Antispeciesist Perspectives in Rural Development: A Critical Approach in More-Than Human Participatory Research

The interplay between rural development and anthropocentric paradigms remains central to sustainability, ecological justice, and governance debates. Historically, rurality has been shaped by frameworks prioritising human interests, often marginalising the intricate interdependencies that define ecosystems and the cultural specificities of local communities. This research introduces anti-speciesism as an ethical and critical framework to challenge these paradigms, reimagining rural development through relational ethics and interspecies justice. Antispeciesism disrupts the hierarchies embedded in industrial agriculture, extractivism, and top-down governance by advocating for the recognition of non-human agency and ecological interdependence. Marco Reggio’s assertion that “Antispeciesism is thus embarrassment, wonder, and disturbance” encapsulates its ethos: a perspective that unsettles entrenched assumptions while fostering transformative possibilities. The research seeks to redefine rurality as an interdependent space where human and non-human actors co-create futures that transcend extractivist, productivist, and urban-centric paradigms. This study foregrounds the insider-outsider dynamics within rural governance, where urban expansion, extractivist practices, and commodification marginalise rural spaces, while internal community tensions highlight the complexities of representation, agency, and cooperation. By addressing these relational dynamics, the research demonstrates how participatory governance models can navigate power asymmetries and integrate marginalised human and non-human voices, fostering a more equitable approach to rural development. Aesthetic and cultural narratives play a pivotal role in shaping participatory approaches that counteract exploitative systems. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives and animal sanctuaries exemplify interspecies collaboration in practice, fostering relational ethics through shared governance and care. Sanctuaries challenge societal norms by reimagining non-human animals as sentient agents, while CSAs create participatory spaces where mutual care, sustainability, and ecological balance are prioritised. These sites become arenas for ethical experimentation and cultural transformation, where imaginaries of sustainability and justice are redefined through lived practices. Theoretically, the research draws on relational ethics and Degrowth as interconnected frameworks. Relational ethics advocates for mutual care, inclusivity, and interconnectedness, while Degrowth critiques paradigms of endless growth, promoting redistributive, localised, and ecologically balanced practices. Together, they offer a comprehensive lens to interrogate exclusionary governance, advancing inclusive and transformative visions of sustainability that address global ecological and social challenges. By bridging theoretical discourse with lived practices, this research illustrates how anti-speciesism can reshape the ethical, cultural, and ecological dimensions of rural development. It positions rural spaces as vital arenas for addressing global crises through relational, inclusive, and justice-oriented frameworks, rooted in interdependence and transformative potential.