"The chapters in this book have been selected from the papers given at the fifth British American Rural Geography Symposium held at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, in the County of Devon in the UK during July 2003."--Preface.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Rural change and sustainability: key themes / Stephen Essex, Andrew Gilg and Richard Yarwood -- Fordism rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system / Michael Troughton -- Feedlot growth in southern Alberta: a neo-Fordist interpretation / Ian MacLachlan -- People and hogs: agricultural restructuring and the contested countryside in agro-Manitoba / Douglas Ramsey, John Everitt and Lyndenn Behm -- Global markets, local foods: the paradoxes of aquaculture / Joan Marshall -- Alternative or conventional? An examination of specialist livestock production systems in the Scottish-English borders / Brian Ilbery and Damian Maye -- Agritourism and the selling of local food production, family and rural American traditions to maintain family farming heritage / Deborah Che, Gregory Veeck and Ann Veeck -- Re-imaging agriculture: making the case for farming at the agricultural show / Lewis Holloway -- Stewardship, 'proper' farming and environmental gain: contrasting experiences of agri-environmental schemes in Canada and the EU / Guy M. Robinson -- Stemming the urban tide: policy and attitudinal changes for saving the Canadian countryside / Hugh J. Gayler -- Vulnerability and sustainability concerns for the US High Plains / Lisa M. Butler Harrington -- Environmental ghost towns / Chris Mayda -- Interpreting family farm change and the agricultural importance of rural communities: evidence from Ontario, Canada / John Smithers -- Engagement with the land: redemption of the rural residence fantasy? / Kirsten Valentine Cadieux -- Mammoth Cave National Park and rural economic development / Katie Algeo -- Assessing variation in rural America's housing stock: case studies from growing and declining areas / Holly R. Barcus -- The geography of housing needs of low income persons in rural Canada / David Bruce -- Change in rural North Carolina: the new Latino presence / Owen J. Furuseth -- Finding the 'region' in rural regional governance / Ann K. Deakin -- Corporate-community relations in the tourism sector: a stakeholder perspective / Alison M. Gill and Peter W. Williams -- Resource town transition: debates after closure / Greg Halseth -- Narratives of community-based resource management in the American West / Randall K. Wilson -- Youth, partnerships and participation? Action research as a methodological approach / Christine Corcoran -- Conclusions / John Smithers and Randall K. Wilson.

This book, consisting of 24 chapters, draws upon selected, revised, and edited papers from the 5th British-American Rural Geography Symposium held in Devon in July 2003. It focuses on rural regions in the UK, the USA, and Canada that are facing conflicting demands, pressures and challenges, having far-reaching implications for rural space and society. The contributions are grouped under four themes: agricultural responses; environmental issues; communities; and governance. The chapters in the agriculture section illustrate how productivism has responded to and survived changes in world markets and pressures for greater environmental sustainability. In the environment section, two themes emerge: the emergence and evolution of public policies to encourage environmental protection; and the vulnerability and sustainability of rural communities in light of emerging environmental hazards and changes. All the chapters in the third section show that rural communities are continuing to experience profound social, economic and demographic change. The chapters in the last section focuses on new forms of governance that blend and empower actors from the public, private and voluntary sectors. They show that the rhetoric of community and locality-based participation is emerging in the way decisions are made about rural places. The book has a subject index.

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Title from PDF title page (viewed November 15, 2017).