The process of rural transformation in the world and prospects of sustainable development
LI Yuheng1, , YAN Jiayu1, 2, WU Wenhao3, LIU Yansui1, 3, *,
1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China3. College of Resources Science & Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China;
Based on a literature review and analysis of the statistics of the World Bank, this study investigated the rural transformation process of the world from the aspects of rural population, employment, grain production, and public services. It revealed that the world has transformed from rural society to urban society and from agriculture-based economy to nonagricultural economy. In this process, the development efficiency and public service quality were improved. The article points out that accompanying the globalization, industrialization, and urbanization processes, rapid rural depopulation exacerbated rural instability and vulnerability and led to rural decline that endangers rural sustainability. It highlights the importance of rural vitalization and calls for ruralization to form the urban-rural regional pattern with urbanization. Scientific planning, relocation, and local stakeholders' bottom-up initiatives must be encouraged. It is also necessary to scientifically govern the world's rural transformation process, identify and develop the rural vitalization growth point, and improve rural resilience.
LIYuheng, YANJiayu, WUWenhao, LIUYansui. The process of rural transformation in the world and prospects of sustainable development[J]. Progress in Geography, 2018, 37(5): 627-635 https://doi.org/10.18306/dlkxjz.2018.05.006
Fig.7 Shares of rural people having access to safe drinking water in five regions of the world, 1990-2015
4 世界乡村转型发展面临的挑战
4.1 乡村衰退问题
随着各国城市化发展,世界城市人口比例从1960年的33%上升到2016年的54%,其中亚洲和非洲地区的增长尤为明显。在此过程中,乡村地区人口快速、大规模的减少与转移直接导致了乡村衰退问题愈发凸显,也给乡村地域可持续发展带来了诸多挑战。一方面,当乡村人口日渐减少时,乡村地区面临着劳动力短缺、本地市场萎缩、经济衰退等挑战,致使以本地市场为依存的家庭作坊和小企业难以为继。另一方面,随着乡村经济的萧条以及人们对城市生活的向往,大量受过教育的年轻人纷纷选择离开,人才外流问题严重。例如,2000-2003年间,美国爱荷华州乡村地区损失了30000个制造业岗位,占该州就业总数的10%以上(Carr et al, 2009)。据统计,2016年中国乡村地区20岁和30岁左右的人口中有一半以上选择到城市寻求更好的发展机会,其中约有30%的乡村外迁人口拥有高中及以上学历②(② http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/zxfb/201704/t20170428_1489334.html)。
此外,乡村人口外流还导致了农村空心化现象蔓延(Carr et al, 2009; 刘彦随等, 2009)。同时,大量乡村留守人口的存在也为乡村地区的社会管理带来了巨大挑战。2015年中国有6000万留守儿童、4700万留守妇女和5000万留守老人③(③ http://gb.cri.cn/42071/2015/06/02/8011s4983476.htm)。由于长期缺乏关爱与关心,乡村留守人口普遍承受着严重的心理压力与精神负担,自杀现象不断发生。据统计,中国乡村留守老人的自杀率(每10万人中47人死亡)为美国(每10万人中15人死亡)的3倍(McLaughlin, 2016)。
4.2 全球化对乡村发展的挑战
全球化发展、现代通讯技术提升及交通设施的改善,使得连接世界各地区的社会、经济和政治纽带关系得以繁衍、延展和加强。全球化加速了生产要素在世界范围内的自由流动与优化配置,在为世界各国带来发展机遇的同时,也使得一些发展中国家在全球化中被边缘化。同时,乡村逐渐成为全球化的对象,乡村地区经济和社会发展的本土化特征在减少,更加具有全球化色彩。全球化为乡村地区带了了多方面、综合性影响(Long et al, 2011),信息通讯技术的发展及交通系统的改善扩大了乡村地区对外交流广度与深度,并带来了新的发展机会,同时也对乡村本地产品、就业及文化等造成了冲击(龙花楼等, 2012)。
在过去半个多世纪里,伴随着全球化、工业化、城市化的快速发展,世界乡村地区尤其是发展中国家的乡村在人口、就业、粮食生产与公共服务领域经历了较为显著的变化。世界逐步由乡村社会向城市社会转型,产业与就业形态逐渐由农业经济向非农经济转型,乡村地区的发展效率与公共服务质量逐渐提升。在此过程中,乡村与城市的联系更加紧密,乡村地区的转型发展在资金、就业、信息、市场、教育、医疗等方面对城市地区的依赖性不断增强。然而,乡村地区人口持续、快速减少不仅影响到乡村产业发展与公共服务供给,还严重影响到乡村经济社会发展的可持续性,降低了乡村地域系统应对外界发展环境变化与挑战的弹性,加剧了乡村发展的不稳定性和脆弱性,由此导致的乡村衰退问题加剧了乡村人口外流,形成恶性循环。作为紧密联系的有机体,乡村衰退必然对城市地区的可持续发展产生影响。大量外来人口的涌入对城市资源环境承载力、公共服务与社会管理带来巨大挑战,造成城市地区产业升级困难、人力资本积累缓慢、社会矛盾冲突加剧。因此,全球城市化进程中亟需高度重视乡村衰退问题,城市与乡村只有同步实现可持续发展,两者才能相互支撑(Liu et al, 2017)。
为了扭转乡村衰退的趋势,实现乡村地区可持续发展,世界各国都进行了各种尝试,例如20世纪60年代在德国巴伐利亚州实施的通过土地规划与整理再造乡村的“巴伐利亚试验”(Guenther, 1986);20世纪70年代在韩国推广的“新村运动”,以及在日本大分县兴起的“一村一品运动”(Nobuya, 2008);20世纪80年代以来,瑞典政府制定了一系列旨在实现瑞典乡村地区长期可持续发展的综合政策与措施;进入21世纪以来,中国政府积极推进“建设社会主义新农村”,并在2017年10月提出了“乡村振兴战略”。国内外的大量实践表明,世界乡村转型与可持续发展首先应加快村镇建设,积极推进村镇化发展,形成村镇化与城市化“双轮驱动”的城乡地域系统格局(刘彦随, 陈聪等, 2014; Li, Jia et al, 2018)。以县城、小城镇、中心村与新型农村社区为载体,通过产业发展与基础设施建设,为乡村劳动力就业、返乡农民工创业搭建平台,并发挥其为偏远乡村地区提供教育、卫生、信息和服务的重要节点作用(Tacoli, 1998)。村镇化发展既是夯实农村发展基础的需要,也是优化乡村空间重构,促进城乡要素平等交换与公共资源均衡配置的必然选择。其次,世界乡村转型与可持续发展需要科学规划进行指导,基于对乡村经济社会发展动态监测的大数据分析和模拟来诊断不同地域乡村发展短板因素,科学识别并培育打造乡村振兴极(刘彦随, 2018),因地制宜制定乡村振兴与可持续发展路径,差异化实施乡村发展供给侧支撑方案(技术、政策、资金、产业等)。此外,针对一方水土难养一方人的村庄和空心化严重的村落,要科学有序推进移民搬迁与合村并居,通过土地整治工程为村庄发展提供支撑性的水土条件,改变以往基础设施落后、自然条件恶劣、公共服务难以保障的局面(Li, Wu et al, 2018)。在此过程中,需要鼓励和引导民众“自下而上”的主观能动性,通过创新发展方式,不断提升农业经营效益与农户收入水平,增强乡村发展内生动力。总之,应科学把控乡村转型发展过程,分区分类分级制定实施乡村振兴与可持续发展路径,从经济、社会、环境等方面综合打造乡村振兴极,提升乡村地域系统应对外界发展环境变化与冲击的能力,即乡村弹性。
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This study focuses on the population changes in the countryside and in urban centres within the municipalities of Sweden outside the metropolitan areas, between 1990 and 1997. Overall, the countryside showed a higher population increase than the municipality centres. Smaller population centres suffered a population decline. The increase in population in the countryside was strongest in areas surrounding the metropolises and around regional centres. Statistical analysis showed that population change outside population centres mainly varies with the average income, labour-market access, and taxation values or housing costs in the municipalities. This process of change has run directly counter to the policy that was formulated for small municipalities from the end of the 1960s onwards. The growth in rural population was spontaneous for the most part, and more or less in conflict with the plans of the municipalities.
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Urban futures in planning, policy and regional science: Are we entering a post-urban world
This paper discusses the challenges that “the triumph of the city” entails for urban policy, planning and research. The paper contains a brief overviews of factors behind the triumph of the city, 61 ...
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