HARNESSING THE SOCIAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES FOR SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT: INTRODUCING THE RURAL ECONOMY AND LAND USE PROGRAMME

摘要

The article introduces the research commissioned under the first round of funding of the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme. The programme is a major UK Research Councils' initiative involving interdisciplinary research into many of the pressing public challenges facing the countryside. The bulk of funding under the first round of research proposals examines the theme of sustainable food chains, with smaller scoping and capacity building studies exploring the integration of land and water use, theenvironmental basis of rural development and economic and social interactions with the rural environment.