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In this paper globalization is conceptualised as a process that marks a new phase of capitalism (Moreira 1994). The aim of this paper is to propose a systematic approach to the economic and social consequences of the globalization process, with particular attention to agriculture and agri-food as well as the use of rural areas. Therefore, understanding the role of the main agents of globalization is a necessary condition to assess the impact of this process. My working hypothesis is that the different actors in the globalization process do not demonstrate the same behaviour, justifying a closer look at the logic and dynamics of its main agents, and the reactions that these changes provoke.

Young people are leading increasingly sedentary lives replacing physical activity with activities such as watching TV, internet surfing and video gaming. Of particular importance for physical activity promotion are schools where physical activity can be incorporated to improve student health outcomes and cognitive performance. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for children and adolescents (between 5-18 years of age). However, few children follow these recommendations. In Portugal, some data suggest that as few as 7% do so. Furthermore, most physical activity studies take place in urban areas, so little is known about how active children and adolescents are in more rural parts of the country. The Acti-Study is a collaboration between the Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (Portugal) and Ulster University (UK) with the primary aim of assessing MVPA levels in students (age 10-16) from a high school in a rural town, in the Northeast of Portugal. Data collection will take place between September 2022 and January 2023, using a cross-sectional design. Students will receive a study pack containing information materials, a sociodemographic questionnaire and consent form for parental completion, and an assent form for student completion. Optionally, the questionnaire may be completed online. Participants will be informed that participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any time. Once children have returned the relevant documents completed and signed, they will be instructed to wear a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph®, either GT3X or GT1M), on an elastic belt, for seven consecutive days (including weekend). Children who return their accelerometer will be rewarded with a 5€ voucher, and with a second one if they wore the accelerometer for a minimum of three days (at least 6h/day and at least one weekend). Data will be analysed through descriptive statistics, mostly in tables, divided by gender. With participant consent, data on anthropometric measures (height and weight), available through the school, will also be used. Primary analysis will consist of percentage of students who meet MVPA guidelines; secondary analyses will include exploring the relationship between sociodemographic variables (e.g., parental education) and MVPA, between parent-reported MVPA and accelerometer MVPA, and between accelerometer MVPA and anthropometric data. The results are expected to provide an understanding of the levels and factors associated with MVPA in rural Portugal, to allow comparison with other samples (e.g., from urban areas), to raise awareness to the problem and stimulate more physical activity initiatives. Study with ethics approval by Ulster University (REC/22/0060). This work was supported by PARSUK (Portuguese Association of Researchers and Students in the UK), with funding from the Bilateral Research Fund provided by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the British Embassy Lisbon / UK Science and Innovation Network through the project. This work was supported by FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology within the Project UIDB/05777/2020. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (FA) for children and adolescents. However, there are few children who follow these recommendations. In Portugal, some data suggest that only 7% of young people comply with it. Unfortunately, most studies on physical activity take place in urban areas, so we still know relatively little about how active children and adolescents are in regions such as Alfândega da Fé. Thus, the Acti-study aims to evaluate the levels of PA in children and adolescents between 5th and 9th grade with ages between 10 and 16 years, of the Alfândega da Fé. Subsequently, it is intended to analyse the differences in PA levels between rural and urban areas. The project includes two phases: (1) Implementation of sociodemographic questionnaire to obtain general information about the target population; (2) An intervention phase through the assessment of the PA levels using accelerometry (ActiGraph®) and body composition by anthropometric measures. The first phase will be based socio-demographic questionnaires in representative sample of children living in rural zones to understand the determinants for the physical activity. Data collection will be conducted in the municipality of Alfandega da Fé between September and December 2022. As a research hypothesis, higher levels of regular PA are defined for children in rural areas. N/A

As a complex phenomenon, migration leads necessarily to changes in the concerned societies, either the departure society or the destination one, the former being in most cases rural based with agriculture as a main activity. Setting as a research field that rural and agrarian society, this study tries to identify factors conditioning the migration flow. It also attempts to understand the mechanisms of a changing community due to the return of migrant people back to their original village. A case study conducted in Pinela, a village of Northeastern Portugal, permited a local approach to the outlined research topics. Information, gathered from inquire techniques and written sources of different nature, has been treated by means of data analysis methods. "Landownership expectation", as it was coded here, provides an explanatory basis for migration flow in Pinela. This factor corresponds to the area owned by a family divided by the number of their children, and assesses the possibilities for children to expect a continuity in agriculture and, hence, in the village. Moreover, former migrants back in the village are active changing agents, as they commit themselves in new and diversified activities at the community level, although remaining farmers as they originally were.

One of the components of the success of modern economic systems of any level and scale is the use of the latest information and communication technologies (ICT). The use of technology allows the increase in the efficiency of the production process and conduct the business to a completely new level. The main objective of this research is to assess the state of ICT in small and medium-sized enterprises, and the possibility of using Big data technologies for analyzing and making forecasts for improving economic performance. The research of the use of ICT were carried out on the example of small and medium enterprises (SME) in rural areas of three countries: Alto Trás-os-Montes (Portugal), Castela e Leão (Spain) and Krasnodar (Russia). The goals of the work are to conduct a comparative description of the selected areas, to determine the level of the current state of ICT, to bring proposals for improving this level. The main conclusion is that although the objects of research are at a different level of economic development, they have similar experimental data, and the proposed improvement proposals may be useful for each of them. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Information and communication technology (ICT) is given to its ability to provide greater access to information and communication to the populations and the quality of service provided than the technological backbone required. The rural economy in most countries is regarded as that which requires intervention in order to foster sustainability and development. There have been many studies of both the value and the use of ICTs in rural small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), but there is a lack of more deep and comparative studies. To address this need, this paper presents a study that explore how SMEs in rural areas in Portugal (Alto Trás-os-Montes), Spain (Castilla y León) and Russia (Krasnodar) perceived the importance of ICT and identify the current state. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion