Rural Development for Sustainable Social-ecological Systems: Putting Communities First

This book provides an overview of interdisciplinary approaches that have applied social science to research focused on issues around food, agriculture and natural resource management. The book demonstrates that those who work in rural sociology either as researchers or practitioners apply community development and participatory techniques to socio-environmental interaction. The book discusses how the evolving concept of interconnected social and ecological systems (SES) emerged, recognizing the inherent complexity, adaptive nature, and resilience of such systems. This book engages with contemporary theory, as well as new cutting-edge transdisciplinary research evidenced in case studies from three continents.

Professor Claudia Baldwin, at the Sustainability Research Centre (SRC), University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) has applied social science and participatory methods to natural resources and the built environment, in teaching and research. The SRC focuses on collaborative and transdisciplinary research on social dimensions of environmental change. Prior to academia, Professor Baldwin worked in policy and planning for Queensland, Australian, and Canadian governments and international agencies.

Dr Severine van Bommel is an interdisciplinary social scientist working in the field of extension and rural development in agri-food systems and is currently leader of the Rural Development Group within the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at University of Queensland. She holds a PhD from Wageningen University (NL), where she worked as Associate Professor with the Communication Studies Group until 2018. Her research and teaching focus on deliberative, participatory practices in agri-food systems. She has a track record of successful, innovative, social science research in this domain through international projects such as SLIM, LEARNing, and CADWAGO.