Roundup: August 28, 2026

Roundup
Written By Rural Reconciliation

A regular feature of the Rural Review, these roundup posts collect notable recent research, analysis, and related rural news and commentary. Feel free to email us your suggestions for future roundups and visit the Rural Review contributor guidelines for other ways to get involved.

Recent Publications

  • The American Journal of Agricultural Economics published Crop Insurance and Irrigation Behavior: The Conditional Role of Pumping Costs by Sungmin Cheu (Agricultural Economics and Economics, Montana State University) and Molly Sears (Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University). The study investigates water use in the High Plains Aquifer region.

  • Rural Geography II: Bridging Housing and Homes in Rural Research by Susanne Stenbacka (Human Geography, Uppsala University, Sweden) was published in Progress in Human Geography. The article explores the rural housing crisis by examining the relationship between housing and homemaking, highlighting factors that shape belonging, identity, and experience of home in rural regions.

  • Uganda-based researchers Amon Ashaba Mwiine (Women and Gender Studies, Makerere University), Margaret Najjingo Mangheni, Martha Businge, Fred Shimali, Losira Nasirumbi Sanya, and Elizabeth Asiimwe (Extension and Innovation Studies, Makerere University), Stephen Angudubo and Grace Nanyonjo (National Crop Resources Research Institute), and Brenda Nakyewe (Agriculture, Uganda Christian University) published “Empowerment” Without Transformation? A Critique of Women Empowerment Without a Masculinities Lens in Gender and Agriculture Literature in Frontiers in Sociology. The study argues that interventions in farming communities must address the root causes of unequal gender relations to achieve sustainable change.  

News & Commentary

  • An article in Chenango County’s Evening Sun reported on two new programs addressing the shortage of attorneys in rural New York State: an internship for law students and an initiative aimed at practicing or newly admitted attorneys interested in relocating to a rural region.

  • Axios covered the nationwide demographic shift that has already affected many rural areas of the country, highlighting the roles of immigration and increased mobility. The article notes that over 12% of US counties already are majority-minority, 221 of which are “non-metro counties.”

  • A post on Drug Channels considered the effects of retail pharmacy consolidation on rural America, arguing that the impact on patient access has become geographically K-shaped. Where urban markets can absorb pharmacy closures, rural communities risk losing their only pharmacy.

  • The Wall Street Journal reported on reactions to plans to build an experimental nuclear reactor a mile under the town of Parsons, Kansas. While some residents—including elected officials—see job potential by attracting data centers and manufacturers, other residents oppose the project.

Opportunities & Events

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Green III et al.: Protecting Rural Schools