Rural Studies, Arid Lands, Agriculture, & Geography
Arid Lands Studies & Geography is designed to emphasize the importance of, and coordinate the efforts for, studying human adaptation to the world’s arid and semiarid lands. As a multidisciplinary section, we welcome submissions from a diverse set of disciplines such as economics, anthropology, geography, history, agriculture, and hydrology. Our goal is to encourage and increase the general awareness of the problems and potentials of the arid and semiarid lands of the world, and of human adjustment to and impact upon them.
Rural Studies, Arid Lands, Agriculture, and Geography are interconnected fields, focusing on various elements of human interaction with both rural and arid environments.
Rural Studies is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the study of rural areas, including their economies, lifestyles, cultures, and challenges. It draws on various social science disciplines such as sociology, geography, and economics to explore the complexities and nuances of rural life.
Lands studies, as a part of geography and environmental science, is the exploration of regions where lack of water, due to low rainfall, high evaporation, or both, forms a significant constraint on the ability to cultivate crops or sustain human life. It involves the study of the impacts of aridity on ecosystems and societies and how to effectively manage resources in these areas.
Agriculture is the science, art, and practice of cultivating plants and livestock. It's a multidisciplinary field that includes techniques used to improve farming for the purpose of food production. It plays an essential role in human survival and well-being, and social scientists are often interested in its effects on society, economy, and culture.
Geography, in a broader sense, is the study of locations and the relationships between people and their environments. It encompasses both the physical properties of Earth's surface and the human societies disseminated across it. It explores the spatial aspects of human existence - how we live on the earth's surface, how we modify and adapt to the environment, and how our activities impact the environment.
These fields are interconnected as they complement each other in better understanding human life, socio-economic activities, cultural aspects, and natural conditions across different regions of the world, particularly in rural and arid areas.
Section Coordinator
Stephen Eliason
Title: Professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice
Email: seliason@msubillings.edu
Affiliation: MSU Billings
