1.1 Alternative livelihood system for sustainable rural transition in the global south
A challenge facing marginal or transitional areas of the global south is to identify alternative livelihoods for local residents in order to achieve public objectives such as poverty alleviation, environmental protection or other public interested projects. This raises questions about mutual trust, effective communication and cooperation between external stakeholders and local communities to initiate and sustain a process of rural transition toward a new and sustainable livelihood system.
This project attempts to develop a framework on alternative livelihood system for sustainable rural transition to reflect good practices in both “targeted poverty alleviation” in China (2015-2020) and Chinese agricultural investment in BRI countries (especially Southeast Asia). In particular, it aims to address following questions:
1) what experience and lessons can be learnt from alternative livelihood strategies in different locations and programmes, either in China or in BRI countries?
2) What are key factors, conditions and mechanisms which can be drawn from good practices in terms of successful and sustainable alternative livelihood systems?
3) How can mutual trust, collaboration and partnership between external stakeholders and local communities be initiated, maintained and upgraded, leading to sustainable rural transition?
4) What are features of or criteria for favourable ecosystems responsible for sustainable rural transition, and what lessons can be learnt from unsuccessful external intervention? Above aims will be addressed based upon case studies and comparisons in multiple sites, either in China or in BRI countries..
ECRs: Yan Jin (YAU), Shuru Zhong (SYU ), Zhenzhong Si (WLU)
Mentors: Bin Wu (UoN), Peter Ho (ZheJiang University); Gubo Qi (CAU)
Contacts: Yan Jin (jinyan_yn@163.com);
1.2 Classification and strategy of rural revitalisation in China
In the context of urbanization in the third world, rural revitalization faces challenges in relation to how to design a suitable approach recognising and incorporating the complexity and diversity of different geographical locations in terms of resource endowments, development conditions, social cultural and other factors. It raises a question about how to establish a comprehensive, accurate and operational system for regional classification in order to develop relevant and suitable regional strategies and policies. Such question is particularly salient in China where central government has issued a strategic plan for rural revitalization in 2018, but yet a classification system for implementation at local/regional level. Furthermore, no consensus has been reached between academia, policy makers, and other stakeholders as to how to form a rural classification system to capture and recognise different characteristics of different regions. This is due to many factors involved, such as: different visions, different understanding of the future of the countryside, as well as the complexity and diversity of rural revitalization pathways.
This project attempts to develop an approach focusing on identifying typologies of rural revitalization by region, associated with a set of identification and classification methods by reviewing good practices and lessons learnt in rural development practices at country level of China, and also comparing with experience of the EU. It is envisaged that different strategies and policy recommendations will be formed for different regions based on their characteristics identified in the rural classification system. Specifically, this project aims to answer the following questions:
1) What are differences between different stakeholders in terms of understanding, intentions and suggestions on the classification of rural areas in future? What are the criteria and key factors that affect the classification?
2) What are qualitative and quantitative influencing factors for rural identification and classification? By what mechanisms can the voices of multiple stakeholders be heard and integrated into the process of rural classification and implementation?
3) What are good practices in rural revitalization in China? What can we learn from the experience of EU countries? What are the policy implications of rural classification for improving rural revitalization practices in different types of regions or rural areas across China?
This project will be carried out through the CFRS platform comprised by Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), UoN, ADAS, etc. Interviews with key stakeholders and case studies in typical counties will be taken. We welcome young scholars with interest, ideas and empirical research experience to join our research team and to publish high-quality academic papers.
ECRs: Chen Jing (CAAS), Lirong Liu (Surrey University), Viachaslau Filimonau (Bournemouth University)
Mentors: Yiying Cao (Principle Economist, ADAS), Bin Wu (UoN).
Contact: Chen Jing (chenjing@caas.cn).
2.1 Potato industrialization and internationalization in marginal areas
For food security and poverty alleviation in the global south, a challenge facing development professionals is to identify the access to and intrinsic dynamics of local communities, as well as interfaces with external resources, opportunities and markets. With a focus on potato, major food and source of the rural poor’s livelihoods in marginal areas of China, this project aims to establish an international innovation base for ECRs to develop interdisciplinary and stakeholder-engaged research collaboration to address challenging issues against industrialization (commercialisation, scaling-up, speciality, extension of value chains) and participation of small farmers.
The project will be based upon a Potato Science & Technology Backyard (STB) established in Butuo of Sichuan, a typic County representing poor, mountainous and ethnic minority-dominated areas of China. With the partnership between the University of Nottingham (UoN), Sichuan Agricultural University (SAU), James Hutton Institute(JHI), China Agricultural University (CAU) and University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), in particular, this project aims to:
1) Develop an overview and international comparison on China’s potato industrial strategy and impact on poverty alleviation in its marginal areas idea since the mid-2010s;
2) Identify key technical gaps (e.g. loss of seed potato vigor, viral and bacterial disease, pest infestations, and abiotic stresses), and suitable solutions such as potato varieties, biotechnological and molecular biology tools for breeding and seed potato physiology, AI and improved technologies;
3) Develop a potato innovation system approach to map out key technologies (breeding, planting, pest management, storing, processing, transportation and distribution), industrial sectors (e.g. cropping, processing and servicing like rural tourism), conditions and interconnection mechanisms for potato industrialisation in different agroecological and geographic zones in Butuo, Liangshan and Sichuan;
4) Reveal the environmental and ecological effects (e.g. carbon footprint) of different technological systems (e.g. potato production and storage methods), consumption styles, and pathways of consumers’ participation in potato industrialisation and environment protection (via water-food-economy nexus);
5) Understand the conditions and mechanisms of potato farmers in the adoption of new technologies, cooperative development and good cases in innovation diffusion strategy and policies at different regions and levels;
6) Explore pathways of potato industrialisation through international participation in technology transfer, potato seed breeding for overseas markets, and the share of good practices in the BRI countries;
7) Reveal the conditions, impacts and pathways of Butuo Potato STB in innovation diffusion, entrepreneurship training, social innovation and cooperative development, systematic innovation for rural revitalisation strategy and planning, and policy.
The above aims will be addressed through a close collaboration between ECRs from all disciplinary backgrounds, mentors from all partnership institutes and industrial stakeholders. We welcome ECRs who share a vision to join us and to make a contribution via various ways, such as joint funding application, design and conducting field research in Butuo, data analysis and publications.
ECRs: Fengjun Yan (SAU); F.M.S. Azam (NJNU); Jan Jowick (UNNC); Qian Yang (UoN); Lirong Liu (University of Surrey), Ying Zheng (University of Glassgow)
Mentors: Xiyao Wang (SAU), Jonathan Snape (JHI), Gubo Qi (CAU), Bin Wu (UoN), Min Rose (UNNC)
Contacts: Fengjun Yan (yfjun1989@126.com); F.M.S. Azam (shojibbiotech@yahoo.com).
2.2 Theory and practice of sustainable food system in the global south
A sustainable food system (a set of health food and relevant factors or conditions) calls for novel understandings and practices in communication and collaboration across disciplinary, sector, social and national boundaries. Based upon the exploration and network of China’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), this project aims to facilitate CFRS and CSA members to develop common interests in research, experiment and demonstration, and entrepreneurship training to share good practices in CSA development and address challenging issues facing sustainable food system in China and global south. Above aim contains following goals to achieve:
1) Share good practices in CSA movement, sustainable food, organic farm, food standards and policies in the UK and other countries via regular webinars and CSA training courses;
2) Identify key challenges or barriers against the adoption or diffusion of sustainable farming practice, and develop joint experiment and demonstration projects;
3) Understand new momentums, resources, opportunities and constraints against sustainable food system, CSA movement and consumers’ participation at different levels (regional, national, international);
4) Develop relevant strategies, policy recommendations and training courses for different stakeholders and groups (including: ECRs and university students) in different countries or regions.
ECRs: Shuru Zhong (SYSU), Zhenzhong Si (WLU), Christian Reynolds (CityU), Qian Yang (UoN), Kamal Alskaf (UoN), Victoria Outram (UoN), Terris Holloway (UoN), Punita Bhatt (UoN)
Mentors: Yan Shi (CSA), Gubo Qi (CAU), Songliang Wang (FAFU), Bin Wu (UoN)
Contacts: Shuru Zhong (zhongshr3@mail.sysu.edu.cn); Qian Yang (qian.yang@nottingham.ac.uk)
2.3 Interconnection and transformation of small farmers through dragon enterprises
In the context of the transformation and vulnerability of over 500 million smallholder farmers in the global south, the emergence of digital technology (DT) has brough both challenges and opportunities for them to adapt and access to external markets through newly emerged “dragon enterprises” (enterprises thereafter). This is particularly true in China where many famous enterprises (e.g. Alibaba, Jindong, PDD) have established which provides various services to small farmers nationwide. Bearing in mind the competition and variety among those enterprises in terms of business strategy and operation mechanism, a salient question arises about the establishment, maintenance and development of partnerships between enterprises and farmers, a key factor responsible for sustainable agriculture and successful transformation of small farmers. Based upon a collaboration between CFRS (UK-China ECR Consortium of Future Rural Studies) and Dabeinong Group (DBN, 大北农集团), this project aims to support promised together early career researchers (ECRs) to address following questions:
1) How have DT and government policies (e.g. cooperative development, poverty alleviation) influenced the development of enterprises in the past decade or so? And what differences can be recognized between enterprises in terms of business models?
2) What are variations of the relationship between the enterprise and farmers in terms of mutual trust, business collaboration and profit distribution? And what are key factors or conditions in establishing a stable, dynamic partnership?
3) What are changes happened in the terms of the relationship between the enterprise and farmers in the past?
4) How has the partnership influenced the transformation of farmers in terms of attitudes, perceptions, behaviours and standards? And what are good cases in terms of the impact of the partnership development on local ecological environment, industrial revitalisation and sustainable rural transition?
Dependent upon the interests of ECRs and availability of resources, a number of projects and sites for empirical researches will be selected to support.
ECRs: Boli Shi (DBN), An Chen (DBN), Kamal Alskaf and Qian Yang (UoN), Zhen Wang (SXAU), Yanhua Yan (CNIS).
Mentors: Bin Wu (UoN), Gubo Qi (CAU)
Contact: Boli Shi (shibolii@163.com)
2.4 Eco-agriculture innovation system for rural transition in ecologically fragile areas
In the context of “carbon neutrality” and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the global south, eco-agricultural development is vital to carbon emissions. It involves two interwoven changes: agricultural transition to reduce chemical use with high efficiency in land and resource uses; and the transformation of over 500 million smallholder farmers in terms of attitudes, production and organisational styles. It calls for an eco-agriculture innovation system (EAIS) which is comprised of agricultural scientists, innovative farmers and other stakeholders (e.g., enterprises, government agencies) to facilitate and coordinate technological and social innovation. This project aims to explore pathways, conditions and mechanisms to establish and maintain the EAIS for eco-agricultural development and transformation of smallholder farmers in ecologically fragile areas towards sustainable livelihoods, industrial revitalisation, environmental improvement and carbon reduction.
With a geographic focus on the Loess Plateau, a region of China suffering from soil erosion in history and also experiencing in the growth of forestry covering since the 21st century, a partnership between CFRS and Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ISWC), part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is established to facilitate ECR collaboration by focusing on, but not be limited to, one of following themes:
1) What can we learn from theoretic exploration and development practices in “Grain for Green”, “Targeted Poverty Alleviation”, and pillar industrial development in this region over the past two decades? What are key factors responsible for agricultural and rural transition in the past, and what are challenges to be addressed? What roles and contributions have research institutes (including ISWC) and researchers made? What are knowledge gaps and challenge facing research institutes to meet the needs of both agricultural and rural transition in this region?
2) What are the theoretical basis, successful cases, key factors, conditions and mechanisms of EAIS in ecologically fragile areas? What experiences and lessons can be shared in the development of EAIS in different countries or regions?
3) What experiences and cases can be shared during the participating of research institutes and researchers in the national projects such as “Grain for Green”, “Targeted Poverty Alleviation” and local pillar industrial development in the poor areas? How can the concept of EAIS contribute to the functional improvement or upgrading of current “Expert Courtyard”, “S & T Backyard” and wild stations?
4) How to tackle the dilemma of the "last mile" or bottleneck of innovation diffusion? By what mechanisms can “new professionals” be mobilised, trained and organised to work with multiple stakeholders and facilitate eco-agricultural development and transformation of smallholders?
Based upon the partnership between CFRS and ISWC, we welcome young scholars with interests, ideas and practical experiences to join our team for joint research design, funding application, data analysis or multi-case comparison for high-quality publications, policy recommendations or to social impact cases.
ECR:Tibin Zhang (ISWC, CAS ), Qirui Li (University of Bayreuth), Kamal Alskaf (UoN)
Mentors:Hao Feng (ISWC, CAS), Bin Wu (UoN), Gubo Qi (CAU), Glen Noble (UNNC)
Contact: Tibin Zhang (zhangtibin@163.com)
3.1 Partnerships for ruralrevitalisation through tourism in China
In the context of rural revitalization in the global south, a dilemma facing international community is pathways or mechanisms for multiple stakeholders working together to initiate and sustain intrinsic dynamics within rural communities there. External participation and initiative are event more important in its marginal areas (e.g. poor, remote, mountainous and ecological fragile zones). Based upon rich information and good practices in rural tourism during the period of “targeted poverty alleviation” (2015-2020) across China, this project attempts to develop and test a framework for multiple stakeholders’ participation and collaboration from a lens of social innovation. It aims to address following questions:
1) How can mutual trust be built up between multiple stakeholders and local communities to initiate a tourism development in marginal areas?
2) By what conditions or mechanisms can intrinsic dynamics can be identified, released and enhanced, leading to a sustainable tourism development in those regions?
3) What are variations in terms of structure and function of partnerships between external and internal forces to reflect different ecosystems for tourism entrepreneurship and to ensure interfaces between top-down intervention and bottom-up development?
Above questions will be addressed based upon the established partnerships between UoN, CAU, UNNC, SAU, China CSA, and others in the past. Multiple cases will be undertaken and compared in more than 10 sites across the country in initial stage to develop a number of theoretic models or hypotheses for further researches.
ECRs: F.M.S. Azam (NJNU), Xiaodong Ren (Guizhou Normal University), Yan Jin (Yunnan Agricultural University), Baojiang Geng (SAU), Jin Xu (CAU)
Mentors: Gubo Qi (CAU), Yi Wang (UNNC); Glen Noble (UNNC), Songliang Wang (Fujian Agricultural University), Hao Feng (ISWC, CAS), Yan Shi (China CSA), Hui Lin (Youcheng Foundation), Scott McCabe (NUBS), Bin Wu (Acting Director of CFRS).
Contacts: F.M.S Azam (shojibbiotech@yahoo.com); Dr. Geng (bjgeng2017@sicau.edu.cn)
3.2 Transformation of community forestry and ecological-social effects in China
In the context of global challenges of climate change, rural poverty and food security, community forestry plays a vital role to ensure a successful transformation of rural livelihood system for sustainable use of natural resources (especially land), biodiversity protection, carbon neutrality, and poverty alleviation in the global south. This project aims to review and summarise past experiences, lessons learnt and good practices in the transformation of community forestry across China in the past four decades in order to identify
1) variations and patterns of successful management practices
2) conditions, motivations and dynamics of community forestry transformations
3) ecological, economic and social impact of community forestry at different levels
4) trends and scenarios for the future of community forestry in China with policy recommendations to relevant stakeholders at different levels.
The above objectives will be addressed through a mentoring programme for research collaboration among interested ECRs by joint research design and the analysis of a longitudinal survey data of community forestry collected by the National Forestry Economics and Development Research Centre (NFEDRC).
ECRs: Qirui Li (Bayreuth University), Yan Jin (YAU)
Mentors: Can Liu (NFEDRC), Bin Wu (UoN), Yiying Cao (ADAS).
Contract: Biao Liu (liubiao0518@163.com)