Hyper-Production: A New Metric of Multifunctionality

Brouder Patrick (), Karlsson Svante () and Lundmark Linda ()
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Brouder Patrick: 1. School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; 2. Department of Tourism Studies and Geography, Mid Sweden University, Sweden
Karlsson Svante: Assoc. Prof. Svante Karlsson, Department of Geography & Economic History, Umeå University, Samhällsvetarhuset Plan 2 & 3, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
Lundmark Linda: Assoc. Prof. Linda Lundmark, Department of Geography & Economic History, Umeå University, Samhällsvetarhuset Plan 2 & 3, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden

European Countryside, 2015, vol. 7, issue 3, 134-143

Abstract: Multifunctionality has emerged as the dominant framework for understanding rural socioeconomic landscapes. The central claim of multifunctionality - that rural regions need to be understood as being made up of more than just traditional uses - has led to the incorporation of new rural activities into regional development plans, e.g., tourism. In some places, such post-productive activity is perceived to be slowly replacing productive uses of the land, e.g., agriculture/forestry. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support such claims. Drawing on previous research and data from the Swedish countryside this paper shows that, even as the number of persons employed within traditional activities decreases, the economic output per areal unit and per labour hour is increasing over time and traditional uses still occupy the majority of rural space. Hyper-production is introduced as a new metric for understanding multifunctional regions going forward. The complementary union of economic mainstays, such as agriculture, and newer activities with more quality-of-life benefits, such as tourism, is highlighted in terms of economic diversification, job creation and local social capital development, while the conflict-prone intersection of these two modes is also acknowledged. Understanding hyper-production as a key metric of multifunctionality is thus argued as integral to planning and developing resilient rural regions now and for the future.

Keywords: agriculture; forestry; hyper-production; multifunctionality; post-productivism; rural; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:eurcou:v:7:y:2015:i:3:p:134-143:n:1

DOI: 10.1515/euco-2015-0009

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