Rural areas shape future urban life: RSU tenured professor Grīviņš shares insights ahead of European rural sociology congress
Writer: Linda Rozenbaha, RSU Public Relations Unit
When people in cities think about the countryside, they often assume it has little to do with them – that it is distant and that real life happens in urban areas. In reality, however, rural areas cover a much larger share of land and provide many of our most essential resources. How we support the countryside, therefore, will directly shape the way we live in cities, explains Miķelis Grīviņš, RSU tenured professor, sociologist, and head of the local organising committee of the European Society for Rural Sociology Congress, as he opens the discussion on the upcoming congress.
With the theme “Navigating Rural Transitions: Exploring Liveable Futures”, participants will be invited to focus on key processes shaping rural life – including agricultural reforms, digital inequality, demographic shifts, and climate challenges. Tell us more about the main idea.
Many people living in cities perceive the countryside as distant and imagine that all real life takes place in urban areas. Certainly, cities have larger populations – this is true in Latvia as well as across much of Europe. However, most of the essential resources that support city life – such as construction materials, food, and energy – originate in the countryside. The way we shape the relationship between urban and rural areas, and the extent to which we ensure the continued vitality of the countryside, will directly influence how people live in cities and affect broader societal processes. Researchers, too, often overlook just how much they depend on rural regions.
The countryside is also a place where many of today’s “big” challenges can be addressed to a large extent. For example, climate change may not seem dangerous to the average person. However, the extreme weather conditions we have experienced in recent years, including here in Latvia, clearly show that the climate crisis is the greatest challenge of the 21st century for both scientists and society. Research shows that even if temperatures rise by just a few tenths of a degree, the consequences will be devastating. The climate crisis exacerbates international security issues, directly reduces food security, and increases the presence of various other risks.
Cities must also transform to mitigate climate change and adapt to these new risks. At the same time, rural areas are key to finding solutions to these issues.
It is important that rural areas remain attractive places to live. To ensure this, we need to think about how to provide adequate access to, and management of, services. In cities, there is access to all medical services and schools, but the further you are from the city, the greater the likelihood is that you will have limited access to some services. It is strategically important that rural areas remain populated, and we must therefore find ways to ensure that high-quality services and opportunities are available to people regardless of where they live. Of course, population density is a significant factor, and there will always be differences between what cities and rural areas have to offer. However, even though we recognise that rural areas have their own unique characteristics and cities have theirs, we must ensure that all services are easily accessible to people in rural areas.
The European Society for Rural Sociology Congress seeks answers to these and many other important questions. The Congress has a 60-year-long history. It takes place every two years, and the 30th anniversary Congress will be held here in Riga.
Initially, the focus of the congress was mainly on sociologists and it was not a very large event, but it has since grown. Although the word “sociologists” is still in the name of the congress, it now covers rural studies.
As a result, a large number of social scientists have found a “home” where they can discuss topics and research important to them. The congress is a place where this research community meets. On the one hand, the congress will be attended by people who have participated regularly and with pleasure for several decades, but on the other hand, there are always new participants at each congress.
The Latvian rural research community will present a wide range of topics. Of course, most of the local participants will be from RSU, which I am very pleased about. Representatives from the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) will also participate, with individual presentations and sessions on rural entrepreneurship, digitalisation, and bio-regions and their characteristics. Representatives from the Baltic Studies Centre (BSC) will speak about digitalisation, urban agriculture, and rural aesthetics. Researchers from the Latvian Academy of Culture (LAC) will discuss the availability of services in rural areas. Researchers from the University of Latvia will focus on governance and lobbying, and rural resilience to crises. There will also be participants from the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics (AREI), who will talk about short supply chains, among other topics. Some participants will attend without presenting because the Congress is important to them. For example, we have been contacted by the Dobele Horticultural Institute, a destination for guest excursions, which has promised to bring cherries that will be ripe at the time.
Tell us more about some of the Latvian topics.
There are many different topics from Latvia. Several papers explore sustainability challenges from a variety of perspectives, and the views presented on this subject are truly diverse. For example, our own lead researcher, Dzintra Atstāja, will speak about circular economy, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of various instruments used to measure circularity. LBTU tenured professor Baiba Rivža will examine sustainability challenges from the perspective of entrepreneurs, presenting research on how they are adapting to the green agenda. Veronika Felcis from the University of Latvia will analyse sustainability issues in depth, focusing on a single example – the Zadiņi farm.
Another equally interesting topic that will be discussed by several Latvian researchers is rural community governance and participation.
Among our own researchers, Jessica Girardi will present her doctoral thesis on volunteer work on rural farms and how it promotes the spread of innovative agricultural practices across wider areas.
Līga Paula from LBTU will talk about the challenges that arise when different interest groups attempt to jointly manage a rural area and move towards a common goal. This same aim will be reflected in research conducted by BSC, which will discuss the so-called multi-agent approach and ways to ensure that diverse groups can work together. In this regard, Latvian researchers will also examine how to harmonise different levels of regulation, how various municipalities organise citizen participation, and more.
A separate major theme introduced by LAC is culture in rural areas. Several researchers will explore agriculture and farmers from different perspectives, and there will also be studies on the digitalisation of rural areas. Of particular note is the research by Anda Ādamsone-Fiskoviča, which examines how farmers’ considerations about rural aesthetics influence the way they implement various agricultural practices. This study promises to offer a new perspective on how farmers decide whether or not to adopt a particular practice. Also worth mentioning is Aija Zobena from the University of Latvia, who will discuss the challenges of teaching rural sociology to students in one of her research papers. This paper will be an interesting piece of self-reflection based on extensive experience and could potentially reveal new ideas even to a highly knowledgeable audience.
To sum up, Latvian researchers will be active participants at the congress.
Of course, it is always a challenge for local researchers to find time to take part in any congress. That is just how it is: when you travel abroad for a conference, you are away from home and can dedicate all your time to research. But if the conference takes place in your home town, you still have your everyday responsibilities and it can be difficult to combine them with the typical conference routine. Still, let us hope that local researchers have managed to organise their week so they can fully engage in the event.
You did not mention the challenges associated with workforce shortages in rural areas.
Yes, workforce availability in rural areas is a challenge across Europe, as is the ageing of the population. On the one hand, the number of farmers is declining overall, and on the other, the average age of farmers is increasing, with no younger generation to take over. This is undoubtedly a priority issue for Europe, and there will be presentations from other countries on the topic of the rural workforce. Unfortunately, no papers on this subject have been submitted by Latvian researchers this time, although relevant research has been conducted in Latvia.
My personal opinion is that modern expectations of a good working environment include aspects such as flexible working hours, the option to work from home, and the opportunity to express one’s creativity. These characteristics currently define what is considered a good job in Western society. Unfortunately, these are very urban perspectives on work.
In rural areas, you are faced with the reality that the field will not plough itself, and the work must be done at a specific time. This cannot be done remotely.
Accordingly, the type of work offered in agriculture often conflicts with these expectations. At the same time, we cannot lump all rural farms together. For example, there are very large farms with a high level of digitalisation and technology, where it is possible to pay employees well and offer a generous system of social benefits. We can only hope that more research from Latvia on this topic will be presented at the next congress.
Tell us which regions outside Latvia will be represented and what other topics will be discussed.
Southern and Western Europe are more strongly represented at the congress. This is due to historical developments, as the association that initiated these congresses has its roots in these regions. As a result, topics relevant to Southern and Western Europe have historically featured more prominently in discussions at the congress. Representatives from Eastern and Northern Europe began participating more actively at a later stage, which is clearly reflected in the smaller number of participants from these regions. However, these differences are now beginning to even out. The congress has always attracted an audience from outside Europe. This time, there will also be participants from both Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
One of the unique features of this congress is that anyone can submit thematic blocks, which are then developed into working groups. This ensures that the congress addresses issues currently relevant to researchers. There are many topics, and they are genuinely interesting. A full list of the main themes is available on the congress website but to give a brief overview, several sessions will explore
more familiar themes such as digitalisation, forms of agriculture, community involvement, and gentrification. Others will address emerging issues – for example, the impact of the pandemic on rural areas, the role of the LGBTQ community in agriculture, the importance of art in rural revitalisation, and the use of games in rural research.
The list of topics is extensive, and there will undoubtedly be something of interest for everyone.
What are the challenges of organising an international congress of this scale?
It is challenging, and I could not do it alone, but fortunately, I am not alone. There is a very long list of people without whom the congress simply could not take place! Colleagues from the RSU Faculty of Social Sciences and the Social Sciences Research Centre have been heavily involved in organising the congress, alongside several other RSU departments, including Finance, Communications, Legal and Procurement, among others. I apologise if I have forgotten anyone.
At the same time, a number of other scientific institutions from Latvia have also contributed to the organisation. Representatives from the institutions I mentioned earlier – BSC, LBTU, and AREI – have played key roles in organising excursions and ensuring that we can offer congress participants a deeper insight into the Latvian countryside.
Finally, many volunteers have already signed up for the congress. Although their work lies ahead, we would like to thank them in advance. I can also say that anyone who would still like to volunteer can do so – please feel free to write to me at mikelis[pnkts]grivins
rsu[pnkts]lv and seize the opportunity to take part in an unforgettable academic adventure.
As far as I know, the conference will also be organised with sustainability in mind?
Yes, green thinking is one of the guiding principles of our congress!
I am deeply concerned about climate change and, accordingly, I wanted this event to minimise its ecological footprint as much as possible.
For example, we will not be printing programmes – everything will mainly be available in a digital format. Most meals will be vegetarian, with only a few snacks for meat eaters. We are also planning carefully for recycling the waste generated during the congress. We do not want our academic activities to leave a larger ecological footprint; on the contrary, we aim to reduce it. Through these actions, we hope to set a positive example in this important area.
