Economy

Variations in rural economy, prevention of the unprecedented rural-urban migration, and reduction in spatial imbalances between rural and urban areas via creation of industries namely industrial towns are being considered as the fundamental Iran’s policies regarding rural development. The major objective of this study is to identify and investigate the economic impact of Aghola industrial towns upon the adjacent rural areas located in Gorgan in Aghola.

This study from methodological stand point has descriptive- analytical nature. However based on its objective, possesses applied essence. The data gathering demands application of field works as well as documentation. The studied villages composed of 7 villages located in vicinity of this industrial town. 320 households were selected based on random sampling technique and Cochran formula. The credibility of the study was checked by rural studies experts. Viability determined to be 70 % based on Kronbakh Alpha. This study is further supported by principle component analysis as well as one way analysis of variance using SPSS.

This study suggests that the location of Aghola industrial town imposed a prominent economic impact upon the adjacent rural development. However, increase in welfare and purchasing power component compare with the other components possesses the highest significant difference.

Industrialization of rural districts can be considered as one of the appropriate approaches toward the diversification of economy. In this way, the rural lifestyle can get developed through the process of job creation and the increasing of income and its balanced distribution can create a favorable environment for the achievement of sustainable rural development. Some researchers of rural development believe that the industrialization of rural districts in the framework of national master plan is inevitable in economic growth. So, in the last two decades, authorities and program makers have mainly shifted their focus of attention on the settlement of industries in villages in the form of industrial towns and areas.

Opposing ideas like those mentioned against economic, social, and environmental interests seems common in the process of development. Environmental effects of industrial concentration in a small zone or an inappropriate area can cause serious hazards either locally or internationally. So, identification and evaluation of such problems from different aspects can help us discover the effectiveness of these programs and investigate their range of effectiveness for the purposes of local and regional development. On the other hand, it can be useful for the spatial programming of the target areas where this activities have been done or are affecting by such activities. Therefore, this study aims to study social and economic impacts of industrial micro plans on rural populations.

This is a quantitative study, a non-experimental type regarding the strategy used for the rate and control degree of variables, an applied one on its target, and a survey research according to the method used for collecting data.Its statistical society includes villagers above 18 in the village of Shahnjryn among them 161 members were randomly selected through Cochran formula as samples. Also, we have also made questionnaires to collect data. 
Questionnaire used for collecting data in this research has been already designed in 1392 in consultation with experts. Its validity was confirmed by researchers and experts. For testing the reliability of the questionnaire a number of 30 questionnaires was done by the villagers of Shahnjryn. Results were analyzed and Cronbach's alpha was calculated 0.73 which is good for the project. Collected data have been already analyzed in SPSS .16 software. Descriptive statistics such as Frequency, percentage, standard deviation, mean variance and coefficient of variation have been used in descriptive part of the research as well as mean comparison, correlation coefficient and factor analysis tests used for data analyzing.

Discussion and conclusion
Lots of researches have been already done in Iran and throughout the world to find out the socioeconomic impacts of industrial micro plans on rural communities. A major noticeable part has focused on the positive effects of industrial occupations on rural development. Results from the present study reveal the high economic impacts of industrial projects in rural areas as it can cause new chances of employment and economic variations that cause the development of the areas. In addition, it should be considered that in rural districts industrial activities are in rival with farming.
Generally, industrial projects in rural areas have negative effects on agriculture. As, in some cases like the utilization of lands and human forces, industrial projects are precedent. Not only can industrial projects affect the economic status of rural areas, but also social consequences are possible. Prevalence of industrial projects in rural areas may lead some changes in relationships and geographical actions and trends, as well. Predictions like these have been proven to be true up to the results of the present study. Totally, based on the results from the study, there are some approaches to moderate the negative effects of industrial projects in the neighboring villages by the reinforcement of their positive effects. The followings are examples of these approaches:
- As a necessity, all the Eco environmental impacts of each industrial project must be evaluated in advance to find measures to modify its dangerous impacts on the environment.
- Industrial occupations are produced in villages mainly by the purpose of creating nonagricultural business and employments. It is obvious that such industries should not affect negatively on agricultural production. Therefore, it is necessary to pay simultaneous attention on both industrial and agricultural development. To achieve the goal, we suggest to make measures for programming agricultural growth along with the industrial ones.
- Modifying the negative effects of industrial growth on agriculture, the headquarters of the industrial activities must be located in villages with less farming capacity. Additionally, a strategy of development and implementation of industrial projects must be defined to keep villagers from leaving the village.
- In rural industries, for a more effective development process, it must be tried to use mainly from rural labor force and formations.