The Objectives of the Commission
The overall mission of the Commission is the development and application of an internationally comparable research program on the sustainability of rural systems in various regions of the world in global south and north. The Commission's specific objectives are to:
- further progress Rural Geography as a (sub)discipline;
- further develop the concept of sustainability and resilience as applied to rural areas;
- communicate the concept of 'rural system' to include agriculture, communities, housing, industrial and service employment, recreation and tourism, as well as extractive activities and renewable energy production;
- communicate the importance of understanding a wide range of 'driving' processes that affect rural systems, including natural environment, political, cultural, social and economic processes;
- foster research that incorporates the geographical notion of the inter-relatedness of structures and processes in rural systems, through a variety of linked spatial scales – international, national, regional, local and individual;
- facilitate collaborative research and publication in highly influential journals; and
- communicate the results of the research by members of the Commission in various professional and political arenas in order to influence policy in an effective and appropriate manner.