Rural geography: Alternative rural economies - The search for alterity in forests, fisheries, food, and fair trade

James McCarthy, Pennsylvania State University

Abstract

The article presents a report that examines the recent efforts to design alternative rural economies. The article explains the reasons as to why researchers should focus on alternative rural economies. The article presents a discussion on the relation between alternative economic projects and rural places and commodities emphasizing the core factors of production, exchange, and consumption. The article also reviews recent work on the subject of community forests, forest certification, alternative approaches to fisheries, food, and fair trade. The article concludes with a clarification on some of the most recent findings and debates covering these studies.