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Adel Sulaimany, Mohammad Reza Rezvani,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Resilience is the ability of a system to maintain its structures and functions in the event of environmental hazards and sustainably conserve the ecosystem resources and services that are essential to human livelihood. This definition of resilience implies that the system is relatively capable of learning and adapting. A system such as a social system, ecosystem, or complex human-environmental system can provide sufficient self-organization to maintain structures and processes within a coping process or adaptability. A review of structuralist and economic views in consistence with the rural geographical perspective as a major field of researching on natural hazards on reveal that vulnerability to climate change and economic inequality are positively correlated. In this context, frequent occurrence of environmental hazards in rural geographical spaces, has required special attention to the research, lessons learned and lived experiences about resilience to reduce and moderate economic and livelihood vulnerability in rural settlements. In this regard, investigation and analysis of global studies in the field of rural economy resilience are necessary, due to the large number and dispersion of the country's villages, the vulnerability of rural settlements in the face of various risks and hazards and the consequences. Therefore, the extensive analysis of valid scientific documents and a lot of world-produced knowledge in this field can help most of the studies and economic empowerment programs of local communities in Iran.
Methodology
This research is applied study that has used scientometric approach to review scientific documents. The present study is a type of scientometrics. In this research, the method of social network analysis with an exploratory approach has been used to explain and analyze the co-authorship and co-authorship of related researches in the whole network. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to systematic analysis of knowledge network and mapping the rural economy resilience by examining the network of both co-authorship and co- occurrence in this field to determine the sources and trends of knowledge and its shortcomings. The data were collected from the Scopus information database and was analyzed with algorithms based on social network analysis in VOSviewer software. To this end, we used census method, collected all scientific documents (including articles and books) related to the field of "rural economy resilience" in English inserted in the title, abstract and keywords from Scopus database in several stages from 1980 to the end of March 2022.
VOSviewer software is a network analysis-based application that can be used to draw scientific networks and scientometric-based studies. The software has many applications in research based on research literature and research background
Discussion and conclusion
The findings showed that among more than 1105 scientific documents and 3493 authors, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, China and Italy had the most publications and authors such as Salvia, Quaranta, Shaw and Castillo had the highest citations. Li Jing's cluster of ideas from China had the highest network density. Co-occurrence of words analysis revealed four research clusters in rural economy resilience studies are: governance, climate change, sustainable development, and poverty. The results showed that the discourse of rural resilience is in line with the global discourse of resilience, so any plan to promote the resilience of the rural economy must be coherent and comprehensive and take into account all studies, authors and leading research. The findings of this study can have valuable guidance for rural geography researchers and open new horizons for them. The study and analysis of the network and ecosystem of rural economy resilience research as a cognitive transformation in geography and rural development indicates the paradigmatic trends and shifts of knowledge in this field and shows the research advances in the field of rural economy resilience.
Resilience is the ability of a system to maintain its structures and functions in the event of environmental hazards and sustainably conserve the ecosystem resources and services that are essential to human livelihood. This definition of resilience implies that the system is relatively capable of learning and adapting. A system such as a social system, ecosystem, or complex human-environmental system can provide sufficient self-organization to maintain structures and processes within a coping process or adaptability. A review of structuralist and economic views in consistence with the rural geographical perspective as a major field of researching on natural hazards on reveal that vulnerability to climate change and economic inequality are positively correlated. In this context, frequent occurrence of environmental hazards in rural geographical spaces, has required special attention to the research, lessons learned and lived experiences about resilience to reduce and moderate economic and livelihood vulnerability in rural settlements. In this regard, investigation and analysis of global studies in the field of rural economy resilience are necessary, due to the large number and dispersion of the country's villages, the vulnerability of rural settlements in the face of various risks and hazards and the consequences. Therefore, the extensive analysis of valid scientific documents and a lot of world-produced knowledge in this field can help most of the studies and economic empowerment programs of local communities in Iran.
Methodology
This research is applied study that has used scientometric approach to review scientific documents. The present study is a type of scientometrics. In this research, the method of social network analysis with an exploratory approach has been used to explain and analyze the co-authorship and co-authorship of related researches in the whole network. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to systematic analysis of knowledge network and mapping the rural economy resilience by examining the network of both co-authorship and co- occurrence in this field to determine the sources and trends of knowledge and its shortcomings. The data were collected from the Scopus information database and was analyzed with algorithms based on social network analysis in VOSviewer software. To this end, we used census method, collected all scientific documents (including articles and books) related to the field of "rural economy resilience" in English inserted in the title, abstract and keywords from Scopus database in several stages from 1980 to the end of March 2022.
VOSviewer software is a network analysis-based application that can be used to draw scientific networks and scientometric-based studies. The software has many applications in research based on research literature and research background
Discussion and conclusion
The findings showed that among more than 1105 scientific documents and 3493 authors, the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, China and Italy had the most publications and authors such as Salvia, Quaranta, Shaw and Castillo had the highest citations. Li Jing's cluster of ideas from China had the highest network density. Co-occurrence of words analysis revealed four research clusters in rural economy resilience studies are: governance, climate change, sustainable development, and poverty. The results showed that the discourse of rural resilience is in line with the global discourse of resilience, so any plan to promote the resilience of the rural economy must be coherent and comprehensive and take into account all studies, authors and leading research. The findings of this study can have valuable guidance for rural geography researchers and open new horizons for them. The study and analysis of the network and ecosystem of rural economy resilience research as a cognitive transformation in geography and rural development indicates the paradigmatic trends and shifts of knowledge in this field and shows the research advances in the field of rural economy resilience.
Mehrangiz Rezaei, Hassan Ali Faraji Sabkbar, Hamed Mazinani, Siamak Tahmasebi,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
One of the most prominent features of the economic landscape is the intense geographical concentration of economic activity. Economic activities tend to be located in specific locations (for example, near markets or raw materials) and often some industries are concentrated in specific areas. Surveys show that out of 619,000 cattle and calf farms in the country, only 27,000 (4%) operate industrially. However, the share of the number of cows and calves and milk production of industrial farms from the total number of farms in the country is 32% and 58%, respectively. In this paper, the spatial distribution analysis of industrial cattle farming will be performed in two stages. First, the pattern of spatial distribution in the provinces in 2013, 2016 and 2019 has been studied, and then, using spatial regression method, more details of the regional concentration in industrial cattle farming are provided. More precisely, it has been tested to what extent natural and geographical factors, transportation, raw materials, are able to explain the spatial pattern of the geographical concentration of industrial cattle farming.
Methodology
The research is applied in terms of purpose and exploratory-confirmatory in terms of method. The research data are related to the number of active dairy and beef cattle’s divided and showed by provinces and extracted from the results of the census of the industrial cattle farming of the country in 2013, 2016 and 2019. The main determinants of the research are: percentage of barley production, percentage of forage production, average elevation, GDP, average temperature, average rainfall, road network density and population percentage.
Poisson global regression (GPR) and Poisson geographic weight regression (GWPR) were used to model the spatial distribution of industrial cattle farming. The mentioned models are performed in ArcGIS, GWR4 and the maps are prepared in the illustrator software.
Discussion and conclusion
This study aimed to model the spatial distribution of industrial cattle farming and its main determinants in the provinces of Iran. The results showed that the spatial and temporal distribution of industrial farms in the studied periods show little spatial and temporal variability. The results showed that the GWPR model has a better performance compared to the GPR model due to the fact that it shows the spatial variability of variables according to local conditions. The mean height showed a positive relationship. Active industrial farms are mainly concentrated in the central, southern and northeastern regions, where on the one hand it is far from mountainous and high areas and on the other hand the average temperature is high and the average rainfall is lower. But in local modeling, the relationships of these variables change according to local conditions and are not the same throughout the space. The results of this study show that the relationships between the distribution of industrial cattle farming and its determinants among the provinces of Iran both change in direction and intensity.
One of the most prominent features of the economic landscape is the intense geographical concentration of economic activity. Economic activities tend to be located in specific locations (for example, near markets or raw materials) and often some industries are concentrated in specific areas. Surveys show that out of 619,000 cattle and calf farms in the country, only 27,000 (4%) operate industrially. However, the share of the number of cows and calves and milk production of industrial farms from the total number of farms in the country is 32% and 58%, respectively. In this paper, the spatial distribution analysis of industrial cattle farming will be performed in two stages. First, the pattern of spatial distribution in the provinces in 2013, 2016 and 2019 has been studied, and then, using spatial regression method, more details of the regional concentration in industrial cattle farming are provided. More precisely, it has been tested to what extent natural and geographical factors, transportation, raw materials, are able to explain the spatial pattern of the geographical concentration of industrial cattle farming.
Methodology
The research is applied in terms of purpose and exploratory-confirmatory in terms of method. The research data are related to the number of active dairy and beef cattle’s divided and showed by provinces and extracted from the results of the census of the industrial cattle farming of the country in 2013, 2016 and 2019. The main determinants of the research are: percentage of barley production, percentage of forage production, average elevation, GDP, average temperature, average rainfall, road network density and population percentage.
Poisson global regression (GPR) and Poisson geographic weight regression (GWPR) were used to model the spatial distribution of industrial cattle farming. The mentioned models are performed in ArcGIS, GWR4 and the maps are prepared in the illustrator software.
Discussion and conclusion
This study aimed to model the spatial distribution of industrial cattle farming and its main determinants in the provinces of Iran. The results showed that the spatial and temporal distribution of industrial farms in the studied periods show little spatial and temporal variability. The results showed that the GWPR model has a better performance compared to the GPR model due to the fact that it shows the spatial variability of variables according to local conditions. The mean height showed a positive relationship. Active industrial farms are mainly concentrated in the central, southern and northeastern regions, where on the one hand it is far from mountainous and high areas and on the other hand the average temperature is high and the average rainfall is lower. But in local modeling, the relationships of these variables change according to local conditions and are not the same throughout the space. The results of this study show that the relationships between the distribution of industrial cattle farming and its determinants among the provinces of Iran both change in direction and intensity.
Hossein Karimzadeh, Sima Saadi,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Despite the fact that the number of female entrepreneurs is growing, data shows that they grow at a slower rate than male entrepreneurs due to the difficulties and challenges they face. There have always been several obstacles and challenges in founding and growing enterprises, whether in urban or rural settings. On the other hand, the resources and contexts available for entrepreneurship can help to mitigate some of the barriers and challenges; in other words, the right geographical location and easy access to resources can help to foster entrepreneurship development, which is the foundation for regional development. Additionally, urban and rural women entrepreneurs play essential roles in the economic growth, particularly in developing and underprivileged countries. The World Bank claims that investing more in female entrepreneurship will result in a nation's development. The reasons are women's empowerment in society (whether urban or rural) eliminates inequality and poverty, and women are the first hope for family development and country development in underdeveloped countries. Female entrepreneurs' success in these societies benefits not only the economy but also the social and cultural structure. Nonetheless, women entrepreneurs confront numerous challenges, just like other groups of entrepreneurs.
Methodology
The study's statistical population is made up of women aged 15 to 65 who live in Marivan City and its surrounding villages. According to the statistical population of 65081 women between the ages of 15 and 65 in Marivan, 189 samples were chosen using Cochran's formula. In addition, 9 villages were chosen from a total of 93 villages in Marivan County based on their distance from the city: 3 villages within 0-5 km of the city (close), 3 villages within 5-10 km of the city (medium), and 3 villages at a distance of 10-15 km from the city (far). According to the statistical population (827), there are 113 questionnaires distributed in the villages indicated. For statistical analysis of the research, the one-sample t-test and ANOVA have used in SPSS 22 software, and for spatial analysis of the research ArcGIS software was used.
Discussion and conclusion
According to the research findings in the economic and political dimensions, women entrepreneurship growth in the both study area's settlements, namely rural areas and Marivan City, are not at the required level. The reasons are the lack of private investment in the region to build enterprises, the lack of banks and institutions offering loans and financial credits in rural regions, the existence of extreme poverty in the region, particularly in rural areas, lack risk-taking, lack of government assistance, lack of action in villages or municipalities to build and promote women's entrepreneurship, lack of public sector cooperation in investing in new firms, and so on. It should be mentioned that the status are considerably better in urban regions than rural ones. These findings are congruent with Sivanesan's 2014 study comparing rural and urban female entrepreneurship in India, as well as Robinson et al. (2004) and Rasekhi et al (2018). Marivan City has a better social and infrastructural status than rural areas in both social and infrastructural terms. Lack of participation of women in business organizations, unions, and guilds, lack of educational fields related to entrepreneurship in rural areas, lack of social security for women in the marketplace, lack of cooperation of rural managers with women, lack of a class or organization of women entrepreneurs, lack of appropriate technology infrastructure in rural areas are some of the reasons for this. These findings are in line with a 2011 study by Angela Davis comparing the priorities of urban and rural entrepreneurs' service demands, as well as studies by Asitik (2015) and Anthopoulou (2016). (2010). Both towns are in good shape in terms of individual dimensions, but when comparing the averages of the two, Marivan is in a better position than rural areas (cities with an average of 3.96 and villages with an average of 3.04). Individual qualities and backgrounds of entrepreneurship in the inhabitants of the research area, such as readiness to confront challenges and difficulties, not escaping unpleasant situations, people's level of responsibility, self-reliance, and acceptability, could be the cause for this. These findings are in line with those of a 2013 study in Kentucky by Hyunjeong Joo, which compared rural and urban entrepreneurs. There is a substantial difference in the mean of the desired dimensions, according to the analysis of the variance test. In addition, according to the post hoc test, the city of Marivan has the biggest differences from other groups, i.e. rural groups, in all of the analyzed characteristics. The city of Marivan has a better situation in the field of female entrepreneurship development than the rural areas analyzed, according to the findings of a spatial analysis of research in ArcGIS software. Due to the fact that the rural areas studied had an unfavorable situation in this regard, we have measured these areas by distance from the city. According to GIS maps, the villages near the city of Marivan, especially Bileh and Tazehabad, are in a more favorable situation than other rural areas. The reason for this can be considered the proximity of these villages to the city of Marivan.
Despite the fact that the number of female entrepreneurs is growing, data shows that they grow at a slower rate than male entrepreneurs due to the difficulties and challenges they face. There have always been several obstacles and challenges in founding and growing enterprises, whether in urban or rural settings. On the other hand, the resources and contexts available for entrepreneurship can help to mitigate some of the barriers and challenges; in other words, the right geographical location and easy access to resources can help to foster entrepreneurship development, which is the foundation for regional development. Additionally, urban and rural women entrepreneurs play essential roles in the economic growth, particularly in developing and underprivileged countries. The World Bank claims that investing more in female entrepreneurship will result in a nation's development. The reasons are women's empowerment in society (whether urban or rural) eliminates inequality and poverty, and women are the first hope for family development and country development in underdeveloped countries. Female entrepreneurs' success in these societies benefits not only the economy but also the social and cultural structure. Nonetheless, women entrepreneurs confront numerous challenges, just like other groups of entrepreneurs.
Methodology
The study's statistical population is made up of women aged 15 to 65 who live in Marivan City and its surrounding villages. According to the statistical population of 65081 women between the ages of 15 and 65 in Marivan, 189 samples were chosen using Cochran's formula. In addition, 9 villages were chosen from a total of 93 villages in Marivan County based on their distance from the city: 3 villages within 0-5 km of the city (close), 3 villages within 5-10 km of the city (medium), and 3 villages at a distance of 10-15 km from the city (far). According to the statistical population (827), there are 113 questionnaires distributed in the villages indicated. For statistical analysis of the research, the one-sample t-test and ANOVA have used in SPSS 22 software, and for spatial analysis of the research ArcGIS software was used.
Discussion and conclusion
According to the research findings in the economic and political dimensions, women entrepreneurship growth in the both study area's settlements, namely rural areas and Marivan City, are not at the required level. The reasons are the lack of private investment in the region to build enterprises, the lack of banks and institutions offering loans and financial credits in rural regions, the existence of extreme poverty in the region, particularly in rural areas, lack risk-taking, lack of government assistance, lack of action in villages or municipalities to build and promote women's entrepreneurship, lack of public sector cooperation in investing in new firms, and so on. It should be mentioned that the status are considerably better in urban regions than rural ones. These findings are congruent with Sivanesan's 2014 study comparing rural and urban female entrepreneurship in India, as well as Robinson et al. (2004) and Rasekhi et al (2018). Marivan City has a better social and infrastructural status than rural areas in both social and infrastructural terms. Lack of participation of women in business organizations, unions, and guilds, lack of educational fields related to entrepreneurship in rural areas, lack of social security for women in the marketplace, lack of cooperation of rural managers with women, lack of a class or organization of women entrepreneurs, lack of appropriate technology infrastructure in rural areas are some of the reasons for this. These findings are in line with a 2011 study by Angela Davis comparing the priorities of urban and rural entrepreneurs' service demands, as well as studies by Asitik (2015) and Anthopoulou (2016). (2010). Both towns are in good shape in terms of individual dimensions, but when comparing the averages of the two, Marivan is in a better position than rural areas (cities with an average of 3.96 and villages with an average of 3.04). Individual qualities and backgrounds of entrepreneurship in the inhabitants of the research area, such as readiness to confront challenges and difficulties, not escaping unpleasant situations, people's level of responsibility, self-reliance, and acceptability, could be the cause for this. These findings are in line with those of a 2013 study in Kentucky by Hyunjeong Joo, which compared rural and urban entrepreneurs. There is a substantial difference in the mean of the desired dimensions, according to the analysis of the variance test. In addition, according to the post hoc test, the city of Marivan has the biggest differences from other groups, i.e. rural groups, in all of the analyzed characteristics. The city of Marivan has a better situation in the field of female entrepreneurship development than the rural areas analyzed, according to the findings of a spatial analysis of research in ArcGIS software. Due to the fact that the rural areas studied had an unfavorable situation in this regard, we have measured these areas by distance from the city. According to GIS maps, the villages near the city of Marivan, especially Bileh and Tazehabad, are in a more favorable situation than other rural areas. The reason for this can be considered the proximity of these villages to the city of Marivan.
Maryam Alinaghipour, Esa Pourramzan, Nasrolah Molaeihashjin,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
The concept of livability is complex and includes various aspects of life. In general, livability is all the components that are the basis of creating a high quality settlement increase the rate of livability and the level of satisfaction of rural residents. These components appear in different dimensions: environmental-ecological, socio-cultural, economic, institutional-managerial and physical. Economic dimension is not the only factor affecting livability, but it is the significant one in the opinion of rural residents.
The villages around the metropolis of Rasht, like other villages in the country, are facing with various problems., If a place is economically improved, it is more suitable for living. Increasing the economic level Especially for young people will create satisfaction and prosperity in the society, increase the motivation of the residents to stay in the village environment and prevent the migration of the villagers, by investigating this issue, more appropriate planning can be done in the village environment to achieve the desired quality of life. The purpose of the current research is to analyze the economic livability of rural settlements around the metropolis of Rasht. The study identifies economic indicators that are effective in livability and evaluates them in order to answer these questions: what are the economic indicators affecting livability? which villages are the most economically livable village in the study are?
Methodology
The research in terms of purpose is applied study and in terms of methodology is descriptive-analytical. The required information is collected from documents and a field study. The required data are collected by interviewing and a questionnaire from head of household and village managers. The components and items in the questionnaire were extracted from the literature and field studies.37 rural settlements around metropolis of Rasht were statistical population. 516 head of household and 37 rural managers were statistical samples. The number of household head has been estimated based on the total number of households in the study area and using the Cochran formula. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by experts and specialists in rural studies. The reliability of questionnaires was assessed by Cronbach's alpha method. A number of questionnaires were completed randomly to pre-test in the study area and its reliability coefficient (0.837) was calculated which indicates the acceptable reliability. Excel and SPSS software were used in the descriptive statistics section. For inferential statistics, and the process of indexing, the livability scores were used for comparison and conclusion. One-sample t-test was used to prove the significance and generalizability of research results, and regression analysis to show the impact of the economic dimension on livability and for further analysis. The results of the studied villages were ranked according to the economic livability scores at five levels: very desirable, desirable, moderate, undesirable and very undesirable.
Discussion and conclusion
The economic dimension in livability consists of 4 components and 16 items. The components include employment and income, household expenses, land and housing value and tourism. Component of employment and income had 8 items including having a suitable job (in a village or adjacent town), the variety of available job opportunities in the village, job security and job satisfaction, satisfaction with family income, satisfaction with total family income, satisfaction with family saving and the existence of profitable investment. The component of the household expenses had 3 items including levels of satisfaction with household expenses, satisfaction with housing costs and satisfaction with shipping costs. The component of land and housing value had 3 items including the value of land in the village, the growth of the price of land and the growth of housing prices. The component of tourism had 2 items including the annual number of tourists and the income generated by the presence of tourists.
After identifying the effective components and items and the process of creating index, the economic livability scores of each of the studied villages were obtained. The value of land and housing with the score of 9.00 was the highest score and the tourism index with a score of 1.2 was the lowest score. Development of tourism was found an effective way to increase the level of economic livability in the studied villages. Also, considering the livability scores, Pirkolachai village has the highest score of 29.7 and Varazgah village has a lowest score of 94.3. Furthermore, the studied villages are classified according to their livability scores in five groups. According to this rating, Pirkolachai villages is very desirable, Talemseshanbe, Kassar, Alman, Balakkoyakh, Tuchipaibast, Roknsara, Lachegorab, Shalko are desirable, Dareposht, Foshtam, Keshalvarzal, Gilpordesar, Pesikhan, Pasvishe, Komakol, Piledarbon, Bijarbaneh, Pachkenar, Gorabvarzal are moderate, Roudbordeh, Kheshtmasjed, Tazeabad, Siaestalkh, Mangode, Garfam, Shekarestalkh, Kizhde, Karchovandan, Ravajir, Kisarvarzal are undesirable, and Varazgah, Koleshtaleshan, Tarazkouh, Bijarpas, Vishkavarzal, and Vishkamatir are very undesirable on the level of livability.
The present research is in line with the research of researchers such as Khorasani et al. (evaluating livability), Isalo et al. (analysis livability economic indicators), Jomepour and Tahmasebi (explanation of livability), Sasanpour et al. (identification of livability indexes), Khorasani, Rashidi et al., and Honarvarsedighian (livability measurement). Finally, according to the conducted research, we can find ways to improve the economic livability. The measurement of livability can lead to proper decisions in the field of rural policy and investment and sustainable consumption of resources, stimulate the participation of village residents and planning correctly which recognizes the capabilities of each region separately, improves the quality of management levels.
To this end, the study suggests the following actions:
Provide plans for investing in the village - many villagers tend to invest their little savings in the village, but they have not been able to take action because rural managers do not plan on this. The studied villages have a high potential for attracting capital because of the proximity to the Rasht metropolitan area. -
Create jobs in village and the follow up supports- creating job in the village increases the motivation to stay in rural areas. In many of the studied villages production united are available, but it is used by non-local labors, nevertheless many villagers work in the cities and other villages. Rural managers can obligate the job owners in the villages to hire local residents. In this case, part of their dissatisfaction about jobs and income will be reduced.
Plan to attract tourists – villagers can create activities in the village to attract tourists, and then with the necessary promotions and marketing, they will boost their village.
The concept of livability is complex and includes various aspects of life. In general, livability is all the components that are the basis of creating a high quality settlement increase the rate of livability and the level of satisfaction of rural residents. These components appear in different dimensions: environmental-ecological, socio-cultural, economic, institutional-managerial and physical. Economic dimension is not the only factor affecting livability, but it is the significant one in the opinion of rural residents.
The villages around the metropolis of Rasht, like other villages in the country, are facing with various problems., If a place is economically improved, it is more suitable for living. Increasing the economic level Especially for young people will create satisfaction and prosperity in the society, increase the motivation of the residents to stay in the village environment and prevent the migration of the villagers, by investigating this issue, more appropriate planning can be done in the village environment to achieve the desired quality of life. The purpose of the current research is to analyze the economic livability of rural settlements around the metropolis of Rasht. The study identifies economic indicators that are effective in livability and evaluates them in order to answer these questions: what are the economic indicators affecting livability? which villages are the most economically livable village in the study are?
Methodology
The research in terms of purpose is applied study and in terms of methodology is descriptive-analytical. The required information is collected from documents and a field study. The required data are collected by interviewing and a questionnaire from head of household and village managers. The components and items in the questionnaire were extracted from the literature and field studies.37 rural settlements around metropolis of Rasht were statistical population. 516 head of household and 37 rural managers were statistical samples. The number of household head has been estimated based on the total number of households in the study area and using the Cochran formula. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by experts and specialists in rural studies. The reliability of questionnaires was assessed by Cronbach's alpha method. A number of questionnaires were completed randomly to pre-test in the study area and its reliability coefficient (0.837) was calculated which indicates the acceptable reliability. Excel and SPSS software were used in the descriptive statistics section. For inferential statistics, and the process of indexing, the livability scores were used for comparison and conclusion. One-sample t-test was used to prove the significance and generalizability of research results, and regression analysis to show the impact of the economic dimension on livability and for further analysis. The results of the studied villages were ranked according to the economic livability scores at five levels: very desirable, desirable, moderate, undesirable and very undesirable.
Discussion and conclusion
The economic dimension in livability consists of 4 components and 16 items. The components include employment and income, household expenses, land and housing value and tourism. Component of employment and income had 8 items including having a suitable job (in a village or adjacent town), the variety of available job opportunities in the village, job security and job satisfaction, satisfaction with family income, satisfaction with total family income, satisfaction with family saving and the existence of profitable investment. The component of the household expenses had 3 items including levels of satisfaction with household expenses, satisfaction with housing costs and satisfaction with shipping costs. The component of land and housing value had 3 items including the value of land in the village, the growth of the price of land and the growth of housing prices. The component of tourism had 2 items including the annual number of tourists and the income generated by the presence of tourists.
After identifying the effective components and items and the process of creating index, the economic livability scores of each of the studied villages were obtained. The value of land and housing with the score of 9.00 was the highest score and the tourism index with a score of 1.2 was the lowest score. Development of tourism was found an effective way to increase the level of economic livability in the studied villages. Also, considering the livability scores, Pirkolachai village has the highest score of 29.7 and Varazgah village has a lowest score of 94.3. Furthermore, the studied villages are classified according to their livability scores in five groups. According to this rating, Pirkolachai villages is very desirable, Talemseshanbe, Kassar, Alman, Balakkoyakh, Tuchipaibast, Roknsara, Lachegorab, Shalko are desirable, Dareposht, Foshtam, Keshalvarzal, Gilpordesar, Pesikhan, Pasvishe, Komakol, Piledarbon, Bijarbaneh, Pachkenar, Gorabvarzal are moderate, Roudbordeh, Kheshtmasjed, Tazeabad, Siaestalkh, Mangode, Garfam, Shekarestalkh, Kizhde, Karchovandan, Ravajir, Kisarvarzal are undesirable, and Varazgah, Koleshtaleshan, Tarazkouh, Bijarpas, Vishkavarzal, and Vishkamatir are very undesirable on the level of livability.
The present research is in line with the research of researchers such as Khorasani et al. (evaluating livability), Isalo et al. (analysis livability economic indicators), Jomepour and Tahmasebi (explanation of livability), Sasanpour et al. (identification of livability indexes), Khorasani, Rashidi et al., and Honarvarsedighian (livability measurement). Finally, according to the conducted research, we can find ways to improve the economic livability. The measurement of livability can lead to proper decisions in the field of rural policy and investment and sustainable consumption of resources, stimulate the participation of village residents and planning correctly which recognizes the capabilities of each region separately, improves the quality of management levels.
To this end, the study suggests the following actions:
Provide plans for investing in the village - many villagers tend to invest their little savings in the village, but they have not been able to take action because rural managers do not plan on this. The studied villages have a high potential for attracting capital because of the proximity to the Rasht metropolitan area. -
Create jobs in village and the follow up supports- creating job in the village increases the motivation to stay in rural areas. In many of the studied villages production united are available, but it is used by non-local labors, nevertheless many villagers work in the cities and other villages. Rural managers can obligate the job owners in the villages to hire local residents. In this case, part of their dissatisfaction about jobs and income will be reduced.
Plan to attract tourists – villagers can create activities in the village to attract tourists, and then with the necessary promotions and marketing, they will boost their village.
Aliakbar Anabestani, Farokh Legha Bahadori Amjaz, Jamileh Tavakolinia,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Smart growth is one of the regional planning strategies that aims to create regional balance and prevent degradation in line with the goals of sustainable development, which seeks to create and promote social equality, a sense of spatial and social belonging and preservation of natural resources alongside cultural resources. It also has significant benefits for rural communities through preserving their history and identity, making rural settlements more pleasant and livable, sustainable economic development, creating diverse and more affordable housing options and preserving ecological sustainability. It can be argued that the challenges a rural area is facing even if sometimes similar, can never be the same in different countries. Rural areas or villages need a specific growth that improves people's lives. This is because rural development is essential to accelerate the overall development of any country. However, the unplanned growth of the rural population, unplanned physical development of rural settlements and the improper use of the rural environment have created a situation which calls for the special need for planning in rural areas. A review of the statistics of involuntary rural migration and the problems that migrants create in destinations show the consequences of neglecting the villages, which are the main challenges facing managers and planners. Therefore, paying attention to rural development and sustainability requires more serious and systematic research. One of the proposed strategies in the field of rural sustainability is the smart growth strategy, which is in the form of sustainable development theory. Therefore, it seems that the smart growth approach can provide a way out of instability and achieve sustainable development in rural areas. in addition to identifying the indicators of smart growth and determining the effect and relationships between them, the purpose of this study is the spatial analysis of factors affecting the formation of smart growth in rural settlements of Jiroft.
Methodology
This research is an applied and descriptive-analytical study. we used documentary and library methods for theoretical framework and to investigate the factors affecting the formation of smart growth in rural settlements, field study and the questionnaire were used. The statistical population of the present study consists of two groups. According to the assumption that smart growth infrastructure is probable in large villages, we selected over 1000 people villages as the experimental group villages. Also, in this study, cluster sampling method (multi-stage) was used. For this purpose, in the first stage, among 4 districts of Jiroft County and 14 rural districts of this county, according to the 2016 census, 11 rural districts were selected as a cluster sample. According to the 2016 census, this city has 30 villages with a population of more than 1000 people (Jabal Barez 2 villages, Markazi 21 villages, Ismaili 7 villages). To determine the sample size of villages, Cochran's formula was applied. In this formula, to take advantage of 95% confidence level, accuracy coefficient of 0.05 and variance = 0.15 d2, the sample size of 18 villages has been determined. Among rural households, according to Cochran's formula, 261 households were selected as a sample and were randomly interviewed.
Discussion and conclusion
The extent smart growth and sustainable development affect all members of society from the lowest to the highest level. Therefore, improving the status of smart growth indicators can provide the basis for sustainable rural development. We examined different sources as well as the characteristics of the study area and ended up with seven components of local economy stability, environmental quality improvement, density and intensive development, housing quality improvement, transportation and communication, local community stability, and physical texture improvement. From the perspective of rural respondents, the indicators of rural smart growth, transportation and communication and physical texture improvement, respectively, were the most important indicators of rural smart growth. From the experts point of view, based on a pairwise comparison of components, the components of local economy stability, transportation and communications, housing quality improvement, environmental quality improvement with weights of 0.303, 0.204, 0.132 and 0.126, respectively, were the most important factors affecting smart growth. Also, the components of density and intensive development, improvement of physical texture and stability of the local community with weights of 0.065, 0.081 and 0.089, respectively, are the less important factors. Finally, for spatial analysis of smart growth indices, the combined weighting method of AHP and COCOSO were used. Narjo and Sogdar have the lowest rank in terms of intelligent growth indicators. The research findings are in line with the results of other researchers. For instance, Tregear & Cooper 2016 believes that smart growth can help by making rural settlements more livable, sustainable economic development, creating diverse and affordable housing options, and maintaining ecological, social, economic, and physical sustainability, resulting in significant benefits for rural communities.
Smart growth is one of the regional planning strategies that aims to create regional balance and prevent degradation in line with the goals of sustainable development, which seeks to create and promote social equality, a sense of spatial and social belonging and preservation of natural resources alongside cultural resources. It also has significant benefits for rural communities through preserving their history and identity, making rural settlements more pleasant and livable, sustainable economic development, creating diverse and more affordable housing options and preserving ecological sustainability. It can be argued that the challenges a rural area is facing even if sometimes similar, can never be the same in different countries. Rural areas or villages need a specific growth that improves people's lives. This is because rural development is essential to accelerate the overall development of any country. However, the unplanned growth of the rural population, unplanned physical development of rural settlements and the improper use of the rural environment have created a situation which calls for the special need for planning in rural areas. A review of the statistics of involuntary rural migration and the problems that migrants create in destinations show the consequences of neglecting the villages, which are the main challenges facing managers and planners. Therefore, paying attention to rural development and sustainability requires more serious and systematic research. One of the proposed strategies in the field of rural sustainability is the smart growth strategy, which is in the form of sustainable development theory. Therefore, it seems that the smart growth approach can provide a way out of instability and achieve sustainable development in rural areas. in addition to identifying the indicators of smart growth and determining the effect and relationships between them, the purpose of this study is the spatial analysis of factors affecting the formation of smart growth in rural settlements of Jiroft.
Methodology
This research is an applied and descriptive-analytical study. we used documentary and library methods for theoretical framework and to investigate the factors affecting the formation of smart growth in rural settlements, field study and the questionnaire were used. The statistical population of the present study consists of two groups. According to the assumption that smart growth infrastructure is probable in large villages, we selected over 1000 people villages as the experimental group villages. Also, in this study, cluster sampling method (multi-stage) was used. For this purpose, in the first stage, among 4 districts of Jiroft County and 14 rural districts of this county, according to the 2016 census, 11 rural districts were selected as a cluster sample. According to the 2016 census, this city has 30 villages with a population of more than 1000 people (Jabal Barez 2 villages, Markazi 21 villages, Ismaili 7 villages). To determine the sample size of villages, Cochran's formula was applied. In this formula, to take advantage of 95% confidence level, accuracy coefficient of 0.05 and variance = 0.15 d2, the sample size of 18 villages has been determined. Among rural households, according to Cochran's formula, 261 households were selected as a sample and were randomly interviewed.
Discussion and conclusion
The extent smart growth and sustainable development affect all members of society from the lowest to the highest level. Therefore, improving the status of smart growth indicators can provide the basis for sustainable rural development. We examined different sources as well as the characteristics of the study area and ended up with seven components of local economy stability, environmental quality improvement, density and intensive development, housing quality improvement, transportation and communication, local community stability, and physical texture improvement. From the perspective of rural respondents, the indicators of rural smart growth, transportation and communication and physical texture improvement, respectively, were the most important indicators of rural smart growth. From the experts point of view, based on a pairwise comparison of components, the components of local economy stability, transportation and communications, housing quality improvement, environmental quality improvement with weights of 0.303, 0.204, 0.132 and 0.126, respectively, were the most important factors affecting smart growth. Also, the components of density and intensive development, improvement of physical texture and stability of the local community with weights of 0.065, 0.081 and 0.089, respectively, are the less important factors. Finally, for spatial analysis of smart growth indices, the combined weighting method of AHP and COCOSO were used. Narjo and Sogdar have the lowest rank in terms of intelligent growth indicators. The research findings are in line with the results of other researchers. For instance, Tregear & Cooper 2016 believes that smart growth can help by making rural settlements more livable, sustainable economic development, creating diverse and affordable housing options, and maintaining ecological, social, economic, and physical sustainability, resulting in significant benefits for rural communities.
Ebrahim Sadeghi, Mohammad Hassanzadeh Nafooti, Aliakbar Jamali, Asghar Salehi,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Many experts and practitioners stated that sustainable development is more probable through social capital or participation and social trust. By involving local people in the watershed management process, users' technical and analytical skills are improved. In evaluating watershed management projects, so far, mainly technical goals to reduce nature reactions have been considered by designers and planners; however, the human factor in the design, evaluation and achievement of socio-economic goals of the project has received less attention. Therefore, it will be necessary to pay more attention in this regard. In Qaleh Shahrerokh Basin, various watershed management projects have been implemented that have different effects on environmental factors, and consequently, socio-economic conditions in the region. According to the researchers, the study of the factors affecting the participation and also the internal effect of each factor on each other is one of the tasks that should be done before, during and after the implementation of such projects. The present study aims to identify barriers affecting the participation of the villagers using multiple correlation and path analysis to help local managers to be more successful in planning and implementing future watershed management projects with maximum participation.
Methodology
The present study is a non-experimental and descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population of this study consists of all heads of households in Qaleh Shahrokh village of Chadegan city. According to the statistical population, the sample size was obtained using the Cochran's formula with a 5% error rate, which was considered 250 for greater accuracy. The data collection tool in this study was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by professors and experts of Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center. To determine the reliability of the questionnaire, a pre-test was performed, in which the calculated Cronbach's alpha value was obtained for the main scales of the questionnaire. SPSS and AMOS software were used to analyze the collected data by multiple correlation and path analysis.
Discussion and conclusion
The research findings showed that the level of participation of respondents in watershed management projects is low. The continuation of this situation can make difficulties for the implementation and maintenance of future watershed management projects in the region, and cost a lot of money imposed on the government to maintain and develop plans. Regarding the level of familiarity of villagers with watershed management plans, the results showed that in general the level of familiarity and knowledge of respondents about different dimensions of watershed management plans was low and this factor is one of the important reasons for the low level of rural participation in watershed management projects. This problem indicates the lack of extension and educational activities of watershed management project implementers before the implementation of the projects. These results show that unless the villagers have a good level of awareness about plans and projects and have a negative mindset about job creation and the positive impact of watershed management projects, they will be indifferent such plans. The results of multiple correlation and path analysis showed that cultural factors play a key role in the non-participation of villagers in watershed management projects and other factors do not directly affect participation. This result indicates that the knowledge and awareness of the residents of the region about the goals and results of watershed management projects should be increased in order to lead to gaining trust and maximum participation in the implementation, maintenance and maintenance of such projects.
Many experts and practitioners stated that sustainable development is more probable through social capital or participation and social trust. By involving local people in the watershed management process, users' technical and analytical skills are improved. In evaluating watershed management projects, so far, mainly technical goals to reduce nature reactions have been considered by designers and planners; however, the human factor in the design, evaluation and achievement of socio-economic goals of the project has received less attention. Therefore, it will be necessary to pay more attention in this regard. In Qaleh Shahrerokh Basin, various watershed management projects have been implemented that have different effects on environmental factors, and consequently, socio-economic conditions in the region. According to the researchers, the study of the factors affecting the participation and also the internal effect of each factor on each other is one of the tasks that should be done before, during and after the implementation of such projects. The present study aims to identify barriers affecting the participation of the villagers using multiple correlation and path analysis to help local managers to be more successful in planning and implementing future watershed management projects with maximum participation.
Methodology
The present study is a non-experimental and descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population of this study consists of all heads of households in Qaleh Shahrokh village of Chadegan city. According to the statistical population, the sample size was obtained using the Cochran's formula with a 5% error rate, which was considered 250 for greater accuracy. The data collection tool in this study was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by professors and experts of Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center. To determine the reliability of the questionnaire, a pre-test was performed, in which the calculated Cronbach's alpha value was obtained for the main scales of the questionnaire. SPSS and AMOS software were used to analyze the collected data by multiple correlation and path analysis.
Discussion and conclusion
The research findings showed that the level of participation of respondents in watershed management projects is low. The continuation of this situation can make difficulties for the implementation and maintenance of future watershed management projects in the region, and cost a lot of money imposed on the government to maintain and develop plans. Regarding the level of familiarity of villagers with watershed management plans, the results showed that in general the level of familiarity and knowledge of respondents about different dimensions of watershed management plans was low and this factor is one of the important reasons for the low level of rural participation in watershed management projects. This problem indicates the lack of extension and educational activities of watershed management project implementers before the implementation of the projects. These results show that unless the villagers have a good level of awareness about plans and projects and have a negative mindset about job creation and the positive impact of watershed management projects, they will be indifferent such plans. The results of multiple correlation and path analysis showed that cultural factors play a key role in the non-participation of villagers in watershed management projects and other factors do not directly affect participation. This result indicates that the knowledge and awareness of the residents of the region about the goals and results of watershed management projects should be increased in order to lead to gaining trust and maximum participation in the implementation, maintenance and maintenance of such projects.
Asghar Ahmadi, Jafar Yaghoubi, Bahman Khosravipour,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Rural youth, as one of the most important human resources, constitutes a large part of the population and workforce of the rural community and play a valuable role in improving the economic and social situation of rural families. This is a capable resource to transform villages from unfavorable situation to favorable situation. Over the past few decades, migration has led to an aging rural population. Because most of the immigrants are young people, and often, they are the ones who tend to leave the villages to stay in the cities. Both migration and increasing age of the villagers become the main concern in rural areas. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the situation and adopt scientific and executive strategies to manage it. In this paper, we study the migration motivation of rural students in field of agriculture at Zanjan University.
Methodology
This research is an applied study which uses a survey in data collection and a correlation for analysis. In the present study, the factors affecting the migration motivation of rural youth were identified through a literature review and a research questionnaire was applied to find the correlation for the factors. The population of this study consisted of rural students studying in the fields of agriculture at University of Zanjan in 2018-2019 (N=210). The sample size was determined using the Krejcie & Morgan table (n=132). We used a stratified random sampling method to select the students for this study. Finally, the data were analyzed with SPSS software version 24.
Discussion and conclusion
The migration of educated youth from rural to urban areas is an alarming phenomenon in the geographical space of the country. The reason is that the situation can reduce the ability and motivation of the agricultural labor force in rural areas and lead to the waste of human capital in the country. Given that any planning in rural areas is directly and indirectly related to population structure and quality, it was important to study the factors affecting the willingness of moving out in rural youth.
The results showed that the number of family members living in the city, the desire to live in the village, life satisfaction, the amount of participation in agricultural activities, irrigated land owned by the family, accommodations and economic amenities in the urban areas and employment problem and difficulty of establishing business in the rural area are the most important reasons for the migration of agriculturally educated rural toung people.
Based on the results of logistic regression, the difficulty of establishing business in the rural area had the greatest impact on the inclination of migration. This finding reflects the fact that the most important priority of rural agricultural students is to achieve a job and create a business. Thus, it is suggested that the problem needs to be solved by promising an employment package for the agriculturally educated rural youth. These packages consist of the cases of financing through the allocation of low-income employment loans with minimum bureaucracy, consulting and training to start the businesses required by the market and marketing and sales program. Also, based on the results of regression analysis, it was found that the two variables of life satisfaction and the amount of participation in agricultural activities had a positive effect on migration tendency. This indicates that the more satisfied young people are with their lives, the greater their desire to migrate. This finding, along with increasing the tendency to migrate by increasing the participation of the rural youth in agricultural activities, indicates the fact that the desire to migrate among young people is not due to ignorance and lack of knowledge but is based on the existing knowledge and realities of rural society. As students' experience and knowledge of the agricultural situation increase, they come to the unfortunate conclusion that migration is a better way to achieve their goals. Using exploratory factor analysis, strategies to strengthen the rural economy by increasing the desire of rural youth to live and work in rural areas after graduation were summarized in two factors including facilitating the market of products and employment in rural areas and developing public and private investment in rural areas and agriculture.
Rural youth, as one of the most important human resources, constitutes a large part of the population and workforce of the rural community and play a valuable role in improving the economic and social situation of rural families. This is a capable resource to transform villages from unfavorable situation to favorable situation. Over the past few decades, migration has led to an aging rural population. Because most of the immigrants are young people, and often, they are the ones who tend to leave the villages to stay in the cities. Both migration and increasing age of the villagers become the main concern in rural areas. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the situation and adopt scientific and executive strategies to manage it. In this paper, we study the migration motivation of rural students in field of agriculture at Zanjan University.
Methodology
This research is an applied study which uses a survey in data collection and a correlation for analysis. In the present study, the factors affecting the migration motivation of rural youth were identified through a literature review and a research questionnaire was applied to find the correlation for the factors. The population of this study consisted of rural students studying in the fields of agriculture at University of Zanjan in 2018-2019 (N=210). The sample size was determined using the Krejcie & Morgan table (n=132). We used a stratified random sampling method to select the students for this study. Finally, the data were analyzed with SPSS software version 24.
Discussion and conclusion
The migration of educated youth from rural to urban areas is an alarming phenomenon in the geographical space of the country. The reason is that the situation can reduce the ability and motivation of the agricultural labor force in rural areas and lead to the waste of human capital in the country. Given that any planning in rural areas is directly and indirectly related to population structure and quality, it was important to study the factors affecting the willingness of moving out in rural youth.
The results showed that the number of family members living in the city, the desire to live in the village, life satisfaction, the amount of participation in agricultural activities, irrigated land owned by the family, accommodations and economic amenities in the urban areas and employment problem and difficulty of establishing business in the rural area are the most important reasons for the migration of agriculturally educated rural toung people.
Based on the results of logistic regression, the difficulty of establishing business in the rural area had the greatest impact on the inclination of migration. This finding reflects the fact that the most important priority of rural agricultural students is to achieve a job and create a business. Thus, it is suggested that the problem needs to be solved by promising an employment package for the agriculturally educated rural youth. These packages consist of the cases of financing through the allocation of low-income employment loans with minimum bureaucracy, consulting and training to start the businesses required by the market and marketing and sales program. Also, based on the results of regression analysis, it was found that the two variables of life satisfaction and the amount of participation in agricultural activities had a positive effect on migration tendency. This indicates that the more satisfied young people are with their lives, the greater their desire to migrate. This finding, along with increasing the tendency to migrate by increasing the participation of the rural youth in agricultural activities, indicates the fact that the desire to migrate among young people is not due to ignorance and lack of knowledge but is based on the existing knowledge and realities of rural society. As students' experience and knowledge of the agricultural situation increase, they come to the unfortunate conclusion that migration is a better way to achieve their goals. Using exploratory factor analysis, strategies to strengthen the rural economy by increasing the desire of rural youth to live and work in rural areas after graduation were summarized in two factors including facilitating the market of products and employment in rural areas and developing public and private investment in rural areas and agriculture.
Asiey Ghorbani , Milad Joudi Damirchi, Naser Motiei,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
The first step in spatial planning is the recognition of the environment and its latent capabilities. However, planning for development, especially rural development, should be based on a real understanding of the potential and talents of rural areas. Evidently, a major factor implicated in the failure of rural development planning is the negligence of the environment; indeed, any geographical space has its own potential, capabilities, and facilities for development. Human communities cannot survive apart from economic, social, and physical factors and depend on nature, especially the environment, to meet their basic needs.
Methodology
The research was an applied, non-experimental, library, and document based study with a quantitative paradigm. The statistical population was composed of rural areas in Isfahan Province of Iran. The study was conducted at the county level so that 24 counties in Isfahan Province were investigated in terms of rural economic development. The research had two sets of variables. a dependent variable, i.e., rural economic development, and independent variables including human resources development, access to infrastructural factors, and environmental capability, which were all quantitative. The data were both quantitative and imagery, collected by the library and document method. The ecological capability section was analyzed by Dr. Makhtoum’s multi-factor evaluation method. The criteria of the ecological capability were assigned with weights using the pairwise comparison technique of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Then, the criteria were integrated using the weighted linear combination method. Ultimately, the final fuzzy map was classified based on the mean and standard deviation (SD) of the value of its pixels in the ENVI5.1 software package. The aggregated index calculation method was employed to estimate other parameters including rural economic development, human resources development, and access to infrastructural factors. Eventually, the multivariate regression method was applied to explore the effect of independent variables on rural economic development. The software packages used in the research included SPSS and MS-excel for statistical analyses and the calculation of aggregated indices, Super Decisions for assigning weights to the environmental capability criteria by the pairwise comparison technique, ENVI5.1 for standardizing information layers of the criteria and categorizing land-uses based on the mean and SD of the pixel values, ArgGIS 10.1 for aggregating and preparing information layers, estimating the areas of each section, and producing the output maps, and SHAZAM for performing the regression analysis and testing the estimator hypotheses of ordinary least squares (OLS).
Discussion and Conclusion
According to the results, Isfahan County had the highest and Semirom County had the lowest rate of economic development in their rural areas. Naeen and Dehaqn Counties showed the highest and lowest levels of human resources development, respectively. The highest and lowest access to the infrastructural factors were related to the counties of Khomeynishahr and Semirom, respectively and Chadegan and Khour-va-Biabanak Counties had the highest and lowest ecological capabilities, respectively. A closer look at the results revealed that although some counties such as Chadegan, Bueen Miyandasht, and Semirom had high ecological potential; however, they were at the lowest level of the economic development of rural areas. In contrast, counties like Isfahan, Ardestan, Aran-va-Bidgol, and Naeen with weaker ecological capabilities were at higher levels of economic development in their rural areas.
Based on the analysis of the effect of variables on economic development with multivariate regression, the coefficient of determination (R2) was estimated at 0.806 for the model. The statistic shows that 80.6% of the variance in rural economic development is accounted for by three variables of ecological capability, human resources development, and infrastructural factors and 19.4% is related to other factors not included in the model. The results of the regression analysis show that the relative importance or effectiveness of the ecological capability is 0.23 whereas the relative importance of the access to infrastructural factors is 0.65 and the relative importance of the human resources development is 0.35. According to the results, rural economic development in Isfahan province is mainly affected by the variable of access to infrastructural factors and least affected by ecological capability. This is an unexpected result because the rural economy is based on ecological resources and capability since most of the people in the rural areas are employed in agriculture and related activities. Also, the results showed that the variances in the three independent variables are not consistent, reflecting the fact that the policies adopted by development planners have not distributed infrastructure endowments in accordance with environmental potential. If they were distributed proportionally, regions with higher environmental capability should have had more infrastructural facilities. Therefore, infrastructure development and credit distribution are influenced by factors other than environmental potential.
In general, if capabilities and facilities are considered for rural economic development, it will be possible to realize economic development in villages and achieve an optimal level of economic development in these areas. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt policies and strategies for rural development that are consistent with environmental potential.
The first step in spatial planning is the recognition of the environment and its latent capabilities. However, planning for development, especially rural development, should be based on a real understanding of the potential and talents of rural areas. Evidently, a major factor implicated in the failure of rural development planning is the negligence of the environment; indeed, any geographical space has its own potential, capabilities, and facilities for development. Human communities cannot survive apart from economic, social, and physical factors and depend on nature, especially the environment, to meet their basic needs.
Methodology
The research was an applied, non-experimental, library, and document based study with a quantitative paradigm. The statistical population was composed of rural areas in Isfahan Province of Iran. The study was conducted at the county level so that 24 counties in Isfahan Province were investigated in terms of rural economic development. The research had two sets of variables. a dependent variable, i.e., rural economic development, and independent variables including human resources development, access to infrastructural factors, and environmental capability, which were all quantitative. The data were both quantitative and imagery, collected by the library and document method. The ecological capability section was analyzed by Dr. Makhtoum’s multi-factor evaluation method. The criteria of the ecological capability were assigned with weights using the pairwise comparison technique of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Then, the criteria were integrated using the weighted linear combination method. Ultimately, the final fuzzy map was classified based on the mean and standard deviation (SD) of the value of its pixels in the ENVI5.1 software package. The aggregated index calculation method was employed to estimate other parameters including rural economic development, human resources development, and access to infrastructural factors. Eventually, the multivariate regression method was applied to explore the effect of independent variables on rural economic development. The software packages used in the research included SPSS and MS-excel for statistical analyses and the calculation of aggregated indices, Super Decisions for assigning weights to the environmental capability criteria by the pairwise comparison technique, ENVI5.1 for standardizing information layers of the criteria and categorizing land-uses based on the mean and SD of the pixel values, ArgGIS 10.1 for aggregating and preparing information layers, estimating the areas of each section, and producing the output maps, and SHAZAM for performing the regression analysis and testing the estimator hypotheses of ordinary least squares (OLS).
Discussion and Conclusion
According to the results, Isfahan County had the highest and Semirom County had the lowest rate of economic development in their rural areas. Naeen and Dehaqn Counties showed the highest and lowest levels of human resources development, respectively. The highest and lowest access to the infrastructural factors were related to the counties of Khomeynishahr and Semirom, respectively and Chadegan and Khour-va-Biabanak Counties had the highest and lowest ecological capabilities, respectively. A closer look at the results revealed that although some counties such as Chadegan, Bueen Miyandasht, and Semirom had high ecological potential; however, they were at the lowest level of the economic development of rural areas. In contrast, counties like Isfahan, Ardestan, Aran-va-Bidgol, and Naeen with weaker ecological capabilities were at higher levels of economic development in their rural areas.
Based on the analysis of the effect of variables on economic development with multivariate regression, the coefficient of determination (R2) was estimated at 0.806 for the model. The statistic shows that 80.6% of the variance in rural economic development is accounted for by three variables of ecological capability, human resources development, and infrastructural factors and 19.4% is related to other factors not included in the model. The results of the regression analysis show that the relative importance or effectiveness of the ecological capability is 0.23 whereas the relative importance of the access to infrastructural factors is 0.65 and the relative importance of the human resources development is 0.35. According to the results, rural economic development in Isfahan province is mainly affected by the variable of access to infrastructural factors and least affected by ecological capability. This is an unexpected result because the rural economy is based on ecological resources and capability since most of the people in the rural areas are employed in agriculture and related activities. Also, the results showed that the variances in the three independent variables are not consistent, reflecting the fact that the policies adopted by development planners have not distributed infrastructure endowments in accordance with environmental potential. If they were distributed proportionally, regions with higher environmental capability should have had more infrastructural facilities. Therefore, infrastructure development and credit distribution are influenced by factors other than environmental potential.
In general, if capabilities and facilities are considered for rural economic development, it will be possible to realize economic development in villages and achieve an optimal level of economic development in these areas. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt policies and strategies for rural development that are consistent with environmental potential.
Ali Yousefi Taleghani, Nasrolah Molaei Hashjin, Parviz Rezaei,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Nowadays, much attention has been paid to discussions and concerns about environmental and land use changes. In such a situation, sustainable land use has become an important analytical-political issue. Land use is considered as an example of human effect on the environment. In developing countries, the issue of land use change is more important due to poor management and disruption of the political and economic structure. Land use change and land cover has become a complex process that involves different variables and factors at different social and spatial levels. The great and potential effect of land use change and land cover on the physical and social environment has created a motivation for research to understand land use change and its main causes and effects. The growth of the population of Rasht and the consequent need for more housing and construction, has led to the physical expansion of the city from various angles. In some cases, this problem has been solved in an unplanned way through land use change, both around cities and in peripheral rural settlements. On the other hand, the migration of some villagers to these rural areas and the lack of a specific authority and institution to control constructions, has caused physical development in an unbalanced way and without an integrated plan. It is clear that in this case, the land use of the agricultural lands of the village will change from agricultural to other uses, especially residential. Therefore, the researcher seeks to answer the following general question in this study: "How can these land use changes be organized in order to preserve land by identifying the factors affecting land use change?"
Methodology
In terms of the method, this research is considered as a descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population of this study is the villages around Rasht City. In the present study, a researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was designed after identifying the economic and social factors affecting agricultural land use change. In fact, in this questionnaire, the respondents were asked to evaluate the effect of each of the socio-economic factors on land use change in the form of Likert scale. This questionnaire was given to the respondents in the villages around the city of Rasht. Finally, 516 questionnaires were completed by the respondents. The data were analyzed by one-sample t-test and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
Discussion and conclusion
The factors affecting land use change on a regional scale were analyzed aiming to identify the mechanism of interaction simulation and predict the process of land use change. Land cover changes not only have a significant effect on the key parts of natural resources, but it has a close relationship with sustainable socio-economic issues. According to the results of the studies, human activities currently play a key role as a factor in land use change. Land use in an improper way can lead to some environmental issues. There is little knowledge on these issues and a brief understanding of the complex factors and processes that control land use change.
It's difficult to identify the factors affecting land use change and their prioritization. The present study investigated the socio-economic factors affecting land use changes in villages around Rasht using a questionnaire technique and based on the views of villagers. According to the results, economic factors are more important and effective on the research issue than social factors. Drought and water scarcity in agriculture created economic problems for farmers and prevented them from engaging in agricultural activities. The change of use from agriculture to residential and service activities has also occurred due to the decline in agricultural activities. Other relevant factors are lack of sufficient budget to purchase agricultural machinery, reduced income of the agricultural sector, lack of financial support in the production stages, the benefits of investing in land and housing, low prices of agricultural products and high prices of agricultural inputs. Social factors, on the other hand, are the pressure of children to sell land, the lack of interest of young people in agricultural activities, the belief in the unsuitable position of agricultural activities, the increase in the tourist population and the migration nature of villages
Nowadays, much attention has been paid to discussions and concerns about environmental and land use changes. In such a situation, sustainable land use has become an important analytical-political issue. Land use is considered as an example of human effect on the environment. In developing countries, the issue of land use change is more important due to poor management and disruption of the political and economic structure. Land use change and land cover has become a complex process that involves different variables and factors at different social and spatial levels. The great and potential effect of land use change and land cover on the physical and social environment has created a motivation for research to understand land use change and its main causes and effects. The growth of the population of Rasht and the consequent need for more housing and construction, has led to the physical expansion of the city from various angles. In some cases, this problem has been solved in an unplanned way through land use change, both around cities and in peripheral rural settlements. On the other hand, the migration of some villagers to these rural areas and the lack of a specific authority and institution to control constructions, has caused physical development in an unbalanced way and without an integrated plan. It is clear that in this case, the land use of the agricultural lands of the village will change from agricultural to other uses, especially residential. Therefore, the researcher seeks to answer the following general question in this study: "How can these land use changes be organized in order to preserve land by identifying the factors affecting land use change?"
Methodology
In terms of the method, this research is considered as a descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population of this study is the villages around Rasht City. In the present study, a researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was designed after identifying the economic and social factors affecting agricultural land use change. In fact, in this questionnaire, the respondents were asked to evaluate the effect of each of the socio-economic factors on land use change in the form of Likert scale. This questionnaire was given to the respondents in the villages around the city of Rasht. Finally, 516 questionnaires were completed by the respondents. The data were analyzed by one-sample t-test and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
Discussion and conclusion
The factors affecting land use change on a regional scale were analyzed aiming to identify the mechanism of interaction simulation and predict the process of land use change. Land cover changes not only have a significant effect on the key parts of natural resources, but it has a close relationship with sustainable socio-economic issues. According to the results of the studies, human activities currently play a key role as a factor in land use change. Land use in an improper way can lead to some environmental issues. There is little knowledge on these issues and a brief understanding of the complex factors and processes that control land use change.
It's difficult to identify the factors affecting land use change and their prioritization. The present study investigated the socio-economic factors affecting land use changes in villages around Rasht using a questionnaire technique and based on the views of villagers. According to the results, economic factors are more important and effective on the research issue than social factors. Drought and water scarcity in agriculture created economic problems for farmers and prevented them from engaging in agricultural activities. The change of use from agriculture to residential and service activities has also occurred due to the decline in agricultural activities. Other relevant factors are lack of sufficient budget to purchase agricultural machinery, reduced income of the agricultural sector, lack of financial support in the production stages, the benefits of investing in land and housing, low prices of agricultural products and high prices of agricultural inputs. Social factors, on the other hand, are the pressure of children to sell land, the lack of interest of young people in agricultural activities, the belief in the unsuitable position of agricultural activities, the increase in the tourist population and the migration nature of villages
Akram Ghanbari, Abdul Reza Rahmani Fazli, Farhad Azizpour,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Today, in order to achieve sustainable rural development as well as optimization of local advantages, identifying the factors affecting the utilization of geographical advantages are essential. The villages of the country today are more than ever influenced by the political, economic, social and cultural conditions of their systems as external factors influencing the development of rural settlements. These are factors such as inappropriate government policies at all levels of planning, legislation, management and implementation, bias towards urban areas and large industries, lack of independent civil society organizations, fostering the transformation of villages into cities and so on. Moreover, the internal obstacles of rural communities are such as: low level of awareness of rural stakeholders on their internal and socio-economic capacities, restrictive norms, low power of transformation, and low the power of risk, overcoming traditional approaches to harnessing the potential of rural areas, and the uncertainty and trust between rural communities towards new perspectives and patterns, etc. Both factors are the reasons for neglecting rural areas and lack of proper operation of the capacity and potential in this area. Rural settlements in Khorramabad county have not seen much growth and are facing instability of rural settlements, despite their high potentials and capacities in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. In this regard, the present study seeks to answer the following question: What are the factors influencing the role of geographical advantages in achieving sustainable development of rural settlements?
Methodology
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting the role of geographical advantages in achieving sustainable development in rural settlements of Khorramabad. In this regard, it is a combination (quantitative-qualitative) research method with sequential strategy and exploratory - descriptive research design. Based on this orientation and evaluation, the Q model was selected for problem recognition and analysis. The statistical population of the study is the villages of Khorramabad. The qualitative participants were expert villagers who selected 30 theoretically saturated subjects and data were collected using semi-structured interviews and semi-structured interview card tools. In the quantitative section, we chose village experts. 150 villages out of 647 villages, were selected by simple stratified sampling. Next, one rural mayor or council was selected from each village. In the Q model, Q cards were used to collect data.
Discussion and conclusion
According to rural experts, the lack of role of geographical advantages in the feasibility of sustainable rural development in the study areas is influenced by the following factors: low level of skill and familiarity with modern knowledge, dominance of conservative mindset, lack of creativity and innovation, aging population, dominance of closed cultural beliefs, low income, inflation and uneven distribution of credit resources, market system instability, poor attention to infrastructure and welfare services, rural education and promotion system failure, weak legal-institutional arrangements, lack of system Integrated program for agricultural activities commensurate with domestic and foreign markets, service weakness Production support, low level of security and weakness of processing companies.
Rural experts' perceptions of the inability of geographical advantages to achieve sustainable rural development fall into five categories: economic factors, managerial-institutional factors, socio-cultural factors, human factors, and physical factors, which are economic factors with 25%, managerial-institutional factors with 23.66%, socio-cultural factors with 23.66%, human factors with 20.23% and physical factors with 8.70% had the most influence on the lack of role of geographical advantages in the feasibility of sustainable rural development.
According to the results, meticulous planning in organizing economic, social, political, organizational and managerial and cultural constructions, utilizing the geographical advantages of rural areas is one of the most important prerequisites for achieving sustainable rural development. As a result, planners need to identify and analyze the forces and relationships that make the most of these advantages by influencing shaping forces and processes, help improve the conditions in the geographic advantage process.
Today, in order to achieve sustainable rural development as well as optimization of local advantages, identifying the factors affecting the utilization of geographical advantages are essential. The villages of the country today are more than ever influenced by the political, economic, social and cultural conditions of their systems as external factors influencing the development of rural settlements. These are factors such as inappropriate government policies at all levels of planning, legislation, management and implementation, bias towards urban areas and large industries, lack of independent civil society organizations, fostering the transformation of villages into cities and so on. Moreover, the internal obstacles of rural communities are such as: low level of awareness of rural stakeholders on their internal and socio-economic capacities, restrictive norms, low power of transformation, and low the power of risk, overcoming traditional approaches to harnessing the potential of rural areas, and the uncertainty and trust between rural communities towards new perspectives and patterns, etc. Both factors are the reasons for neglecting rural areas and lack of proper operation of the capacity and potential in this area. Rural settlements in Khorramabad county have not seen much growth and are facing instability of rural settlements, despite their high potentials and capacities in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. In this regard, the present study seeks to answer the following question: What are the factors influencing the role of geographical advantages in achieving sustainable development of rural settlements?
Methodology
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting the role of geographical advantages in achieving sustainable development in rural settlements of Khorramabad. In this regard, it is a combination (quantitative-qualitative) research method with sequential strategy and exploratory - descriptive research design. Based on this orientation and evaluation, the Q model was selected for problem recognition and analysis. The statistical population of the study is the villages of Khorramabad. The qualitative participants were expert villagers who selected 30 theoretically saturated subjects and data were collected using semi-structured interviews and semi-structured interview card tools. In the quantitative section, we chose village experts. 150 villages out of 647 villages, were selected by simple stratified sampling. Next, one rural mayor or council was selected from each village. In the Q model, Q cards were used to collect data.
Discussion and conclusion
According to rural experts, the lack of role of geographical advantages in the feasibility of sustainable rural development in the study areas is influenced by the following factors: low level of skill and familiarity with modern knowledge, dominance of conservative mindset, lack of creativity and innovation, aging population, dominance of closed cultural beliefs, low income, inflation and uneven distribution of credit resources, market system instability, poor attention to infrastructure and welfare services, rural education and promotion system failure, weak legal-institutional arrangements, lack of system Integrated program for agricultural activities commensurate with domestic and foreign markets, service weakness Production support, low level of security and weakness of processing companies.
Rural experts' perceptions of the inability of geographical advantages to achieve sustainable rural development fall into five categories: economic factors, managerial-institutional factors, socio-cultural factors, human factors, and physical factors, which are economic factors with 25%, managerial-institutional factors with 23.66%, socio-cultural factors with 23.66%, human factors with 20.23% and physical factors with 8.70% had the most influence on the lack of role of geographical advantages in the feasibility of sustainable rural development.
According to the results, meticulous planning in organizing economic, social, political, organizational and managerial and cultural constructions, utilizing the geographical advantages of rural areas is one of the most important prerequisites for achieving sustainable rural development. As a result, planners need to identify and analyze the forces and relationships that make the most of these advantages by influencing shaping forces and processes, help improve the conditions in the geographic advantage process.
Mehdi Cheraghi,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
One of the topics related to food insecurity coping strategies is recognizing the effective factors for choosing strategies to deal with household food insecurity. Recognition of these factors is essential for planning to reduce the negative effects of food insecurity among rural households. Preliminary studies show that food security in the villages of Halab District, Ijrud County is at a low level, which includes reasons such as distance from food shopping centers, poor infrastructure, health, education and welfare facilities, low employment rate, low income level. However, in the study area, rural areas have suitable natural, economic and social resources and substrates for achieving sustainable rural development. The present study investigated the food insecurity situation of households in Halab District of Ijroud County, and then analyzed the effective factors in choosing strategies to combat food insecurity. Following questions are investigated: 1. What is the most important nutritional strategy of the households in the studied villages to deal with food insecurity? 2. What is the most important non-food strategy of the households in the studied villages to deal with food insecurity? 3. What is the most effective factor in applying strategies to combat food insecurity in the study area?
Methodology
The present research is an applied and descriptive-analytical study . Data were collected by using library and field method (questionnaire). The statistical population of the present study is households living in Halab, Ijroud County of Zanjan Province. This section has 29 inhabited villages with a population of 5183 people and 1715 families in the 2016 census. 380 households completed the questionnaire in the households of the studied villages, which was determined using the Cochran's formula. A simple systematic and random method was used for the sample selection. To assess the food security of rural households, the household food insecurity scale method was used, which consisted of 18 questions and to assess food and non-food strategy, 12 indicators was applied. In order to group the food security status of the families with children, the questions and standard grouping of the US Department of Agriculture have been used. Hackman's model was also used to investigate the factors influencing the selection of effective strategies in combating food insecurity. The Hackmann two-stage model was proposed in 1979. This model is designed to eliminate the error in selecting the sample or population under study. In the present study, Hackman's model identifies the variables with their intensity of impact for the implementation of food insecurity coping strategies in the study area.
Discussion and conclusion
Findings related to food security classification of the studied households show that 49.41% of households have food security, 31.76% of households have food insecurity without hunger, 10.59% of households have food insecurity with moderate hunger and 8.24% of households have severe food insecurity with hunger. Descriptive findings related to food strategies to combat food insecurity among the rural households studied show that the highest mean is related to the strategy of consuming cheap food and the lowest average is related to the strategy of a full day without food. The results of the model show that with a 99% probability the factors of age, number of household members, type of housing quality and percentage of income from the agricultural sector are effective in applying food strategies to combat food insecurity in the study area. Furthermore, for non-food strategies, the results of the Hackman model can confirm with a 99% confidence level that the factors of age, spouse education, number of household members, number of sons, number of people with university education, head job, spouse job, sub-job, income, irrigated lands, garden lands, having livestock, number of visits to the city during the week, vehicle, receiving bank credits, percentage of income from the industrial sector, percentage of income from the agricultural sector and percentage of income from the service sector are the most effective factors on the application of strategies to combat food insecurity.
One of the topics related to food insecurity coping strategies is recognizing the effective factors for choosing strategies to deal with household food insecurity. Recognition of these factors is essential for planning to reduce the negative effects of food insecurity among rural households. Preliminary studies show that food security in the villages of Halab District, Ijrud County is at a low level, which includes reasons such as distance from food shopping centers, poor infrastructure, health, education and welfare facilities, low employment rate, low income level. However, in the study area, rural areas have suitable natural, economic and social resources and substrates for achieving sustainable rural development. The present study investigated the food insecurity situation of households in Halab District of Ijroud County, and then analyzed the effective factors in choosing strategies to combat food insecurity. Following questions are investigated: 1. What is the most important nutritional strategy of the households in the studied villages to deal with food insecurity? 2. What is the most important non-food strategy of the households in the studied villages to deal with food insecurity? 3. What is the most effective factor in applying strategies to combat food insecurity in the study area?
Methodology
The present research is an applied and descriptive-analytical study . Data were collected by using library and field method (questionnaire). The statistical population of the present study is households living in Halab, Ijroud County of Zanjan Province. This section has 29 inhabited villages with a population of 5183 people and 1715 families in the 2016 census. 380 households completed the questionnaire in the households of the studied villages, which was determined using the Cochran's formula. A simple systematic and random method was used for the sample selection. To assess the food security of rural households, the household food insecurity scale method was used, which consisted of 18 questions and to assess food and non-food strategy, 12 indicators was applied. In order to group the food security status of the families with children, the questions and standard grouping of the US Department of Agriculture have been used. Hackman's model was also used to investigate the factors influencing the selection of effective strategies in combating food insecurity. The Hackmann two-stage model was proposed in 1979. This model is designed to eliminate the error in selecting the sample or population under study. In the present study, Hackman's model identifies the variables with their intensity of impact for the implementation of food insecurity coping strategies in the study area.
Discussion and conclusion
Findings related to food security classification of the studied households show that 49.41% of households have food security, 31.76% of households have food insecurity without hunger, 10.59% of households have food insecurity with moderate hunger and 8.24% of households have severe food insecurity with hunger. Descriptive findings related to food strategies to combat food insecurity among the rural households studied show that the highest mean is related to the strategy of consuming cheap food and the lowest average is related to the strategy of a full day without food. The results of the model show that with a 99% probability the factors of age, number of household members, type of housing quality and percentage of income from the agricultural sector are effective in applying food strategies to combat food insecurity in the study area. Furthermore, for non-food strategies, the results of the Hackman model can confirm with a 99% confidence level that the factors of age, spouse education, number of household members, number of sons, number of people with university education, head job, spouse job, sub-job, income, irrigated lands, garden lands, having livestock, number of visits to the city during the week, vehicle, receiving bank credits, percentage of income from the industrial sector, percentage of income from the agricultural sector and percentage of income from the service sector are the most effective factors on the application of strategies to combat food insecurity.
Hadi Rasti, Faramarz Barimani, Hamid Barghi, Seyed Eskandar Saidai,
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 39 (5-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Many villagers depened on palm farming, in the date palm tree-growing regions of Iran. Nonetheless, the date markets are facing many challenges for some reasons such as unsanitary, lack of sales market, lack or absence of maintenance industries, long-distance from production to factory, dispersion of villages, low product prices, climate incompatibility, lack of proper access to capital, high waste and sale of low value-added products to market intermidearies. These challenges in Makkoran region, one of the country's date-growing regions, are more than other places due to climatic and environmental constraints and infrastructure deficiencies.
Date palm farming activity in Makkoran region has many problems in terms of marketing, price, exports, and required infrastructure; thus, the date product of this region are exported by middlemen often in bulk and low added value to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and large cities in the country.
Therefore, the present study, in response to this need, uses the actor-network theory of Latour, Callon, and Law (1986-2009), aiming to identify the processes of translating actions and the spatial relationships between actors as a theoretical lens because according to Latour view (1987) actors (human and non-human) are negotiating and translating each other's goals to make a connection. Therefore, the present study seeks to answer these questions: What actors are involved in the date market of the Makkoran region, and what are the existing and emerging spatial relationships between these actors? Is there a significant relationship between them? In translation processes which actors and spatial relations need membership, expulsion, or reform?
Methodology
This research employed an exploratory-sequential mixed-methods research design. The statistical population is 17493 date palm farmers in Makkoran region. Sampling was performed via a purposive-probability sampling method to determine the sample size via the "data saturation" criterion in the qualitative stage, and the "representation" criterion in the quantitative stage. The sample size consisted of 111 date palm farmers and 16 related experts in the qualitative stage and 376 date palm farmers and 32 experts in the quantitative stage. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews with date palm farmers and experts, and quantitative data were obtained through a questionnaire from date palm farmers and experts. Then, based on "sequential mixed-methods analysis," qualitative data were processed and analyzed using NVIVO software, and quantitative data were processed and analyzed using SPSS software. According to Latour's argument (1987), the " translation " method made the final analysis and inference.
Discussion and conclusion
Based on research findings, sales status and the price of the date product improves from south to north of Makkoran region. Hence, situational and climatic actors play a crucial role in product sales status and price change, especially Mazafati dates in the south part of the region. These actors may force date palm farmers to harvest early (at the Kharak stage) and reduce product prices. To achieve their goals and interests, human actors (date palm farmers and governments) inevitably align with the tendencies of non-human actors (such as geographical location and climate). Also, according to local date palm cultivars, which almost all of them need refrigeration, and depending on how it is accessed, date palm farmers to the refrigerator and the capital have changed the product's price. These two actors (refrigerator and capital) and date palm farmers have faced severe challenges and obstacles in terms of sales and product prices. Hence, date palm farmers inevitably sell their produce to brokers at low and insignificant prices. Of course, this is not a one-sided situation; but with the constructive support of the government, date palm farmers can play a more constructive and effective role in raising capital and creating the necessary refrigerator. They can reduce the power of the two agents of the refrigerator and capital by changing the palm cultivars (expanding the dry cultivars without the need for a refrigerator) or selling access to the refrigerator so they can sell their product at a reasonable price. This issue causes them to be present in the date market with more power and influence.
Nevertheless, in the current situation, the alliance of these two actors with other actors (space distance, transportation technology, road location) has led to the widespread influence of traders in the date market and has weakened its functions. The capital actor has a more prominent role in this regard, As it has been able to change the tendency of most date palm farmers to use a refrigerator and, to their detriment, to ally with brokers (predominantly local and regional brokers). Of course, the non-use of cold storage is not only related to capital but also situational and climatic actors in the south region. Also, due to a lack of proper access to capital, date palm farmers inevitably accept the rate offered by brokers; Local and regional brokers, in a solid alliance with telephone and capital actors, have prevented both major traders from entering the market and dragged the refrigerator into their network. Hence they have severed or severely shaken possible and necessary links between date palms and date palm farmers with target markets.
Thus, multiple spatial relations between actors (human and non-human) exist. Meanwhile, date brokers have conquered the date market to the detriment of producers by creating a strong network of spatial relations and have found role and agency as the key actors. Often weakness and inefficiency of the main actors (palms and government) and the alliance of capital and cold storage actors with brokers have led to such a detrimental consequence; however, these spatial relations are transformed by the participation of new actors (non-native palms, cold storage, etc.).
Many villagers depened on palm farming, in the date palm tree-growing regions of Iran. Nonetheless, the date markets are facing many challenges for some reasons such as unsanitary, lack of sales market, lack or absence of maintenance industries, long-distance from production to factory, dispersion of villages, low product prices, climate incompatibility, lack of proper access to capital, high waste and sale of low value-added products to market intermidearies. These challenges in Makkoran region, one of the country's date-growing regions, are more than other places due to climatic and environmental constraints and infrastructure deficiencies.
Date palm farming activity in Makkoran region has many problems in terms of marketing, price, exports, and required infrastructure; thus, the date product of this region are exported by middlemen often in bulk and low added value to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and large cities in the country.
Therefore, the present study, in response to this need, uses the actor-network theory of Latour, Callon, and Law (1986-2009), aiming to identify the processes of translating actions and the spatial relationships between actors as a theoretical lens because according to Latour view (1987) actors (human and non-human) are negotiating and translating each other's goals to make a connection. Therefore, the present study seeks to answer these questions: What actors are involved in the date market of the Makkoran region, and what are the existing and emerging spatial relationships between these actors? Is there a significant relationship between them? In translation processes which actors and spatial relations need membership, expulsion, or reform?
Methodology
This research employed an exploratory-sequential mixed-methods research design. The statistical population is 17493 date palm farmers in Makkoran region. Sampling was performed via a purposive-probability sampling method to determine the sample size via the "data saturation" criterion in the qualitative stage, and the "representation" criterion in the quantitative stage. The sample size consisted of 111 date palm farmers and 16 related experts in the qualitative stage and 376 date palm farmers and 32 experts in the quantitative stage. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth semi-structured interviews with date palm farmers and experts, and quantitative data were obtained through a questionnaire from date palm farmers and experts. Then, based on "sequential mixed-methods analysis," qualitative data were processed and analyzed using NVIVO software, and quantitative data were processed and analyzed using SPSS software. According to Latour's argument (1987), the " translation " method made the final analysis and inference.
Discussion and conclusion
Based on research findings, sales status and the price of the date product improves from south to north of Makkoran region. Hence, situational and climatic actors play a crucial role in product sales status and price change, especially Mazafati dates in the south part of the region. These actors may force date palm farmers to harvest early (at the Kharak stage) and reduce product prices. To achieve their goals and interests, human actors (date palm farmers and governments) inevitably align with the tendencies of non-human actors (such as geographical location and climate). Also, according to local date palm cultivars, which almost all of them need refrigeration, and depending on how it is accessed, date palm farmers to the refrigerator and the capital have changed the product's price. These two actors (refrigerator and capital) and date palm farmers have faced severe challenges and obstacles in terms of sales and product prices. Hence, date palm farmers inevitably sell their produce to brokers at low and insignificant prices. Of course, this is not a one-sided situation; but with the constructive support of the government, date palm farmers can play a more constructive and effective role in raising capital and creating the necessary refrigerator. They can reduce the power of the two agents of the refrigerator and capital by changing the palm cultivars (expanding the dry cultivars without the need for a refrigerator) or selling access to the refrigerator so they can sell their product at a reasonable price. This issue causes them to be present in the date market with more power and influence.
Nevertheless, in the current situation, the alliance of these two actors with other actors (space distance, transportation technology, road location) has led to the widespread influence of traders in the date market and has weakened its functions. The capital actor has a more prominent role in this regard, As it has been able to change the tendency of most date palm farmers to use a refrigerator and, to their detriment, to ally with brokers (predominantly local and regional brokers). Of course, the non-use of cold storage is not only related to capital but also situational and climatic actors in the south region. Also, due to a lack of proper access to capital, date palm farmers inevitably accept the rate offered by brokers; Local and regional brokers, in a solid alliance with telephone and capital actors, have prevented both major traders from entering the market and dragged the refrigerator into their network. Hence they have severed or severely shaken possible and necessary links between date palms and date palm farmers with target markets.
Thus, multiple spatial relations between actors (human and non-human) exist. Meanwhile, date brokers have conquered the date market to the detriment of producers by creating a strong network of spatial relations and have found role and agency as the key actors. Often weakness and inefficiency of the main actors (palms and government) and the alliance of capital and cold storage actors with brokers have led to such a detrimental consequence; however, these spatial relations are transformed by the participation of new actors (non-native palms, cold storage, etc.).
Ali Sardar Shahraki,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Agriculture as an influential sector in Iranian economy, is essential for the political and economic independence of the country. Agricultural production is carried out in any situation according to the prevailing natural, economic, social and cultural conditions. Agricultural production has been common in villages over the years, and with the advent of the modern industry sector, it became rather subsistence agriculture , a system based on consumption of the commodities the village produced. Agricultural activities, however, should be not merely for the needs of villagers, and they need to be a means for export goodsto obtain income and economic growth in the global economy. In this study, saffron as a strategic product was investigated regarding itseconomic ranking and spatial analysis of the limitations of production in Ghayenat County. .
Methodology
In this paper, gray multi-indices decision-making method (GRA) was used for economic ranking and spatial analysis of saffron production limitations in Ghayenat County. The opinions of 40 experts of the Agricultural Jahad Organization of South Khorasan and Qaen were obtained and modeled. GRASolver.2018 software was used for data analysis. Also, a set of indicators with economic, social, environmental and physical-spatial dimensions are set for the experts to check the limits of saffron production. In addition, a set of indicators forhuman, financial, social and natural capitals were determined to check the living conditions of the studied households.
Discussion and conclusion
The findings indicate the ranking of indicators according to the economic, social and cultural, environmental and physical and spatial factors affecting the limitation of saffron production in Qaen County. In the indicators of lack of warehouse and suitable place to store products, lack of access to IT technology for marketing and information about the price of products and traditional exploitation system, social and cultural factor and environmental factor in the indicators of traditional exploitation system, cost Water motors electricity and the effect of government policies, physical and spatial factor in the criteria of the traditional exploitation system and the electricity costs of water motors have priority over other criteria.
Agriculture as an influential sector in Iranian economy, is essential for the political and economic independence of the country. Agricultural production is carried out in any situation according to the prevailing natural, economic, social and cultural conditions. Agricultural production has been common in villages over the years, and with the advent of the modern industry sector, it became rather subsistence agriculture , a system based on consumption of the commodities the village produced. Agricultural activities, however, should be not merely for the needs of villagers, and they need to be a means for export goodsto obtain income and economic growth in the global economy. In this study, saffron as a strategic product was investigated regarding itseconomic ranking and spatial analysis of the limitations of production in Ghayenat County. .
Methodology
In this paper, gray multi-indices decision-making method (GRA) was used for economic ranking and spatial analysis of saffron production limitations in Ghayenat County. The opinions of 40 experts of the Agricultural Jahad Organization of South Khorasan and Qaen were obtained and modeled. GRASolver.2018 software was used for data analysis. Also, a set of indicators with economic, social, environmental and physical-spatial dimensions are set for the experts to check the limits of saffron production. In addition, a set of indicators forhuman, financial, social and natural capitals were determined to check the living conditions of the studied households.
Discussion and conclusion
The findings indicate the ranking of indicators according to the economic, social and cultural, environmental and physical and spatial factors affecting the limitation of saffron production in Qaen County. In the indicators of lack of warehouse and suitable place to store products, lack of access to IT technology for marketing and information about the price of products and traditional exploitation system, social and cultural factor and environmental factor in the indicators of traditional exploitation system, cost Water motors electricity and the effect of government policies, physical and spatial factor in the criteria of the traditional exploitation system and the electricity costs of water motors have priority over other criteria.
Mohammad Hajipour,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
The development of geographical spaces requires real understanding and intelligent planning. Solving rural challenges, especially their economic issues, are a strategic step in the development of the space economy. South Khorasan Province is a geographical area in the east of the country that has significant capacities and capabilities for development. For example, the center of production of strategic products of barberry, saffron and jujube are produced in many villages; There is a competitive advantage of camel breeding in many cities of the province; there is the capacity to produce unique handicrafts such as the weaving of expensive fabrics (made of camel wool) exported to countries around the Persian Gulf, in addition to carpets, rugs and carpets; the capacity of pastures around the villages to produce medicinal and commercial plant species partially exported; there are many ecotourism attractions, desert tourism, ecotourism, agricultural tourism, cultural and ritual tourism, and food tourism in and around the villages. Also, in the villages of the province, there are various traditional cooperative systems (such as Traditional agricultural production (Tirkar) and modern (such as agricultural joint-stock companies, agricultural production cooperatives, rural development groups, and microcredit funds). Nevertheless, the low growth and backwardness in development compared to other provinces of the country is still a stigma. Therefore, in this study, after exploring the barriers to economic growth and development, a model of the impact pattern of these challenges in rural areas of South Khorasan was suggested.
Methodology
This research is an applied study and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. Data were collected through documentary research and informant and experts' (local and regional) opinions. Identifying and determining the weight of barriers to the growth of the space economy has been done by combining the brainstorming method and AHP hierarchical analysis. DEMATEL method was utilized to identify the pattern of relationships between dimensions (identified categories). Primary data were extracted from interviews with members of the Employment and Economic Development Council in the cities and provinces of South Khorasan.
Discussion and conclusion
The Findings showed that 103 factors as obstacles to the growth of the space economy, especially in rural areas of South Khorasan Province. These barriers are divided into seven groups: "technical", "human and social", "institutional", "financial and commercial", "natural environment", "infrastructure" and "geographical (spatial)".
The development of geographical spaces requires real understanding and intelligent planning. Solving rural challenges, especially their economic issues, are a strategic step in the development of the space economy. South Khorasan Province is a geographical area in the east of the country that has significant capacities and capabilities for development. For example, the center of production of strategic products of barberry, saffron and jujube are produced in many villages; There is a competitive advantage of camel breeding in many cities of the province; there is the capacity to produce unique handicrafts such as the weaving of expensive fabrics (made of camel wool) exported to countries around the Persian Gulf, in addition to carpets, rugs and carpets; the capacity of pastures around the villages to produce medicinal and commercial plant species partially exported; there are many ecotourism attractions, desert tourism, ecotourism, agricultural tourism, cultural and ritual tourism, and food tourism in and around the villages. Also, in the villages of the province, there are various traditional cooperative systems (such as Traditional agricultural production (Tirkar) and modern (such as agricultural joint-stock companies, agricultural production cooperatives, rural development groups, and microcredit funds). Nevertheless, the low growth and backwardness in development compared to other provinces of the country is still a stigma. Therefore, in this study, after exploring the barriers to economic growth and development, a model of the impact pattern of these challenges in rural areas of South Khorasan was suggested.
Methodology
This research is an applied study and descriptive-analytical in terms of method. Data were collected through documentary research and informant and experts' (local and regional) opinions. Identifying and determining the weight of barriers to the growth of the space economy has been done by combining the brainstorming method and AHP hierarchical analysis. DEMATEL method was utilized to identify the pattern of relationships between dimensions (identified categories). Primary data were extracted from interviews with members of the Employment and Economic Development Council in the cities and provinces of South Khorasan.
Discussion and conclusion
The Findings showed that 103 factors as obstacles to the growth of the space economy, especially in rural areas of South Khorasan Province. These barriers are divided into seven groups: "technical", "human and social", "institutional", "financial and commercial", "natural environment", "infrastructure" and "geographical (spatial)".
- In the technical aspect, there are 27 key challenges facing the development of the space economy in the villages of South Khorasan, which, according to the informants, "lack of specialized and semi-skilled manpower to work in the rural economy sectors" is the main challenge;
- The human-social dimension of known obstacles has 18 factors. Among these obstacles, the most important one is "the small entry of investors into the production sector and the low desire to develop production due to the fear of the sales market";
- The most important institutional obstacles include "a large number of decision-making organizations and institutions for rural economy management" and "long and complicated administrative bureaucracy";
- In financial and commercial obstacles, the most important element is "increasing the price of productive inputs of village economic activities";
- The barriers of the natural environment dimension are ranked fifth. The most important obstacle from the natural environment is known as "unsuitable climatic conditions and continuous droughts";
- In South Khorasan province, among the most important "infrastructural" obstacles are, respectively, "lack of places to supply products in the village environment", "limited access to ICT and Internet", and "lack of warehouse spaces for storing goods and products", "roads "Unfavorable access" and "extremely limited access to accommodation facilities and infrastructure" are mentioned;
- In the geographical (spatial) dimension, the obstacles include, order, "far from densely populated centers", "far from the availability of major and attractive markets", "high dispersion of villages on the city level", and "geographical isolation of areas and some villages", "proximity to the desert" and "adjacent to international borders".
In terms of the impact of variables, barriers to the geographical dimension have had the greatest impact. Also, in terms of the extent of influence of variables, the technical dimension is the most influential. In terms of the "interaction with other identified dimensions" index, studies have confirmed that the factors of the human-social dimension were at the highest level of interaction with other dimensions. In terms of the cause and effect of known dimensions, the output of DEMATELmethod showed that the dimensions of the natural, geographical and institutional environment are "causal" and human-social, infrastructure, technical, financial and commercial dimensions are "disabled".
In South Khorasan, the variety of challenges and obstacles to the growth and development of the rural economy is great, although the weight of the impact of challenging factors depends on the geographical location. In addition, the "thematic" and "spatial" extent of barriers to rural economic growth and development, which have a deteriorated effect on each other, has weakened the economic ability of villages.
In South Khorasan, the variety of challenges and obstacles to the growth and development of the rural economy is great, although the weight of the impact of challenging factors depends on the geographical location. In addition, the "thematic" and "spatial" extent of barriers to rural economic growth and development, which have a deteriorated effect on each other, has weakened the economic ability of villages.
Nafisa Rahimi, Masoud Jalali, Tawheed Rahimpour,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Proper land use requires knowledge of environmental power, and then knowledge about environmental capacity in management and economic planning, along with their protection, will bring economic growth and development. Therefore, there is a close and undeniable connection between the environmental capacity of an area and its function. The assessment of environmental capacity is based on the indicators appropriate to the type of zoning and mathematical rules. It aims to adjust the land use according to the region's characteristics to promote economic goals and preserve the environment.
Climatic and natural conditions are essential factors in the production and determination of plant species, and land use depends on the quality of these factors. Parameters such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity are crucial for the growth and development of different trees, including the walnut tree. The walnut tree is deciduous, large and wide from the broad-leaved group belonging to the Juglandaceae family and the Juglans genus with 21 species. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the walnut tree, such as wood, bark, leaves, and kernels, make it possible to use it in various industries such as soap making, paper making, wood and furniture industry, oil wells, oil extraction, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and dyeing, nutrition, purification of heavy metals from water and cleaning of soft metals, bulking of adhesives, with commercial and economic purposes. Therefore, the planting of this type of plant in susceptible rural areas, according to the 20-year vision document, in which special attention is paid to non-oil exports, including agricultural products, its export improves foreign exchange earnings and the economic growth of the villages. Therefore, considering the forestry value (wood value) and the edible seeds, the creation of uniform orchards of walnut trees requires the assessment of the capability of the regions according to the environmental components.
Methodology
The research method is based on the objectives of applied research and is descriptive-analytical. In this research, the desired data was collected from the organizations and scientific centers of the Ardabil province from 2007 to 2020. Then, after collecting and sorting, digitization was done, and finally, the layers were combined with the fuzzy coefficient operator model. Furthermore, the final map was obtained in 4 categories: desirable, suitable, relatively suitable and unsuitable in the GIS environment.
Discussion and conclusion
Even though the high sensitivity of the walnut tree to maximum wind speed and temperature thresholds (during the growth period and at the time of fruit ripening), the temperature is not considered a limiting factor for the planting of walnut trees in the province villages. The study of the average relative humidity of the air indicates that except for the villages of Pars-Abad and Bileh-Swar, Ardabil, the rest of the places are favorable and ideal for the growth of walnut trees. The investigation of the rainfall situation in Ardabil Province showed that the experts should supervise the planting of walnut due to the inappropriate amount of rainfall in Sarein, Nemin, Pars-Abad, and Ardabil.
Gardening at heights above and below sea level, such as Sablan, Talesh, Ghoshe-dagh, Bezghosh, Ag-dagh and Jalga Maghan mountains in Ardabil province, is a limiting factor in the planting of walnut trees. When planting at altitudes lower than 1500 meters above sea level, it is better to use species such as Chandler and Howard. For altitudes higher than 1500 meters above sea level, it is better to use Fernor species. The slope is not a limiting factor for the planting of walnut in the villages of this province, except in parts of Meshkinshahr, Ardabil, Khalkhal and Kausar. The final zoning map indicated that the areas with almost mild winters and dry summers, annual rainfall, relative humidity and moderate to good wind speed had a high potential for planting walnut orchards. According to the final map, of 17,824.6 square kilometers of Ardabil province, 7,773 square kilometers are favorable areas (43.60 percent), 4,681.6 square kilometers are suitable (26.28 percent), 4,809.3 square kilometers are relatively suitable (26.98 percent), and 560.7 square kilometers are unsuitable (3.14 percent). Regarding geographic location, the ideal and favorable lands for walnut planting include the northern, central and eastern parts of the province, which includes 43% of the province.
Proper land use requires knowledge of environmental power, and then knowledge about environmental capacity in management and economic planning, along with their protection, will bring economic growth and development. Therefore, there is a close and undeniable connection between the environmental capacity of an area and its function. The assessment of environmental capacity is based on the indicators appropriate to the type of zoning and mathematical rules. It aims to adjust the land use according to the region's characteristics to promote economic goals and preserve the environment.
Climatic and natural conditions are essential factors in the production and determination of plant species, and land use depends on the quality of these factors. Parameters such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity are crucial for the growth and development of different trees, including the walnut tree. The walnut tree is deciduous, large and wide from the broad-leaved group belonging to the Juglandaceae family and the Juglans genus with 21 species. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the walnut tree, such as wood, bark, leaves, and kernels, make it possible to use it in various industries such as soap making, paper making, wood and furniture industry, oil wells, oil extraction, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and dyeing, nutrition, purification of heavy metals from water and cleaning of soft metals, bulking of adhesives, with commercial and economic purposes. Therefore, the planting of this type of plant in susceptible rural areas, according to the 20-year vision document, in which special attention is paid to non-oil exports, including agricultural products, its export improves foreign exchange earnings and the economic growth of the villages. Therefore, considering the forestry value (wood value) and the edible seeds, the creation of uniform orchards of walnut trees requires the assessment of the capability of the regions according to the environmental components.
Methodology
The research method is based on the objectives of applied research and is descriptive-analytical. In this research, the desired data was collected from the organizations and scientific centers of the Ardabil province from 2007 to 2020. Then, after collecting and sorting, digitization was done, and finally, the layers were combined with the fuzzy coefficient operator model. Furthermore, the final map was obtained in 4 categories: desirable, suitable, relatively suitable and unsuitable in the GIS environment.
Discussion and conclusion
Even though the high sensitivity of the walnut tree to maximum wind speed and temperature thresholds (during the growth period and at the time of fruit ripening), the temperature is not considered a limiting factor for the planting of walnut trees in the province villages. The study of the average relative humidity of the air indicates that except for the villages of Pars-Abad and Bileh-Swar, Ardabil, the rest of the places are favorable and ideal for the growth of walnut trees. The investigation of the rainfall situation in Ardabil Province showed that the experts should supervise the planting of walnut due to the inappropriate amount of rainfall in Sarein, Nemin, Pars-Abad, and Ardabil.
Gardening at heights above and below sea level, such as Sablan, Talesh, Ghoshe-dagh, Bezghosh, Ag-dagh and Jalga Maghan mountains in Ardabil province, is a limiting factor in the planting of walnut trees. When planting at altitudes lower than 1500 meters above sea level, it is better to use species such as Chandler and Howard. For altitudes higher than 1500 meters above sea level, it is better to use Fernor species. The slope is not a limiting factor for the planting of walnut in the villages of this province, except in parts of Meshkinshahr, Ardabil, Khalkhal and Kausar. The final zoning map indicated that the areas with almost mild winters and dry summers, annual rainfall, relative humidity and moderate to good wind speed had a high potential for planting walnut orchards. According to the final map, of 17,824.6 square kilometers of Ardabil province, 7,773 square kilometers are favorable areas (43.60 percent), 4,681.6 square kilometers are suitable (26.28 percent), 4,809.3 square kilometers are relatively suitable (26.98 percent), and 560.7 square kilometers are unsuitable (3.14 percent). Regarding geographic location, the ideal and favorable lands for walnut planting include the northern, central and eastern parts of the province, which includes 43% of the province.
Ghadir Firouznia, Ismail Ziarati Nasrabadi, Mustafa Taleshi, Alireza Darban Astaneh,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
The role of villages in the economic, social and political development at the local, regional and international scale has been the main focus of rural development and rural management. Rural management in Iran went through a lot of changes after the approval of the Law on Councils and the formation of Islamic Councils in settlements with more than 20 households, and eventually, the approval of the Establishment of Self-Sufficient Rural Municipalities Act on July 5, 1998. Based on this Act, several duties are recognized for rural municipalities, including rural planning, construction service, rural health, social services, cultural services, planning for disasters, improvement of rural environmental conditions and supervision of physical development plans. These duties are similar in all villages with councils. Despite the fact that rural management services are necessary for all kinds of villages, it is not possible to provide these services; even if it is possible, the cost is not viable. In other words, we currently have expensive and costly management of rural settlements. Therefore, after two decades of new rural management, a study needs to analyze the geographical, social, cultural and economic conditions. The purpose of this study is for the new rural management to cover services as much as possible with economic efficiency, promotion of public participation and private sector, the spatial connection of settlements, applying distributed network services and reduction of functional differences, reformation in different dimensions; environmental-physical, structural-institutional, social-cultural, economic and human aspects of rural management. Thus, we can provide a suitable model for providing integrated rural management that all the rural population will be provided services according to their right.
Methodology
The current research is an applied study, and the results can be used in planning and decision-making. The research method is a survey, so with social sampling techniques can be generalized to other rural areas. The data collection tool is a questionnaire, which was used for four units of analysis, including the members of the Islamic village council, the village mayors, villagers and experts. The survey is of a descriptive and explanatory type because it aims to objectively and precisely explain the process of the activities of rural municipalities and examine the relationships between variables and structures to explain and interpret the influencing factors in improving performance. This will be used for rearranging the current model of rural management with the aim of providing maximum coverage of services. The statistical population of the research includes all the cities of Qazvin province (six cities). The target counties, districts and rural districts have been selected as clusters. A total of 427 questionnaires have been completed by residents of 40 selected villages in Qazvin province. The criteria are population, distance, number and population of villages. First, nine districts were selected and accordingly, 22 rural districts and finally, 40 villages were selected.
Discussion and conclusion
In this paper, the factors affecting the reorganization of the rural service management model in five dimensions of environmental-physical, structural-institutional, social-cultural, economic and human aspects. The findings indicated the effectiveness of the described dimensions. Based on the findings, the followings are the most important components: in the environmental-physical dimension, components such as adopting an area instead of a point-based approach, spatial link and geographical features of the region and maximum coverage of services, in the structural-institutional dimension, the components of amending laws and regulations, creating joint construction and service organizations, increasing villager activity hours and providing services to neighboring villages, in the socio-cultural dimension, the components of fair distribution of services, accountability, performance transparency, increasing interactions and attention to vulnerable groups, in the economic dimension, the components of compliance with economic efficiency, reducing service costs, increasing productivity, sustainable sources of income, shared services, and finally, in the human dimension, components of people's participation, private and cooperative sector, reforming the selection process of village mayors and citizenship education. These components can be used for rearranging the rural management for rural service.
The role of villages in the economic, social and political development at the local, regional and international scale has been the main focus of rural development and rural management. Rural management in Iran went through a lot of changes after the approval of the Law on Councils and the formation of Islamic Councils in settlements with more than 20 households, and eventually, the approval of the Establishment of Self-Sufficient Rural Municipalities Act on July 5, 1998. Based on this Act, several duties are recognized for rural municipalities, including rural planning, construction service, rural health, social services, cultural services, planning for disasters, improvement of rural environmental conditions and supervision of physical development plans. These duties are similar in all villages with councils. Despite the fact that rural management services are necessary for all kinds of villages, it is not possible to provide these services; even if it is possible, the cost is not viable. In other words, we currently have expensive and costly management of rural settlements. Therefore, after two decades of new rural management, a study needs to analyze the geographical, social, cultural and economic conditions. The purpose of this study is for the new rural management to cover services as much as possible with economic efficiency, promotion of public participation and private sector, the spatial connection of settlements, applying distributed network services and reduction of functional differences, reformation in different dimensions; environmental-physical, structural-institutional, social-cultural, economic and human aspects of rural management. Thus, we can provide a suitable model for providing integrated rural management that all the rural population will be provided services according to their right.
Methodology
The current research is an applied study, and the results can be used in planning and decision-making. The research method is a survey, so with social sampling techniques can be generalized to other rural areas. The data collection tool is a questionnaire, which was used for four units of analysis, including the members of the Islamic village council, the village mayors, villagers and experts. The survey is of a descriptive and explanatory type because it aims to objectively and precisely explain the process of the activities of rural municipalities and examine the relationships between variables and structures to explain and interpret the influencing factors in improving performance. This will be used for rearranging the current model of rural management with the aim of providing maximum coverage of services. The statistical population of the research includes all the cities of Qazvin province (six cities). The target counties, districts and rural districts have been selected as clusters. A total of 427 questionnaires have been completed by residents of 40 selected villages in Qazvin province. The criteria are population, distance, number and population of villages. First, nine districts were selected and accordingly, 22 rural districts and finally, 40 villages were selected.
Discussion and conclusion
In this paper, the factors affecting the reorganization of the rural service management model in five dimensions of environmental-physical, structural-institutional, social-cultural, economic and human aspects. The findings indicated the effectiveness of the described dimensions. Based on the findings, the followings are the most important components: in the environmental-physical dimension, components such as adopting an area instead of a point-based approach, spatial link and geographical features of the region and maximum coverage of services, in the structural-institutional dimension, the components of amending laws and regulations, creating joint construction and service organizations, increasing villager activity hours and providing services to neighboring villages, in the socio-cultural dimension, the components of fair distribution of services, accountability, performance transparency, increasing interactions and attention to vulnerable groups, in the economic dimension, the components of compliance with economic efficiency, reducing service costs, increasing productivity, sustainable sources of income, shared services, and finally, in the human dimension, components of people's participation, private and cooperative sector, reforming the selection process of village mayors and citizenship education. These components can be used for rearranging the rural management for rural service.
Maryam Momenpour, Seyedeh Zoleikha Ghorbanzadeh Zafarani, Hasan Rasoli,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Cities have profound effects on the surrounding rural areas, which are manifested in various environmental, social, economic and physical dimensions. Knowing the type of texture is necessary to measure the quantity of filled and empty areas, explore the quality of mass and space contiguity and identify the shape-spatial system for the regularity of filled and empty spaces. Agriculture can be the core of the space economy because it is the biggest attractor of labor in some regions and can create the most income and development. Since development is a multi-dimensional concept, which requires reorganization of the socio-economic system with it, examining the different levels and dimensions of development and knowing the differences in resources of different regions can be effective for planning. In this regard, the purpose of the present research is to measure and evaluate the desirability of peri-urban spaces for the agricultural development of rural settlements in Golestan Province.
Golestan Province, the study area of this research, is a northern province that is distinguished in agriculture due to its geographical location. The importance of the agricultural sector for this province is because of the role of this sector in increasing the country's food security and prosperity. This calls for proper and accurate planning and agricultural development.
Methodology
This research is a descriptive-analytical and applied study. The secondary data were collected from the agricultural statistics of the province in 2015. The statistical population of the study consists of 14 cities in Golestan Province based on the latest political-administrative divisions. For data analysis, we used WASPAS multi-criteria combined technique in Excel spreadsheet software, and Shannon's entropy was used to determine the weight of each index. ArcGIS was used to draw the maps.
Discussion and conclusion
The findings of this research echo the results of Kaderzadeh et al.'s studies (2016), entitled agricultural development of the cities of Kurdistan Province and confirm the difference between the cities of a province in indexes. And the indicators of development agricultural development. It also shows that most of the cities of the province are in an unfavorable situation in terms of sustainable agricultural development indicators. Also, the findings of Taqvi and Bahari (2013) regarding the distribution of the components of the development of the cities of Mazandaran Province, Sakhawat (2013) regarding the measurement of the development of the provinces of Iran, Fadeli (2014) about the inequality of development in the western provinces confirm the difference between the cities of the province in terms of development indicators. Considering the general results of this research and the placement of rural settlements in Gonbad and Gorgan Counties at the highest level of development, it can be seen that the most important factors affecting the development are the strong and concentrated urban economy and the labor force. And trained, high-quality soils with agricultural capabilities, the use of modern and efficient agricultural tools and equipment, abundant manpower, large area, especially Gonbad Kavus County, etc. The robust economic role of the cities of these two counties (Inche Broon for Gonbad Kavus County and Sohrkhankalate and Jalin for Gorgan County) is evident because they have attracted most of the services and infrastructures, and this has led to the lack of these services in rural areas. Given that in addition to increasing urbanization of the country in the future, it is inevitable to pay attention to rural settlements for balanced development and fair distribution of services based on the current situation of settlements. Fair planning and distribution of services is a must, which requires optimal investment in rural settlements for the realization of homogeneity, social justice and better living condition in different settlements.
Cities have profound effects on the surrounding rural areas, which are manifested in various environmental, social, economic and physical dimensions. Knowing the type of texture is necessary to measure the quantity of filled and empty areas, explore the quality of mass and space contiguity and identify the shape-spatial system for the regularity of filled and empty spaces. Agriculture can be the core of the space economy because it is the biggest attractor of labor in some regions and can create the most income and development. Since development is a multi-dimensional concept, which requires reorganization of the socio-economic system with it, examining the different levels and dimensions of development and knowing the differences in resources of different regions can be effective for planning. In this regard, the purpose of the present research is to measure and evaluate the desirability of peri-urban spaces for the agricultural development of rural settlements in Golestan Province.
Golestan Province, the study area of this research, is a northern province that is distinguished in agriculture due to its geographical location. The importance of the agricultural sector for this province is because of the role of this sector in increasing the country's food security and prosperity. This calls for proper and accurate planning and agricultural development.
Methodology
This research is a descriptive-analytical and applied study. The secondary data were collected from the agricultural statistics of the province in 2015. The statistical population of the study consists of 14 cities in Golestan Province based on the latest political-administrative divisions. For data analysis, we used WASPAS multi-criteria combined technique in Excel spreadsheet software, and Shannon's entropy was used to determine the weight of each index. ArcGIS was used to draw the maps.
Discussion and conclusion
The findings of this research echo the results of Kaderzadeh et al.'s studies (2016), entitled agricultural development of the cities of Kurdistan Province and confirm the difference between the cities of a province in indexes. And the indicators of development agricultural development. It also shows that most of the cities of the province are in an unfavorable situation in terms of sustainable agricultural development indicators. Also, the findings of Taqvi and Bahari (2013) regarding the distribution of the components of the development of the cities of Mazandaran Province, Sakhawat (2013) regarding the measurement of the development of the provinces of Iran, Fadeli (2014) about the inequality of development in the western provinces confirm the difference between the cities of the province in terms of development indicators. Considering the general results of this research and the placement of rural settlements in Gonbad and Gorgan Counties at the highest level of development, it can be seen that the most important factors affecting the development are the strong and concentrated urban economy and the labor force. And trained, high-quality soils with agricultural capabilities, the use of modern and efficient agricultural tools and equipment, abundant manpower, large area, especially Gonbad Kavus County, etc. The robust economic role of the cities of these two counties (Inche Broon for Gonbad Kavus County and Sohrkhankalate and Jalin for Gorgan County) is evident because they have attracted most of the services and infrastructures, and this has led to the lack of these services in rural areas. Given that in addition to increasing urbanization of the country in the future, it is inevitable to pay attention to rural settlements for balanced development and fair distribution of services based on the current situation of settlements. Fair planning and distribution of services is a must, which requires optimal investment in rural settlements for the realization of homogeneity, social justice and better living condition in different settlements.
Ali Akbar Taghilou, Naser Soltani,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
In the catchment area of Lake Urmia in West Azerbaijan province, the development of non-agricultural and agriculture-related small production activities has been the main strategy of the government to reduce the dependence of rural livelihoods on the agricultural sector and reduce water consumption in agriculture.
Referring to the studies conducted and the literature on the subject, it seems that the issue for the development and expansion of small non-agricultural activities in the villages is a problem of power relations and the inequality of abilities among the beneficiaries of these activities, which has made them unable to get the market benefits and capture the surplus value.
Therefore, the purpose of this article is not to explain the lack of success and discover the cause and effect of the development and establishment of non-agricultural production activities in villages. Rather, it is to help understand the structural limitations of the development and creation of production activities by identifying and examining the pairs of power relations and the interaction forces of these pairs.
Methodology
Our fieldwork was done in 2019. The main methods used in this research are in-depth interviews, document reviews, and secondary data analysis. In-depth interviews with villagers, semi-structured interviews with officials of financial institutions and entrepreneurship fund (KARA), responsible for rural small business development of Jihad Agriculture Organization, responsible for the training of technical and vocational organization, responsible for the rural economic development of West Azarbaijan Governorate, rural insurance fund, responsible for cooperation Rural, responsible for rural business development of the province's industry, mining and trade organization is.
Villagers and village councils and, producers of pickles, herbal spirits, paste, and dry fruits production, some large and medium-sized companies producing similar urban products were of interest to us in the interview. During the research, we also conducted informal interviews with a number of villagers who own small workshops. Also, we examined the sixth development plan and policies for the development of household and small rural businesses of the Agricultural Jihad Organization, Department of Labor, Welfare and Social Security, Technical and Professional Organization, and Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters.
Finally, the interviews of the officials in charge of small rural businesses with news agencies were used as second-hand information in our analyses, But the questions that were raised in the interviews are: Why do you think small non-agricultural production activities related to agriculture do not develop? What is the role of the government's interests and programs in the development of urban and rural industries in the development of these activities in the villages? How do you evaluate the performance factors of financial and government institutions in the development of these activities?
Discussion and conclusion
The relations between small rural production activities and similar urban production factories threaten each other's interests, and there is no common interest between them. These two activities compete with each other in acquiring the market and adding value produced in the market. Small rural production activities have a relative advantage, such as high-quality raw materials, more organic production, production quality, and reasonable price compared to the production of urban industries in gaining market and benefits.
According to the logic of the consumer, this advantage in the consumer market increases the ability to gain benefits and keeps the flow of market benefits for itself; But in contrast to the advantage of Urum Ada, Pakdis, Sasan Shahd, Khoshkbar il Sur, Khoshdis and Noushin Shahd industries against these activities, it is in how they relate to the government and other determinants of small rural production activities that have changed the flow of benefits; Because the strength of small rural production activities is in their nature, but urban industries have gained their strength from relationships, which play a decisive role in the distribution of market resources and benefits, and with the rents created through relationships, the most banking facilities, government incentives, opportunities They change the market created inside and outside for their own benefit and threaten small rural businesses with mechanisms such as unhygienic, traditional, bribery of regulatory organizations and non-compliance with labor laws and rural production insurance.
In the network of urban consumer relations and small rural production activities, the flow of benefits is somewhat bilateral. The interests of the consumer are the quality and price of the product; considering the bad economic conditions of the consumer and the low purchasing power of the urban consumer, products with a low price are the priority of purchase, and the quality of the products is the second priority. Rural products have been produced at a relatively low price due to the elimination of many costs such as tax, insurance, labor and energy costs, and self-sufficiency of raw materials. Therefore, the consumer market has welcomed it, and it has generated good income for producers. But since these products are not a priority in the households' basket, it does not bring many benefits to the producers. On the other hand, the production of discourses on "rural products being unsanitary" by scientific centers and government institutions such as universities and health centers changes the relationship between urban consumers and rural producers in favor of industries with similar urban production in a small market and causes further contraction of the market and the interests of the villagers.
The main issue in this section is to investigate how the relationship between the government and the city and the government and the village disrupts the balance of power between the city and the village and how this imbalance of power affects small rural production businesses. Apart from the relationship between the city and the village, which has always prevailed over the village in attracting human, financial capital, goods and other things, this dominance is due to the relationship between these two places with the scientific and economic elites and the government, which affects small production activities.
In the catchment area of Lake Urmia in West Azerbaijan province, the development of non-agricultural and agriculture-related small production activities has been the main strategy of the government to reduce the dependence of rural livelihoods on the agricultural sector and reduce water consumption in agriculture.
Referring to the studies conducted and the literature on the subject, it seems that the issue for the development and expansion of small non-agricultural activities in the villages is a problem of power relations and the inequality of abilities among the beneficiaries of these activities, which has made them unable to get the market benefits and capture the surplus value.
Therefore, the purpose of this article is not to explain the lack of success and discover the cause and effect of the development and establishment of non-agricultural production activities in villages. Rather, it is to help understand the structural limitations of the development and creation of production activities by identifying and examining the pairs of power relations and the interaction forces of these pairs.
Methodology
Our fieldwork was done in 2019. The main methods used in this research are in-depth interviews, document reviews, and secondary data analysis. In-depth interviews with villagers, semi-structured interviews with officials of financial institutions and entrepreneurship fund (KARA), responsible for rural small business development of Jihad Agriculture Organization, responsible for the training of technical and vocational organization, responsible for the rural economic development of West Azarbaijan Governorate, rural insurance fund, responsible for cooperation Rural, responsible for rural business development of the province's industry, mining and trade organization is.
Villagers and village councils and, producers of pickles, herbal spirits, paste, and dry fruits production, some large and medium-sized companies producing similar urban products were of interest to us in the interview. During the research, we also conducted informal interviews with a number of villagers who own small workshops. Also, we examined the sixth development plan and policies for the development of household and small rural businesses of the Agricultural Jihad Organization, Department of Labor, Welfare and Social Security, Technical and Professional Organization, and Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters.
Finally, the interviews of the officials in charge of small rural businesses with news agencies were used as second-hand information in our analyses, But the questions that were raised in the interviews are: Why do you think small non-agricultural production activities related to agriculture do not develop? What is the role of the government's interests and programs in the development of urban and rural industries in the development of these activities in the villages? How do you evaluate the performance factors of financial and government institutions in the development of these activities?
Discussion and conclusion
The relations between small rural production activities and similar urban production factories threaten each other's interests, and there is no common interest between them. These two activities compete with each other in acquiring the market and adding value produced in the market. Small rural production activities have a relative advantage, such as high-quality raw materials, more organic production, production quality, and reasonable price compared to the production of urban industries in gaining market and benefits.
According to the logic of the consumer, this advantage in the consumer market increases the ability to gain benefits and keeps the flow of market benefits for itself; But in contrast to the advantage of Urum Ada, Pakdis, Sasan Shahd, Khoshkbar il Sur, Khoshdis and Noushin Shahd industries against these activities, it is in how they relate to the government and other determinants of small rural production activities that have changed the flow of benefits; Because the strength of small rural production activities is in their nature, but urban industries have gained their strength from relationships, which play a decisive role in the distribution of market resources and benefits, and with the rents created through relationships, the most banking facilities, government incentives, opportunities They change the market created inside and outside for their own benefit and threaten small rural businesses with mechanisms such as unhygienic, traditional, bribery of regulatory organizations and non-compliance with labor laws and rural production insurance.
In the network of urban consumer relations and small rural production activities, the flow of benefits is somewhat bilateral. The interests of the consumer are the quality and price of the product; considering the bad economic conditions of the consumer and the low purchasing power of the urban consumer, products with a low price are the priority of purchase, and the quality of the products is the second priority. Rural products have been produced at a relatively low price due to the elimination of many costs such as tax, insurance, labor and energy costs, and self-sufficiency of raw materials. Therefore, the consumer market has welcomed it, and it has generated good income for producers. But since these products are not a priority in the households' basket, it does not bring many benefits to the producers. On the other hand, the production of discourses on "rural products being unsanitary" by scientific centers and government institutions such as universities and health centers changes the relationship between urban consumers and rural producers in favor of industries with similar urban production in a small market and causes further contraction of the market and the interests of the villagers.
The main issue in this section is to investigate how the relationship between the government and the city and the government and the village disrupts the balance of power between the city and the village and how this imbalance of power affects small rural production businesses. Apart from the relationship between the city and the village, which has always prevailed over the village in attracting human, financial capital, goods and other things, this dominance is due to the relationship between these two places with the scientific and economic elites and the government, which affects small production activities.
Masoumeh Pazkoi,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
The entrepreneurship approach, suggested by planners, is a strategy for Overcoming the socio-economic problems facing rural communities. Facilitating innovations and entrepreneurial activities with high effectiveness are the tools to achieve economic development in rural areas. Another necessary condition for the development of any society, especially rural communities, are the main components of social capital, namely, the expansion of social cohesion, the development of social participation and, most importantly, mutual trust (between the private sector and the government). To achieve the development of entrepreneurial activities in rural areas, planning for the existing resources in rural areas, especially human resources, is essential through empowerment and resilience. The variables of social capital, empowerment and resilience must be considered in achieving innovative performance. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the social capital relationship with the innovative performance of rural entrepreneurs in the rural district of Filestan in Pakdasht County according to the variables of resilience and empowerment.
Methodology
The present research is an applied study, and due to the nature of the subject, the approach to the research process is descriptive-analytical. The statistical population of the study was villagers in villages with more than 20 households in Filestan Rural district. According to Cochran's formula, 353 households from 5 villages were obtained as a research sample. Then, based on the number of households in each village and by stratified sampling method, the number of samples in each village was calculated. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed according to the opinion of experts in geography and rural planning. Its reliability was obtained by Cronbach's alpha method, and data analysis was performed using SPSS software and ARAS, CODAS, WASPAS, COPELAND and MULTI-MOORA techniques.
Discussion and conclusion
The crucial strategy for survival in today's fast-paced world for the villages is the use of all available resources and the empowerment of all the capacities available to the villagers. Choosing this path requires providing a suitable platform that allows the emergence of creative skills and tactics, and entrepreneurial activities. In the current research, the relation of social capital with the innovative performance of rural entrepreneurs in the villages of Filestan Rural district was studied with regard to resilience and empowerment variables. According to the results of Shannon's entropy method, among the criteria of social capital effective on resilience, the criterion of knowledge and awareness with a weight of 0.9981 has the most importance. A rural society with stronger social capital in comparison with other villages has stronger social cohesion, social support, informal social relations, social interactions, social justice, justice in the distribution of resources, and resilient innovative practices and entrepreneurial activities. According to the COPELAND technique, the indicators of the desirability of innovation at the end of the work and the holding of classes related to entrepreneurship in the village were ranked first in significance. The ranking based on the MULTI-MOORA method shows that the villagers of Golzar village are more capable in terms of innovative practices and entrepreneurial activities compared to other villages. The results of the WASPAS technique show that the village of Golzar has a superior position compared to other villages in the Filestan Rural district from the point of view of different dimensions of social capital that are effective in the resilience of innovative and entrepreneurial practices with a Qi equal to 0.8764 and acts stronger. The results of the CODAS technique show that the role of social capital on the performance of rural entrepreneurs in Golzar village has been more than in other villages of the Filestan Rural district. This means that based on the results of this research, the self-confidence of entrepreneurs in this village, along with planning, training, skill acquisition, competitiveness, flexibility and increasing participation, should lead to a diversity of employment and improvement of household income in addition to creating social cohesion. Therefore, this village has stronger social capital than other villages. In fact, social capital leads to common ideals, social harmony, social cohesion, motivation, trust, creativity, and forward-looking, which can directly affect the innovative performance of rural entrepreneurs through empowerment and resilience.
The following suggestions are presented in order to improve the conditions of entrepreneurship according to the variables of empowerment, resilience and entrepreneurship in the study area:
The entrepreneurship approach, suggested by planners, is a strategy for Overcoming the socio-economic problems facing rural communities. Facilitating innovations and entrepreneurial activities with high effectiveness are the tools to achieve economic development in rural areas. Another necessary condition for the development of any society, especially rural communities, are the main components of social capital, namely, the expansion of social cohesion, the development of social participation and, most importantly, mutual trust (between the private sector and the government). To achieve the development of entrepreneurial activities in rural areas, planning for the existing resources in rural areas, especially human resources, is essential through empowerment and resilience. The variables of social capital, empowerment and resilience must be considered in achieving innovative performance. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the social capital relationship with the innovative performance of rural entrepreneurs in the rural district of Filestan in Pakdasht County according to the variables of resilience and empowerment.
Methodology
The present research is an applied study, and due to the nature of the subject, the approach to the research process is descriptive-analytical. The statistical population of the study was villagers in villages with more than 20 households in Filestan Rural district. According to Cochran's formula, 353 households from 5 villages were obtained as a research sample. Then, based on the number of households in each village and by stratified sampling method, the number of samples in each village was calculated. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed according to the opinion of experts in geography and rural planning. Its reliability was obtained by Cronbach's alpha method, and data analysis was performed using SPSS software and ARAS, CODAS, WASPAS, COPELAND and MULTI-MOORA techniques.
Discussion and conclusion
The crucial strategy for survival in today's fast-paced world for the villages is the use of all available resources and the empowerment of all the capacities available to the villagers. Choosing this path requires providing a suitable platform that allows the emergence of creative skills and tactics, and entrepreneurial activities. In the current research, the relation of social capital with the innovative performance of rural entrepreneurs in the villages of Filestan Rural district was studied with regard to resilience and empowerment variables. According to the results of Shannon's entropy method, among the criteria of social capital effective on resilience, the criterion of knowledge and awareness with a weight of 0.9981 has the most importance. A rural society with stronger social capital in comparison with other villages has stronger social cohesion, social support, informal social relations, social interactions, social justice, justice in the distribution of resources, and resilient innovative practices and entrepreneurial activities. According to the COPELAND technique, the indicators of the desirability of innovation at the end of the work and the holding of classes related to entrepreneurship in the village were ranked first in significance. The ranking based on the MULTI-MOORA method shows that the villagers of Golzar village are more capable in terms of innovative practices and entrepreneurial activities compared to other villages. The results of the WASPAS technique show that the village of Golzar has a superior position compared to other villages in the Filestan Rural district from the point of view of different dimensions of social capital that are effective in the resilience of innovative and entrepreneurial practices with a Qi equal to 0.8764 and acts stronger. The results of the CODAS technique show that the role of social capital on the performance of rural entrepreneurs in Golzar village has been more than in other villages of the Filestan Rural district. This means that based on the results of this research, the self-confidence of entrepreneurs in this village, along with planning, training, skill acquisition, competitiveness, flexibility and increasing participation, should lead to a diversity of employment and improvement of household income in addition to creating social cohesion. Therefore, this village has stronger social capital than other villages. In fact, social capital leads to common ideals, social harmony, social cohesion, motivation, trust, creativity, and forward-looking, which can directly affect the innovative performance of rural entrepreneurs through empowerment and resilience.
The following suggestions are presented in order to improve the conditions of entrepreneurship according to the variables of empowerment, resilience and entrepreneurship in the study area:
- Creating the environment and background for entrepreneurship (capacity building);
- Applying the necessary self-confidence and empowerment strategies through specialized training in the field of starting entrepreneurial businesses and innovative actions;
- Applying resilience-building strategies through specialized training in order to increase the ability to return to the conditions before the tension and after the accidents and the flexibility and creativity of entrepreneurs;
- Providing the necessary support to entrepreneurs in the fields of removing administrative formalities and facilitating loan conditions;
- Personal and occupational insurance and the establishment of markets for the sale of agricultural and rural products;
- Intensifying the expansion of entrepreneurial activities by creating mobility and activity.
Jaleh Koorkinejad,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction
Pressure on production resources and the environment is getting higher due to increased population and the need for food, especially in developing countries. Thus, the preservation of natural resources and proper allocation of inputs must be considered in production. Sustainable agriculture suggests a framework for human needs without harming the environment and the proper and optimal use of natural resources while taking into account the rights of future generations. Achieving sustainable agricultural development is possible only if productive factors such as labor and social capital are regarded alongside physical capital. Social capital, a complement to other forms of capital, is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development, especially in rural communities. Development in rural areas requires the expansion of trust, participation and communication and cohesion among farmers. Social capital is a factor that compensates for the deficiency of other capital inputs and binds other inputs like glue. This study investigated social capital and its role in facilitating and accelerating sustainable development in the villages of the north of Sirjan County.
Methodology
This study first evaluated the different dimensions of social capital and sustainable development using different items with the Likert scale. The required data were collected using a questionnaire that validity and reliability were examined among a sample of 195 farmers living in the northern villages of Sirjan County. After calculating the social capital indicator and sustainable development indicator, we investigated the effect of social capital on various dimensions of sustainable agriculture using the Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equations (SURE).
Discussion and conclusion
According to the results of the research, the social capital indicator was calculated at 0.57 on average, and in terms of dimensions, trust is 0.55, participation and social relations is 0.58 and norms, and social cohesion is 0.60. The economic, social, environmental and institutional dimensions of sustainable development were determined to be 0.44, 0.51, 0.49 and 0.40, respectively. The amount of economic and institutional dimensions is below average, which shows the instability of most of these dimensions among farmers. The other two dimensions are in the middle level. The results of seemingly unrelated regression equations showed that the variables of farmer age, years of experience in agriculture, net income of agriculture, social capital, participation in training courses and type of irrigation system have a positive and statistically significant effect on the economic dimension of sustainable agriculture. Variables of education level, membership in agricultural cooperatives, participation in training classes and social capital have a positive and significant effect on social sustainability, and the variables of type of irrigation system, social capital, net income and education have a significant positive effect on environmental sustainability. In addition, the results showed that farmers with higher education and those who are members of agricultural cooperatives feel more institutionally stable, and these variables have a positive effect on promoting institutional sustainability.
Low efficiency and productivity, the staggering cost of inputs, have left no income for them and have led to poor quality and welfare life for them. This has caused farmer dissatisfaction and has led young people to migrate to cities and work in industrial sectors. As it was observed, the variable of social capital has a positive effect on all four dimensions of stability, but its effect on institutional stability is not statistically significant.
Since the calculated social capital is not at a high level among farmers, besides its significance in sustainability, it is necessary to pay attention to proper planning to improve different dimensions of social capital and eliminate the existing shortcomings to achieve higher levels of sustainability. Effective training courses in rural areas are really important due to the lack of transportation facilities in farmers' living regions. In addition, the presence of skilled professionals and experts will increase the trust in the training among farmers. Creating suitable living facilities and equitable distribution of facilities in villages, improving infrastructure, and access of farmers' children to quality schools. The life expectancy and desire of farmers, especially young people, to stay in the villages will be increased when donors and rich farmers participate in improving living conditions in rural areas.
Pressure on production resources and the environment is getting higher due to increased population and the need for food, especially in developing countries. Thus, the preservation of natural resources and proper allocation of inputs must be considered in production. Sustainable agriculture suggests a framework for human needs without harming the environment and the proper and optimal use of natural resources while taking into account the rights of future generations. Achieving sustainable agricultural development is possible only if productive factors such as labor and social capital are regarded alongside physical capital. Social capital, a complement to other forms of capital, is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development, especially in rural communities. Development in rural areas requires the expansion of trust, participation and communication and cohesion among farmers. Social capital is a factor that compensates for the deficiency of other capital inputs and binds other inputs like glue. This study investigated social capital and its role in facilitating and accelerating sustainable development in the villages of the north of Sirjan County.
Methodology
This study first evaluated the different dimensions of social capital and sustainable development using different items with the Likert scale. The required data were collected using a questionnaire that validity and reliability were examined among a sample of 195 farmers living in the northern villages of Sirjan County. After calculating the social capital indicator and sustainable development indicator, we investigated the effect of social capital on various dimensions of sustainable agriculture using the Seemingly Unrelated Regression Equations (SURE).
Discussion and conclusion
According to the results of the research, the social capital indicator was calculated at 0.57 on average, and in terms of dimensions, trust is 0.55, participation and social relations is 0.58 and norms, and social cohesion is 0.60. The economic, social, environmental and institutional dimensions of sustainable development were determined to be 0.44, 0.51, 0.49 and 0.40, respectively. The amount of economic and institutional dimensions is below average, which shows the instability of most of these dimensions among farmers. The other two dimensions are in the middle level. The results of seemingly unrelated regression equations showed that the variables of farmer age, years of experience in agriculture, net income of agriculture, social capital, participation in training courses and type of irrigation system have a positive and statistically significant effect on the economic dimension of sustainable agriculture. Variables of education level, membership in agricultural cooperatives, participation in training classes and social capital have a positive and significant effect on social sustainability, and the variables of type of irrigation system, social capital, net income and education have a significant positive effect on environmental sustainability. In addition, the results showed that farmers with higher education and those who are members of agricultural cooperatives feel more institutionally stable, and these variables have a positive effect on promoting institutional sustainability.
Low efficiency and productivity, the staggering cost of inputs, have left no income for them and have led to poor quality and welfare life for them. This has caused farmer dissatisfaction and has led young people to migrate to cities and work in industrial sectors. As it was observed, the variable of social capital has a positive effect on all four dimensions of stability, but its effect on institutional stability is not statistically significant.
Since the calculated social capital is not at a high level among farmers, besides its significance in sustainability, it is necessary to pay attention to proper planning to improve different dimensions of social capital and eliminate the existing shortcomings to achieve higher levels of sustainability. Effective training courses in rural areas are really important due to the lack of transportation facilities in farmers' living regions. In addition, the presence of skilled professionals and experts will increase the trust in the training among farmers. Creating suitable living facilities and equitable distribution of facilities in villages, improving infrastructure, and access of farmers' children to quality schools. The life expectancy and desire of farmers, especially young people, to stay in the villages will be increased when donors and rich farmers participate in improving living conditions in rural areas.
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