Projects

Identifying Rural Research Priorities through Community Engagement Rural regions are often limited in their capacity to conduct research. This proposed research will implement a methodology that engages community and organizational representatives in a systematic dialogue that will help to identify rural research needs from a community and organization perspective.
Prospering with a Stable or Declining Population: Best Community Economic Development and Planning Practices for Rural Communities Amongst municipalities losing population, there are those who have developed an integrated and innovative community-based approach to planning and economic development. These “best” practices offers hope and solutions that can be transferred to other communities with limited potential for population growth. This research identifies innovative practices to help communities prosper even where there is a stable or declining population.
Rural Development and Horse Farms: Understanding the Economic and Social Impacts of Horse Farms in the Urban-Rural Fringe Regions of Ontario Horse farms are one of the least understood forms of agriculture in Southern Ontario and yet from an economic development perspective, they bring a multitude of economic benefits and spin-offs that create employment, encourage investment and protect the rural landscape. This project is aimed at understanding the impact that horse farms may bring to the rural-urban fringe of urban centres in Southern Ontario.
Municipal Readiness for Environmental Planning: Innovation and Best Practices Towards Sustainability for Rural Communities Rural Municipalities are trying to respond to many environmental issues such as water clarity, air quality and climate change. The success of their respond vows from municipality to municipality reflecting their resources, but also the approach that they adopt. This research identities best practice that can contribute to an effective response.
Lake Huron Shoreline: a Community Based Approach to Solving Water Quality Issues Water Quality Issue along the Lake Huron shoreline have been the source of much controversy. This record takes a multi stakeholder approach to emerging residents in positive action towards a Coordinating response.
Finding the Balance: Evolving Provincial & Municipal Governance of Nutrient Management This research relates to the changing nature of Provincial & Municipal Governance of Nutrient Management. It has two key objectives: the identification of on-going issues between the province and municipalities (including the monitoring of municipal acceptance or rejection of provincial authority) and the development of policy options and recommendations to improve the municipal/provincial relationship.
Community-Based Strategies for Resolving Agricultural and Land-Use Conflicts Increasingly there is a recognition that conflict resolution strategies offer the potential to resolve conflict related to agriculture. At its best it can offer workable solutions, enhance communication and foster understanding. Despite this potential, however there is an absence of materials to help develop and implement local strategies...
Livestock and Agricultural Intensification: Community Perceptions of Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts as an Impediment to Agricultural Production In many areas of Ontario livestock production has reached a crossroads. Community antagonism often translates into municipal by-laws which can be an impediment to agricultural production......
Planning for the Future: Development of Ontario's Wine Industry The purpose of this research is to understand the dynamics of the "on-farm" wine industry and to evaluate the appropriateness of related provincial, regional, and local planning policy. This policy is directly related to the future growth and development of the Niagara "on-farm" wine industry with numerous related rural economic development opportunities.........
Rural Non-Farm Development: Its Impact on the Viability and Sustainability of Agricultural and Rural Communities Ontario's agricultural industry is the most intensive and diversified in Canada. At the same time as agriculture has become increasingly intensified, however, there has been a significant increase in rural non-farm lots within the countryside. Unfortunately, an accurate count of new rural lots created since the early 1990's does not exist.....