开发建议。     

Global understanding of farmland abandonment: A review and prospects

Since the 1950s, noteworthy farmland abandonment has been occurring in many developed countries and some developing countries. This global land use phenomenon has fundamentally altered extensive rural landscapes. A review of global farmland abandonment under the headings of “land use change–driving mechanisms–impacts and consequences–policy responses” found the following: (1) Farmland abandonment has occurred primarily in developed countries in Europe and North America, but the extent of abandonment has varied significantly. (2) Changing socio-economic factors were the primary driving forces for the farmland abandonment. And land marginalization was the fundamental cause, which was due to the drastic increase of farming opportunity cost, while the direct factor for abandonment was the shrink of agricultural labor forces. (3) Whether to abandon, to what extent and its spatial distributions were finally dependent on integrated effect from the physical conditions, laborer attributes, farming and regional socio-economic conditions at the village, household and parcel scales. With the exception of Eastern Europe, farmland abandonment was more likely to occur in mountainous and hilly areas, due to their unfavorable farming conditions. (4) A study of farmland abandonment should focus on its ecological and environmental effects, while which is more positive or more negative are still in dispute. (5) Increasing agricultural subsidies will be conductive to slowing the rate of farmland abandonment, but this is not the only measure that needs to be implemented.Due to China’s rapid urbanization, there is a high probability that the rate of abandonment will increase in the near future. However, very little research has focused on this rapid land-use trend in China, and, as a result, there is an inadequate understanding of the dynamic mechanisms and consequences of this phenomenon. This paper concludes by suggesting some future directions for further research in China. These directions include monitoring regional and national abandonment dynamics, analyzing trends, assessing the risks and socio-economic effects of farmland abandonment, and informing policy making.