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Khalil Mirzaei, Aazam Skakouri, Marjan Sepahpanah, Fereshteh Avatefiakmal, Masoud Samian,
Volume 12, Issue 43 (Spring 2023 2023)
Volume 12, Issue 43 (Spring 2023 2023)
Abstract
Introduction
Entrepreneurship in rural areas can create new job opportunities and increase income, leading to improved economic and living conditions for villagers. As a result, the concept of entrepreneurship has become more closely linked to the development of villages compared to the past. Encouraging rural entrepreneurship can contribute to rural communities' economic growth by recognizing the agricultural sector's strengths and weaknesses. This can be achieved through effective strategic planning, promoting creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Doing so helps prevent a policy of state-centralism, which prioritizes the convenience and obedience of villagers. Several benefits are associated with rural entrepreneurship, including the development of employment opportunities, reduction in rural migrations, increased income, and innovation. Despite these advantages, rural entrepreneurship has not yet flourished in Iran's rural communities, and entrepreneurial activity has not been institutionalized in these areas. Research conducted in various countries, including Iran, has revealed that rural entrepreneurship encounters numerous obstacles. These include limited access to skilled labor in rural regions, low levels of education, knowledge, and technical skills, and inadequate knowledge of information technology in rural areas.
Furthermore, the absence of a supportive family, societal, and support system environment does not foster rural entrepreneurship growth. It does not motivate rural individuals to pursue entrepreneurship as a career. Young and educated people often leave the villages and go to big cities hoping for a better future, more income, and easier life, and this phenomenon of brain drain causes a lack of reincarnation and matching between existing jobs and the workforce's skills. The rest is in the villages. It is important to acknowledge the significance of rural entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities for implementing sustainable rural development programs and policies. However, there are numerous challenges that must be addressed in order to enhance this field and provide opportunities for employment. Developing strategies that can effectively reduce or eliminate these challenges and problems will help promote a better quality of life and livelihood for those living in rural areas.
Methodology
This research aimed to conduct an applied, analytical, and exploratory study. The necessary data was gathered through both library research and a questionnaire. In the initial phase, an environmental survey was utilized to identify the key factors that impact rural development in Hamedan Province, specifically in relation to entrepreneurship and home-based businesses. Faculty members of the agricultural development training group and rural planning experts confirmed the validity of extracted indicators. The statistical population of this research was ten experts and specialists in rural development and planning. In the next step, the interviewees are asked to declare their agreement or disagreement and their level with each title using a Likert scale. In other words, they are quantifiable. At this stage, the components that get a score lower than the average will be removed from the research, and the remaining components will enter the next stage. In the following, to identify the drivers among the key factors obtained in the previous section, a mutual effects questionnaire was designed and returned to the interviewees, and they were asked to score. The weighting of this questionnaire was measured as a pairwise comparison, and the correlation between the variables was measured between zero and three. MIC MAC software was used for data analysis in this research and this step. Wizard software was also used to develop scenarios.
Discussion and conclusion
The findings revealed that, apart from the current connections between the indicators, there were potential forms of relationships among them. These can be utilized in the planning process. The results show that the factors with the greatest impact on the system are investing enough financial resources in villages, providing women with a legitimate presence in various areas including politics, law, society, culture, economics, and operations, and defining a participatory planning model within the legal framework of Hamadan Province.
Some indicators have a greater impact than others on the state and changes of a system. These critical indicators are considered input variables that the system cannot control. The "Improvement of rural tourism infrastructure" index is a system risk index. It has a very high capacity to become the key player of the system because, due to its unstable nature, they have the potential to become the system's breaking point. The indicators of "Strengthening, creating confidence and raising awareness among villagers to meet their basic needs, such as free education in primary levels, university education, skills, job creation" and "Approval of laws to support rural businesses during severe currency fluctuations" are effective. They rely heavily on the changes in important and dual variables and are easily affected by them. These variables represent the system's output. After analyzing indicators in the Wizard software, two scenarios were identified. The first scenario, "Paying Attention to Local Planning," was one of them. This scenario had high compatibility. The elements of this reported scenario constitute a complete set of mutually supporting assumptions. Also the second scenario was called "sectional planning". According to the results of the research, local planning can be done in each of the villages of Hamadan Province, looking at the capacity and potential of that region for sustainable rural development.
Entrepreneurship in rural areas can create new job opportunities and increase income, leading to improved economic and living conditions for villagers. As a result, the concept of entrepreneurship has become more closely linked to the development of villages compared to the past. Encouraging rural entrepreneurship can contribute to rural communities' economic growth by recognizing the agricultural sector's strengths and weaknesses. This can be achieved through effective strategic planning, promoting creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Doing so helps prevent a policy of state-centralism, which prioritizes the convenience and obedience of villagers. Several benefits are associated with rural entrepreneurship, including the development of employment opportunities, reduction in rural migrations, increased income, and innovation. Despite these advantages, rural entrepreneurship has not yet flourished in Iran's rural communities, and entrepreneurial activity has not been institutionalized in these areas. Research conducted in various countries, including Iran, has revealed that rural entrepreneurship encounters numerous obstacles. These include limited access to skilled labor in rural regions, low levels of education, knowledge, and technical skills, and inadequate knowledge of information technology in rural areas.
Furthermore, the absence of a supportive family, societal, and support system environment does not foster rural entrepreneurship growth. It does not motivate rural individuals to pursue entrepreneurship as a career. Young and educated people often leave the villages and go to big cities hoping for a better future, more income, and easier life, and this phenomenon of brain drain causes a lack of reincarnation and matching between existing jobs and the workforce's skills. The rest is in the villages. It is important to acknowledge the significance of rural entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities for implementing sustainable rural development programs and policies. However, there are numerous challenges that must be addressed in order to enhance this field and provide opportunities for employment. Developing strategies that can effectively reduce or eliminate these challenges and problems will help promote a better quality of life and livelihood for those living in rural areas.
Methodology
This research aimed to conduct an applied, analytical, and exploratory study. The necessary data was gathered through both library research and a questionnaire. In the initial phase, an environmental survey was utilized to identify the key factors that impact rural development in Hamedan Province, specifically in relation to entrepreneurship and home-based businesses. Faculty members of the agricultural development training group and rural planning experts confirmed the validity of extracted indicators. The statistical population of this research was ten experts and specialists in rural development and planning. In the next step, the interviewees are asked to declare their agreement or disagreement and their level with each title using a Likert scale. In other words, they are quantifiable. At this stage, the components that get a score lower than the average will be removed from the research, and the remaining components will enter the next stage. In the following, to identify the drivers among the key factors obtained in the previous section, a mutual effects questionnaire was designed and returned to the interviewees, and they were asked to score. The weighting of this questionnaire was measured as a pairwise comparison, and the correlation between the variables was measured between zero and three. MIC MAC software was used for data analysis in this research and this step. Wizard software was also used to develop scenarios.
Discussion and conclusion
The findings revealed that, apart from the current connections between the indicators, there were potential forms of relationships among them. These can be utilized in the planning process. The results show that the factors with the greatest impact on the system are investing enough financial resources in villages, providing women with a legitimate presence in various areas including politics, law, society, culture, economics, and operations, and defining a participatory planning model within the legal framework of Hamadan Province.
Some indicators have a greater impact than others on the state and changes of a system. These critical indicators are considered input variables that the system cannot control. The "Improvement of rural tourism infrastructure" index is a system risk index. It has a very high capacity to become the key player of the system because, due to its unstable nature, they have the potential to become the system's breaking point. The indicators of "Strengthening, creating confidence and raising awareness among villagers to meet their basic needs, such as free education in primary levels, university education, skills, job creation" and "Approval of laws to support rural businesses during severe currency fluctuations" are effective. They rely heavily on the changes in important and dual variables and are easily affected by them. These variables represent the system's output. After analyzing indicators in the Wizard software, two scenarios were identified. The first scenario, "Paying Attention to Local Planning," was one of them. This scenario had high compatibility. The elements of this reported scenario constitute a complete set of mutually supporting assumptions. Also the second scenario was called "sectional planning". According to the results of the research, local planning can be done in each of the villages of Hamadan Province, looking at the capacity and potential of that region for sustainable rural development.
Mehdi Ramezanzadehlasboyee, Masoud Samian,
Volume 14, Issue 53 (12-2025)
Volume 14, Issue 53 (12-2025)
Abstract
Objective: The present study aims to examine the factors influencing the development of agritourism and to prioritize the counties of Mazandaran Province based on their agritourism potential.
Methods: This applied research adopts an exploratory mixed-methods design (qualitative–quantitative) implemented in two phases. In the first phase, to identify and extract factors affecting agritourism development, purposive sampling was used. Based on theoretical saturation, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts, including university faculty members, researchers, and managers and specialists from the Agricultural Jihad Organization and the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Mazandaran Province. Selection criteria included professional experience, research background in agritourism, and familiarity with Mazandaran’s agricultural and tourism capacities. Content analysis using open and axial coding was employed to identify the influencing factors. In the second phase, the TOPSIS multi-criteria decision-making method was used to prioritize Mazandaran counties in terms of agritourism potential.
Results: According to the results, multiple factors contribute to agritourism development, each playing a role in promoting sustainable rural development. Deep semi-structured interviews identified five major components influencing agritourism development in Mazandaran: 1. Economic and infrastructural factors, 2. Socio-cultural factors, 3. Policy and managerial factors, 4. Promotional and educational factors, 5. Environmental and natural factors.
The TOPSIS analysis revealed that among Mazandaran’s 22 counties, five—Amol, Babol, Behshahr, Tonekabon, and Sari—possess very high agritourism potential. Ten counties—including Babolsar, Juybar, Chalous, Ramsar, Fereydunkenar, Qaemshahr, Kelardasht, Mahmudabad, Nur, and Nowshahr—showed high potential. Three counties (Simorgh, Abbasabad, and Neka) were categorized as moderate, while four counties (Savadkuh, North Savadkuh, Galugah, and Miandorud) exhibited low agritourism potential. These findings underscore the need for differentiated planning based on each county’s capacities.
Conclusions: Mazandaran Province accounts for 2.3% of Iran’s cultivated land yet produces 7.8% of the country’s agricultural output—approximately three times the national average. With 218,000 hectares of rice cultivation and 1.187 million tons of paddy production (36.6% of the national area), Mazandaran holds the leading position in rice production. In citrus cultivation, the province ranks fourth in cultivated area (157,000 ha) and second in production (2,800 tons). Given this strong agricultural base, alongside substantial tourism attractions, recognizing the factors influencing agritourism development is essential for formulating effective strategies. Furthermore, prioritizing the counties based on their agritourism potential, as undertaken in this study, can provide valuable guidance for policymakers and planners.
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