RURAL GEOGRAPHY: WHAT IT STUDIES, METHODOLOGY, BASIC CONCEPTS - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The rural geography is a discipline that is responsible for the study of the landscape, settlements, activities and lifestyles of rural areas. It is part of the study of human geography. Over time it has changed its study focus, but it is considered one of the most important areas of analysis.

It is a branch that has been named in different ways. For example, at first the study of agriculture was carried out thanks to the tools of human geography and was defined as agrarian geography.

Rural geography is a sub-discipline of human geography. Source: Vijay Sawant from Bangalore, India, via Wikimedia Commons.

For its part, when the economic area of ​​this science came into play, especially at the hands of French scientists, people began to talk about agricultural geography. Nowadays it is normal to talk about rural geography regardless of the study focus.

The truth is that although at the beginning his study focused on landscapes and rural regions, but changes in the economy and the evolution of societies towards a more commercial style have disrupted the organization of these spaces.

Especially in countries with a higher economic level, where land use occurs in a different way than in less developed territories. That is why the objective of rural geography is to describe, analyze and define the perspectives and the variants of use that can be given to soils.

What does rural geography study? (Object of study)

This field of geography is responsible for examining the structure of the zones according to the use that is given to carry out agricultural, livestock and commercial activities. It is important when analyzing the economy of a region. For this, many factors are taken into account: from human migration, to the distribution and occupation of land.

We must not neglect the variables that affect an environment. Assess technical obstacles in productive activity or difficulties caused by the local environment and culture.

To understand the approach to rural geography, it is important to establish what makes up a rural space or area.

In this sense, we speak of places with a small number of inhabitants and that are dominated by economic activities that have to do with the primary sector such as agriculture, livestock and extraction works (mining, the timber industry, etc.).

The object of study of rural geography was evolving over the years. This occurred due to the continuous growth of cities, the change that the fields underwent in terms of their function and the links that existed with urban areas.

The conditions and practice of agriculture and livestock have also changed. And the emergence of technology must always be taken into account in current analysis. Since the 1980s there has been a special interest in analyzing the housing function that some rural areas fulfill.

Methodology

The evolution of rural geography has also affected the way of studying this area of ​​human geography. In the middle of the 20th century, it was common for the analysis to be done following a quantitative approach. The study was heavily supported by the theoretical ideas expressed by structuralist and Marxist thoughts.

Today, the observation that is made of rural areas needs to be supported by other disciplines. All the phenomena to be studied are always taken into account, because each characteristic has an appropriate methodology for its study.

Population, economic activities, present industries, tourism or transportation can be examined quantitatively, but also qualitatively.

It is always necessary to publish results periodically. For the rural study it is very common to use censuses or the construction of different databases that serve to collect information.

For this reason, it has been determined that the study of rural geography can be carried out thanks to the use of two types of sources: direct or indirect.

Direct sources

The direct sources are mainly related to the censuses that are carried out in rural areas. The normal thing is the information is managed by governmental institutions. It can also have a private origin to control management internally.

Indirect sources

Indirect sources are more inclined towards the treatment of information that does not include agricultural data. Consulting these sources would make it possible to understand the relationships that occur in rural areas at different levels, from social to economic.

The information they handle allows them to learn more about the transformation of industries, the consumption of communities, the associations that exist and their relationships, including unions.

In Europe

In coastal areas in Europe, rural geography has followed the guidelines proposed by French scientists. The main objective of French ideology is to analyze and estimate how they are shaped and the divisions that exist in rural areas.

First, a more descriptive type of study of rural phenomena was carried out. It consisted of listing the most representative activities. Then a more analytical approach followed. The idea is to explain the relationships of rural processes, such as migrations, the impact of industries and the impact of human beings.

England has been one of the places where the evolution of rural geography has been most marked. In the mid-20th century, historical data and the study of land use in this nation were given considerable importance.

Later, around the 70s and 80s, the English leaned more towards the analysis of transport processes, employment levels and the characteristics of houses.

The evolution in Europe in rural geography has been very marked because in many countries of this continent the transformation from rural to urban was very important.

In Latin America

The approach to study of rural geography in Latin America has gone hand in hand with the methodologies of other disciplines. Specifically, it has been highly influenced by sociological, economic and anthropological ideas at the rural, agricultural and social levels.

Some countries have shown greater interest and, therefore, greater evolution with regard to rural geography. This is the case of nations such as Brazil, Argentina or Mexico.

Basic concepts within rural geography

To master rural geography it is important to understand that there are many phenomena that influence the study area. There are many concepts that must be mastered in order to carry out a correct analysis in this area.

Within rural geography, one can talk about issues such as aquaculture, polyculture, irrigation or reforestation at the forest level. Information is also handled on agriculture, water, large estates, and fishing or livestock, among many others.

All these concepts require interaction with other disciplines such as economics, sociology, anthropology and almost all areas of the social sciences and their subdivisions.

References

1. Clout, H. (1984). Rural geography: An Introductory Survey. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
2. Little, J. (2002). Gender and Rural Geography. New York: Routledge.
3. Pacione, M. (2014). Progress in Rural Geography. Oxon: Routledge.
4. Thomas, C. (2001). Rural geography. London: Routledge.
5. Woods, M. (2017). Rural Geography: Processes, Responses and Experiences in Rural Restructuring. Johanneshov: MTM.