Projects
Social-economic Impacts of Renewable Solar Mini-grids for rural Communities in Tanzania - Analysis and Policy Improvement. Hasselt University
strength - Building a Strong European rural hub KU Leuven
The ambition of STRENGTH is to build a long-lasting European rural society-science-policy hub. This hub will raise the natural, social, cultural, and economic potential and capacity of rural areas and their communities by building more effective policy coherence, improving the uptake of available knowledge, and empowering rural citizens to take part in policy-making. The approach is based on co-design and co-creation with rural actors in ...
Rethinking the links between farm modernization, rural development and resilience in a world of increasing demands and finite resources. Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Modernization in agriculture has resulted in increased food production at reasonable prices for consumers. But it also has created new challenges: it must respond to increasing scarcity and distributional questions (e.g., natural resources and public finances), while facing deep uncertainty regarding future developments (e.g., climate change and global markets). Important questions need ...
Land value assessment tool for agriculture to support rural planning in Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
How can we develop a tool to support rural planning processes in Flanders? What is the position of agriculture in the current planning processes? How can the developed tool be applied in the planning processes? Which planning difficulties are not solved by the tool and how should we cope with these difficulties? The objective of this research is to scientifically improve an existing land ...
SPARKS (Supporting Platforms to Accelerate Rural sKills and CapabilitieS) KU Leuven
Strengthening the socio-economic fabric of rural areas is central for dynamizing it and a major CAP objective. Plus, Digital Transformation is a major enabler of innovation. For this, a “run pioneer” needed is to develop Supporting Platforms to Accelerate Rural sKills and CapabilitieS
(SPARKS). In this, user centric transformation models involving local ecosystem are key to better understand strengths and needs. Advanced trustworthy AI ...
Land commodification without dispossession? The political economy of the market-oriented experiment of Rural Collective Commercial Construction Land in China KU Leuven
Rather than seeing land commodification as a taken-for-granted term to explain urban and rural changes, this thesis offers a nuanced conceptual and empirical explanation of the process of land commodification and the interaction among involved actors. Based on data collected from the fieldwork in Pidu District of Chengdu City, China, between 2017-2021, this thesis examines the socioeconomic dynamics and consequences of the market-oriented ...
Labour markets and rural development: Perspectives on gender, migration and decent work KU Leuven
In recent decades, the rural labour markets of low and middle-income countries have changed tremendously. Off-farm employment forms a significant and growing share of household income portfolios, with employment in the agri-food sector playing a central role. In this thesis I aim to investigate the contribution of agri-food systems employment to rural development. More specifically, I unravel the links between agri-food systems employment and ...
Development of a Technology to Ensure Sufficient Quantity and Quality of Rainwater for Rural Households KU Leuven
The availability of safe drinking water is an increasing major concern for the international community, especially in light of the changing climate. Climate change presents major uncertainties in future safe water access especially in rural communities that are already faced with water insecurity. For developing countries like Uganda, achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) will require a paradigm shift from centralized public ...
Labor market development and women empowerment: An engine for rural development in Sub-Saharan Africa? KU Leuven
Rural labor markets in developing countries are evolving rapidly due to globalization. The demand by export-oriented industries for low-skill wage labor is increasing, leading to rising labor market participation rates of women. While most scholars recognize the important economic contributions of rural labor market development, there is no scientific consensus on the impact of wage employment on rural women’s welfare. Some argue that female ...