Rural Sociology Commons^™

The Agricultural Crisis In The Upper Midwest: Responses To Financial Distress On The Family Farm, Thomas C. Langham

Great Plains Sociologist

The farm crisis in the Upper Midwest in the mid-1980s created financial distress that has deeply affected farm families. This paper examines the experiences of these families attempting to survive their financial troubles. It provides a portrait of their personal characteristics and gives a sense of the conditions that they confront in their daily lives. Out of the insights gleaned, this study furnishes ideas for future research. Twenty-two husbands and nineteen wives from twenty-five farm families participated in this study. The data collected from these financially troubled families was gathered between February and November 1986. It was obtained through use …

Psychological Centrality And Self-Concept Change, Clifford L. Staples

Great Plains Sociologist

Any theory of the self-concept must address itself to the "thorny problem of self-concept change (Rosenberg, 1979: 76)." That is, what are the conditions under which individuals will be willing or unwilling to change the way they think and feel about themselves? Here we explore the possibility that the psychological centrality (Rosenberg, 1979: 73-77) or relative phenomenological importance, of a self-conception is one factor that influences a person's willingness to consider changing that self-conception. Rosenberg (1979: 75-76) develops the problem of psychological centrality and self-concept change in terms of the apparently contradictory evidence generated by attempts to get people to …

Status Inconsistent Entrepreneurs And Robert Merton's Innovation, Paul E. Krueger

Great Plains Sociologist

From where springs forth entrepreneurs? The United States is experiencing an unprecedented increase of entrepreneurs. They have emerged in growing numbers during the past ten to fifteen years (Drucker, 1985), reaching a crescendo in what American Demographics has called the "Entrepreneurial Eighties" (Russell, 1985). Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley recently recognized this occurrence by declaring an "Entrepreneur Day" for his city at the annual meeting of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (Givens and Goldberg, 1986). What is an entrepreneur? There have been many definitions since the term was coined by French economist J. B. Say in about 1800 (Drucker, 1985). According …

Building Productivism In Rural China: The Case Of Residential Restructuring In Chengdu, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper theorizes the rural restructuring in China today as a transition towards productivism – characterized by both a productivist agricultural regime and productivist rural spaces. The rise of the productivist agricultural regime has spearheaded this transition for two decades; now the residential restructuring programs implemented under various policy schemes are also producing spaces of productivism in the new concentrated settlements. This paper, employing Halfacree’s three-fold conceptual model of rural space and using the empirical case of residential restructuring in Chengdu, offers the first full analysis of the rise of productivism in all three facets of rural space. It demonstrates …

Testing The Drosophila Maternal Haploid Gene For Functional Divergence And A Role In Hybrid Incompatibility, Dean M. Castillo, Benjamin Mccormick, Connor M. Kean, Sahana Natesan, Daniel A. Barbash

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Crosses between Drosophila simulans females and Drosophila melanogaster males produce viable F1 sons and poorly viable F1 daughters. Unlike most hybrid incompatibilities, this hybrid incompatibility violates Haldane’s rule, the observation that incompatibilities preferentially affect the heterogametic sex. Furthermore, it has a different genetic basis than hybrid lethality in the reciprocal cross, with the causal allele in Drosophila melanogaster being a large species-specific block of complex satellite DNA on its X chromosome known as the 359-bp satellite, rather than a protein-coding locus. The causal allele(s) in Drosophila simulans are unknown but likely involve maternally expressed genes or factors since the F1 …

Incorporating Chokeberry (Aronia) Into A Home Landscape, Claude J. Jean, Paul E. Read, Ellen T. Paparozzi

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Chokeberry (Aronia) is an ornamental plant that has found use in the home landscape, providing colorful displays and annually producing berries for the enjoyment of the homeowner and wildlife alike. With careful placement, this durable plant needs minimal care and has few pest problems. It is gaining attention for its timeless beauty.

Community Well-Being And Leadership In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Amanda Tupper

Nebraska Rural Poll

Rural Nebraskans are less positive about the current change and expected future change in their communities this year. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better has typically been greater than the proportion believing it has changed for the worse. However, last year the proportion believing their community changed for the worse was slightly more than the proportion believing it had changed for the better (similar to what occurred in 2003 and 2009). This year, that gap widened a bit.

Despite that, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community by many different measures. Most rural Nebraskans rate their …

Views Of Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Amanda Tupper

Nebraska Rural Poll

This year, rural Nebraskans are more pessimistic about their current situation than they’ve been in the past nine years. The proportion believing they are worse off than they were five years ago was 21 percent, up from the 11 percent reported last year. This is the highest level since 2013, when 26 percent believed they were worse off. This increase in pessimism did not translate into a decrease in optimism, however. This year, one-half of rural Nebraskans believe they are better off compared to five years ago, similar to 52 percent last year. The corresponding change occurred in a decrease …

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (Nasis) 2022 Methodology Report, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Youth Tobacco Survey 2022, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Student Health and Risk Prevention Surveillance System (SHARP)

No abstract provided.

Nasis 2022: Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey Questionnaire, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relationship Between Place Attachment And Attitudes Toward Tourism Development In Powell County, Lindsay Vance

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

This study explores the relationship between Powell County, Kentucky residents’ place attachment, and the perceived sociocultural, environmental, and financial benefits of the future Warrior’s Path development. A survey consisting primarily of five-point Likert scale questions was shared with several local organizations to distribute to their members. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Chi-square test of independence tests were used to discover any correlation between place attachment and perceived sociocultural, environmental, and financial benefits of tourism development. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r=.465) determined a moderate positive correlation between place attachment and perceived sociocultural benefits of the Warrior’s Path and tourism development. Of …

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Opinions About Water, Climate, And Energy: 2022 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Heather Akin, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steven A. Schulz, Amanda Tupper

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans receive their home tap water from city water or municipal water systems. Just over two-thirds of rural Nebraskans receive their drinking water from a municipal system. One-quarter have private well water and seven percent are on a rural water system.

Many rural Nebraskans have tested their home tap water for nitrates. However, a similar proportion indicated they have not tested their water or are unsure. Persons with higher household incomes are more likely than persons with lower incomes to have tested their home water for each of the items listed. Many persons with the lowest household incomes …

The Past And Future Of Migration, Poverty, And Small-Scale Agriculture In Mexico, Kimberly Zamora Delgado

CMC Senior Theses

The conflated pattern between poverty, rurality, and indigeneity in Mexico signifies drastic inequality between populations. Poor, rural communities often do not receive as much public services, infrastructure improvements, and employment opportunities as urban areas, which causes out-migration into the cities. Some of the few jobs available in rural areas are in the agriculture sector, either through small-scale subsistence farming or seasonal employment on a large-scale farm. Historically, certain wealthy states such as Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Sonora received greater support to up-scale into modernized agriculture, which made them into the largest agro-exporters. On the other hand, poor states with greater indigenous …

Organizing For Power: Understanding Changing Conceptions Of Power In Rural Community Organizing, Evan R. Morden

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Community organizing is a practice of building and utilizing collective power, often initiated by groups who have little or no preexisting social or economic power. By acting together in a disciplined, organized, and targeted fashion, organizing is used to exert influence in the public square to achieve policy outcomes, provide mutual aid, and reweave the fabric of social relations in communities, frequently in direct opposition to existing power structures. Thus, creating a shared understanding of power that is fundamentally liberative is key to the success of organizing efforts and moreover, to creating lasting community cohesion that can continue to mount …

Deep Roots In Eroding Soil: Building Decolonial Resilience Amidst Climate Violence And Displacement In A Louisiana Bayou Indigenous Community, Lia Mcgrath Kahan

Senior Independent Study Theses

The Pointe-au-Chien Indigenous community of coastal Louisiana is fighting for survival as climate change and socio-political factors threaten to displace them from their ancestral home. This project takes an ethnographic and historical approach to exploring how colonization and climate change have influenced Pointe-au-Chien tribal members’ ability to stay on their ancestral land. Climate projections estimate that the bayou this community has lived alongside of for generations will soon be unrecognizable, leading to potential displacement and devastating cultural loss. Due to the increasing severity of climate change, it is crucial to look to the experiences of frontline Indigenous communities to support …

Rural Parent's Experiences Of Stress And Resilience During The Covid-19 Pandemic And School Closure, Emily Wilson, Jungwon Eum, Yuenjung Joo, Martinique A. Sealy, Jentry Stoneman Barrett, Gwen C. Nugent, Joan M. Carraher, Angela G. Hinrichs

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated social and economic disruptions, resulting in cascading effects on the health and well- being of global citizens. However, little research has focused on how COVID-19 has affected rural regions, despite rurality being a critical factor for understanding community impact and response to the pandemic. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of rural Nebraskan parents with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic and school shutdown, and the strategies they used to support their families during that time. We conducted individual and group interviews with 22 white, non-Hispanic mothers living in rural …

Impact And Coping Strategies Among Vulnerable Groups: An Urban-Rural Resilience Trajectory Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rizki Fillali, Ana Rosidha Tamyis, Sulton Mawardi, Hening Wikan Sawiji

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on the livelihoods of vulnerable groups. Previous studies have indicated that vulnerable groups in urban areas suffer more economic impacts than their counterparts in rural areas, largely due to mobility restrictions, social and physical distancing measures, and pre-pandemic vulnerabilities, exacerbating the challenges that urban groups face to survive. This article examines variations in the impacts and coping strategies of vulnerable groups in selected urban and rural areas in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and determines how these impacts and coping strategies have shaped the trajectory of community resilience. The article argues that although …

Changing Age Segregation In The Us: 1990 To 2010, Debasree Das Gupta, David W. S. Wong

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Age segregation adversely impacts health and wellbeing. Prior studies, although limited, report increasing age segregation of the US. However, these studies are dated, do not comprehensively examine the spatiotemporal patterns and the correlates of intergenerational segregation, or suffer from methodological limitations. To address these gaps, we assess the spatiotemporal patterns of age segregation between 1990 and 2010 using census-tract data to compute the dissimilarity index (D) at the national, state, and county levels. Results contradict previous findings providing robust evidence of decreasing age segregation for most parts of the country and across geographical levels. We also examine factors explaining adult-older …

Associations Between Physical Activity And Alcohol Consumption In Rural Cancer Survivors, Scherezade K Mama, Natalia I Heredia, Hannah Johnston, David E Conroy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Rural adults and cancer survivors are more likely to be physically inactive and exceed recommendations for alcohol use. Physical activity and alcohol use are positively associated in adults and cancer survivors but associations between physical activity and alcohol use in rural cancer survivors is unknown. This cross-sectional study explored associations between physical activity, sitting time, and alcohol use in rural cancer survivors.

METHODS: Cancer survivors residing in central Pennsylvania were recruited to the Partnering to Prevent and Control Cancer (PPCC) study and completed mailed questionnaires assessing physical activity (low, moderate, high), sitting time (≥6 hours/day), and alcohol use (0 …

Rural Feminism And Perspectives Of Women Farmers In The Agriculture Industry: "I Don't Think I'D Want To Be A Man In This Industry", Cassie M. Duncan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Women currently make up 36% of the workforce in the agriculture industry and are actively growing in number (National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2017). Historically, women’s roles in the agriculture industry were silent or ignored, which has had consequences for women, such as poorer quality of life (Meares, 1997). Today, women are becoming more and more involved in the agriculture industry, but still face inequality in the workplace due to their gender. This research aims to understand the day-to-day experiences and impact of gender for women who work in the production agriculture industry; and by doing so, expand Feminist Theory to …