Breaking the impasse: Helping communities cope with change at the rural-urban interface

Abstract

As communities and agriculture change, the juxtaposition of farming and other rural activities has become a battle ground over water and related nutrient management issues, odors, insects, and other community impacts of changing land uses. These conflicts can turn neighbor against neighbor, threaten livelihoods and traditional ways of living, and tear communities apart. Conflicts between just a few neighbors all too often escalate into larger community, county, or state-wide debates over who is “right” and what should be done. If the situation gets out-of-hand, significant economic and emotional costs may result for all involved no matter who “wins.” As resource persons or decision-making authorities, natural resource professionals are often called upon to help resolve these difficult conflicts. The manner in which we respond and the information and assistance provided influence the debate and ultimately affect whether the conflict is resolved satisfactorily. In this article, it is argued that the tendencies of stakeholders and technical experts to frame rural-urban conflicts in single-issue terms and to attempt to solve them with simple “silver bullet” technical or policy fixes are unlikely to address these complex issues effectively. To be successful, natural …