Migrant relations and Rural Environments: a neglected dimension of sustainable development

Working sustainably entails taking into account interconnections of social, environmental and economic aspects and questions of social justice in all rural development work.

While environmental and economic dimensions have received attention, a corresponding attention to the more difficult aspect of ongoing demographic change is often lacking in planning sustainable rural development. Rural areas in Sweden are undergoing shifts in population with far-reaching impacts.

Yet, there is little research that addresses migration and its environmental and justice implications for rural sustainability.

Our aim is to analyze how migration is changing rural Sweden and through that, the preconditions for sustainability and social justice. The research is based on an action-oriented approach in two regions of Sweden.

Focusing on changing social-environmental relations, we combine a close-up view of the micro-politics of migration and environmental relations with an emphasis on actors at four different levels –public authorities, private companies, civil society where every-day rural governance takes place and the individual.

Using quantitative and qualitative methods and taking a whole community approach, we engage in collaborative inquiries with stakeholders to strengthen inclusive local action.

We contribute scientific insights into how people experience and produce different environments through their mobility and its implications for sustainable rural development and governance.