Social work and sustainable rural development: The practice of social economy in China

Abstract

The impact of globalisation on local agriculture and food systems has brought issues such as food security and rural sustainability to the forefront of policy‐making in developing countries. In China, the restructuring of domestic agriculture and liberalisation of trade following accession to the World Trade Organization have led to the growing reliance on imported food and raised concerns for food self‐sufficiency and safety. Inspired by the concept of social economy, social workers in China have explored alternative pathways towards sustainable food production and consumption through local initiatives. Based on participatory action research in a Chinese village, this study examines the potential contribution of social work intervention in responding to China’s agrarian challenges. It is shown that by linking rural cooperatives with the local food system and allowing farmers to sell directly to urban consumers at fairer prices, social economy initiatives provide a viable pathway for sustainable transformation by empowering rural producers while giving urban consumers access to sustainably produced food.

A Political Economy Analysis of Social Work’s Development in China: A Social Development Perspective

“…Focused on economic or incomegenerating activities, it capitalized on the link ages between and wellbeing of interrelated economic actors, including produc ers and consumers, and economic activities from procuring goods for production, marketing, and sales. Ku and Kan (2020) saw the social economy approach as a viable, emanci patory alternative that provided practical strategies for community economic empowerment and social development. They referred to social economy as a social work practice framework that, in their case study of the Lvgeng model in Pingzhai administrative village, in the northeastern region of Yunnan province in Southwest China, promoted community empowerment and sustainable rural development (Table 2).…”

“…The loss of economically active, ablebodied workers not only exacerbated rural poverty and underdevelopment but also brought massive social and economic challenges to urban areas. In addition, contributing to this situation was the industrialization and commercialization of agriculture, which led to the demise of smallholder farming, abandoned farmland, and reduced food productivity (Ku & Kan, 2020;Meng, Gray, Bradt, & Roets, 2019). Consequent threats to sustainable rural food production arising from the loss of arable farmland, declining food selfsufficiency, and increased reliance on food imports heightened concerns over food safety and security (Ku & Kan, 2020).…”

“…In addition, contributing to this situation was the industrialization and commercialization of agriculture, which led to the demise of smallholder farming, abandoned farmland, and reduced food productivity (Ku & Kan, 2020;Meng, Gray, Bradt, & Roets, 2019). Consequent threats to sustainable rural food production arising from the loss of arable farmland, declining food selfsufficiency, and increased reliance on food imports heightened concerns over food safety and security (Ku & Kan, 2020). Thus, some Chinese scholars have proposed that social development offers a more apt model for social work in China (Lai, 2022;Zhang, Yang, & Ku, 2008).…”

The Role of Local Seasonal Foods in Enhancing Sustainable Food Consumption: A Systematic Literature Review

“… Social and Economic Case study; participatory action research No Local Food N = 347 Households N.A. H, R [ 126 ] Marchetti et al, 2020 To present and denounce environmentally and socially unsustainable agricultural practice, which cause negative effects on environment, health, and social and intergenerational equity. Social, Economic, and Environment Grounded theory approach; desk analysis to detail some directions and perspectives about food production systems and sustainability No Food Production System N.A.…”

Expanding Well-Being by Participating in Grassroots Innovations: Using the Capability Approach to Explore the Interest of Alternative Food Networks for Community Social Services

“…Literature has explored the relevance of grassroots innovations for social work in domains such as water management (Case, 2016), energy consumption (Weber, 2012), cultural initiatives (Matthies et al, 2020), post-disaster recovery (Ku and Dominelli, 2018), rural development (Ku and Kan, 2020) and community-based enterprises (Elsen and Wallimann, 2008). The literature suggests that this relation between grassroots innovations and social work and social services may be 2-fold.…”