Anthropogenic Open Land in Boreal Landscapes : Investigations into the Creation and Maintenance of Arable Fields on Swedish Farms
(2014) In Meddelanden från Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi. Avhandlingar- Abstract
- The human-induced open land (cropland, pasture) in the predominantly forested boreal landscapes relies on arable land use; it thus represents an active intervention to hold back forest regrowth. The thesis investigates the practical management decisions by landholders on discrete farms, which in Sweden often comprise both forest and arable lands. The theoretical framework utilizes the concepts timespace, landscape, orientation and commitment to understand how the farmer relates to the land. The study draws on farm cases in various parts of the country, and links land-cover continuity on arable fields and forest clearance with land-use decision-making as a temporally and spatially situated activity. Also when retiring from active land... (More)
- The human-induced open land (cropland, pasture) in the predominantly forested boreal landscapes relies on arable land use; it thus represents an active intervention to hold back forest regrowth. The thesis investigates the practical management decisions by landholders on discrete farms, which in Sweden often comprise both forest and arable lands. The theoretical framework utilizes the concepts timespace, landscape, orientation and commitment to understand how the farmer relates to the land. The study draws on farm cases in various parts of the country, and links land-cover continuity on arable fields and forest clearance with land-use decision-making as a temporally and spatially situated activity. Also when retiring from active land management (due to old age or farm-external income) farmers continue to maintain arable fields, a finding that is interpreted as deriving from the values perceived in the land and the importance of their reinforcement for the landholder identity. Locational fragmentation of managed arable land scattered in the landscape, the increasing of farm sizes following profitability concerns, and a local shortage of land together with other factors induce land clearance on contemporary farms, preferably near the farm centre and contiguous with already managed fields. This finding is understandable when considering time as a resource in farming, and suggests that contemporary boreal landscapes may contain areas that are subjected to an opening-up land-cover dynamics, against the prevailing trend of reforestation. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract
Jordbruksmarken representerar i det beskogade boreala landskapet en aktiv åtgärd som håller skogstillväxten borta. I avhandlingen undersöks lantbrukares praktiska beslutsfattande i samband med den öppna marken på gårdar som i Sverige ofta består av både jordbruks- och skogsmark. Som teoretiska ramverk används begreppen tidrum, landskap, orientering och åtagande för att förstå lantbrukares sätt att relatera till marken. Studien bygger på gårdsfall i olika delar av Sverige och länkar marktäckets kontinuitet och röjning av ny jordbruksmark med markägares och –brukares beslutsfattande som en tidsligt och rumsligt bunden aktivitet. Även när lantbrukare drar sig tillbaka från aktivt jordbruk fortsätter de att förvalta... (More) - Popular Abstract
Jordbruksmarken representerar i det beskogade boreala landskapet en aktiv åtgärd som håller skogstillväxten borta. I avhandlingen undersöks lantbrukares praktiska beslutsfattande i samband med den öppna marken på gårdar som i Sverige ofta består av både jordbruks- och skogsmark. Som teoretiska ramverk används begreppen tidrum, landskap, orientering och åtagande för att förstå lantbrukares sätt att relatera till marken. Studien bygger på gårdsfall i olika delar av Sverige och länkar marktäckets kontinuitet och röjning av ny jordbruksmark med markägares och –brukares beslutsfattande som en tidsligt och rumsligt bunden aktivitet. Även när lantbrukare drar sig tillbaka från aktivt jordbruk fortsätter de att förvalta den öppna marken, detta hänförs i avhandlingen till de värden som uppfattas i marken, de enskilda fälten, och tolkas som viktig för markägares identitet. Rumslig fragmentering av brukad mark, ökande storlek av gårdar medförd av lönsamhetskravet och även en lokalt märkbar brist på tillgänglig jordbruksmark leder till röjning av ny mark. Denna nya mark ska helst ligga nära gårdscentrum och anläggs gärna bredvid befintlig brukad mark. Detta är förståeligt om tid uppfattas som resurs i lantbruket, såsom avhandlingen föreslår, och indikerar att det i dagens boreala landskap finns områden som öppnas upp emot den förhärskande trenden mot återbeskogning. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4302304
- author
- Solbär, Lovisa LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- professor Setten, Gunhild, Geografisk institutt, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Trondheim
- organization
- publishing date
- 2014
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Landscape, timespace, time-geography, farming, boreal land use, time-economy, embedded values
- in
- Meddelanden från Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi. Avhandlingar
- issue
- 10
- pages
- 243 pages
- publisher
- Lund University
- defense location
- Världen, Geocentrum I, Sölvegatan 10, Lund
- defense date
- 2014-04-05 13:00:00
- ISBN
- 978-91-7473-621-2 (print)
- 978-91-7473-622-9 (pdf)
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 1719b927-67d0-48ad-8146-4f6ed643a4e0 (old id 4302304)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 12:08:06
- date last changed
- 2019-08-19 14:09:48
@phdthesis{1719b927-67d0-48ad-8146-4f6ed643a4e0,
abstract = {{The human-induced open land (cropland, pasture) in the predominantly forested boreal landscapes relies on arable land use; it thus represents an active intervention to hold back forest regrowth. The thesis investigates the practical management decisions by landholders on discrete farms, which in Sweden often comprise both forest and arable lands. The theoretical framework utilizes the concepts timespace, landscape, orientation and commitment to understand how the farmer relates to the land. The study draws on farm cases in various parts of the country, and links land-cover continuity on arable fields and forest clearance with land-use decision-making as a temporally and spatially situated activity. Also when retiring from active land management (due to old age or farm-external income) farmers continue to maintain arable fields, a finding that is interpreted as deriving from the values perceived in the land and the importance of their reinforcement for the landholder identity. Locational fragmentation of managed arable land scattered in the landscape, the increasing of farm sizes following profitability concerns, and a local shortage of land together with other factors induce land clearance on contemporary farms, preferably near the farm centre and contiguous with already managed fields. This finding is understandable when considering time as a resource in farming, and suggests that contemporary boreal landscapes may contain areas that are subjected to an opening-up land-cover dynamics, against the prevailing trend of reforestation.}},
author = {{Solbär, Lovisa}},
isbn = {{978-91-7473-621-2 (print)}},
keywords = {{Landscape; timespace; time-geography; farming; boreal land use; time-economy; embedded values}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{10}},
publisher = {{Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Meddelanden från Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi. Avhandlingar}},
title = {{Anthropogenic Open Land in Boreal Landscapes : Investigations into the Creation and Maintenance of Arable Fields on Swedish Farms}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5935318/4391549.pdf}},
year = {{2014}},
}