Insights into Rural Stress: Using the Community Capitals Framework to Help Inform Rural Policies and Interventions

Kevan W. Lamm, Alyssa Powell, Abigail Borron, Keith Atkins and Stephanie Hollifield
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Kevan W. Lamm: Department of Agricultural Education, Leadership, Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Alyssa Powell: Department of Agricultural Education, Leadership, Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Abigail Borron: Department of Agricultural Education, Leadership, Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Keith Atkins: Independent Researcher, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Stephanie Hollifield: University of Georgia Extension, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA 31793, USA

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: Communities in rural America have experienced significant decline over the past century. Professionals working within these communities, such as extension or community development professionals, may leverage their position as trusted sources to decrease negative outcomes associated with novel and emerging societal problems, such as rural stress. This study was grounded in the community capitals framework and sought to examine the importance of capitals relative to the perception of rural stress. A sample of extension agents from a southeastern land-grant university in the United States provided rating and ranking data. A modified Borda Count and weighted ranking score were computed to generate a heuristic ranking of capitals relative to importance to rural stress. Human and natural capital were consistently regarded as highly important, while cultural and built–financial capital were consistently sorted to the bottom. Therefore, human and natural capital may represent critical entry points for professionals to develop programming related to rural stress perceptions and coping mechanisms. Overall, the results of this study support the continued use of the community capitals framework to guide community development strategies that address rural stress concerns and provides evidence to inform rural development policies and interventions. Such strategies should involve community members to facilitate an inside-out approach and develop sustainable solutions based on local knowledge and needs.

Keywords: rural stress; community capitals; community development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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