درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose - Agro-tourism and the development of farm-based tourism businesses have emerged as a creative and innovative approach to rural tourism, which exploits the potentials and capabilities of agricultural activities as unique opportunities for employment and development and poverty alleviation. The purpose of this study is to identify opportunities and areas for Agro-tourism development in rural areas of Tehran Province. Design/methodology/approach - This is an applied research that adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. The statistical population of the study consisted of the rural areas of Tehran Province, of which 8 towns and three villages from each town were selected as the sample. Data collection was conducted using both library and field survey methods; however, the main focus of the research was on field studies, which involved a questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. The questionnaires were prepared for three groups of villagers, tourists, and officials separately. The sample size for villagers was determined using Cochran formula (n=261). Also, since the exact number of tourists and officials was not known, the sample size of these two groups was selected using purposive method (n=31 and n=20, respectively). Data were analyzed using descriptive (mean and frequency) and inferential statistical methods (Chi-square test, one-sample t-test and Mann-Whitney test). Findings- The results suggest that government support and infrastructure improvement, the organization of local festivals related to farm products, the participation of tourists in harvesting, the direct presence of tourists in farming, job creation, and promotion of rural income levels are the most factors that influence Agro-tourism development in rural areas of Tehran Province. According to the results, showed all respondents agreed on the positive impact of the studied measures on Agro-tourism development.

Purpose - Land subsidence is caused by natural factors and human activities around the world. Fars Province, located in the south of Iran, is subject to land subsidence due to the uncontrolled exploitation of groundwater, causing damages to the population and human settlements and also environmental, social and economic areas. Design/methodology/approach - The present research is descriptive in terms of describing land subsidence in the case study region, whereas it is also analytical as time series analysis techniques based on Radar Interferometry (InSAR) is applied to monitor temporal changes in subsidence in Darab and Fasa Plains, including 470 rural points. Using 8 ENVISAT ASAR images spanning between 2005 and 2010, nine Interferograms were processed. In the study area. Geographic Information System (GIS) is then used to study groundwater level decline at the well locations in a 24-year period (from 1991 to 2015). Findings - The results of the research confirm that there is a significant correlation between groundwater water level decline and land surface subsidence. Time series analysis of the processed Interferograms indicate the mean displacement velocity map, demonstrating the maximum subsidence rate of 25 cm/yr. The InSAR analysis reveal within the study area subsidence rate of 25 cm/year in 24 years period and locally exceeding 30 cm/yr in the last decade. This area of significant subsidence is limited in its spatial extent to the agricultural land and is partly influenced by the large-scale over-exploitation of groundwater resources in the region study. The temporal and areal relationships of subsidence and groundwater level data suggest that a significant part of the observed subsidence in the Darab region is caused by intense groundwater extraction which has led to widespread compaction within the upper parts of the up to 300m. Socioeconomic analysis and the subsidence hazard map show that 105523 people are generally at risk of subsidence, of 65068 who are at high risk. In addition, there are 2679 socioeconomic infrastructures such as public service at risk of damage by land subsidence. Research limitations/implications - Limitation in In SAR data access, especially for long-term data was one of the main limitations in land subsidence research and also in this research. Practical implications - Integrated water resource management and the observed extraction of groundwater could influence the subsidence rate in the regions exposed to land subsidence. Originality/value - This research will be important to provide vulnerability in regions with groundwater overexploitation.

Purpose - Nowadays due to the variety of hazards and inappropriate location of some villages, the necessity of their displacement and resettlement is sometimes unavoidable. In order to resettle the villages, they should consider a wide range of social, economic, environmental and political issues so that resettled villages can survive. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of resettlement on the quality of life of the earthquake-stricken villages and explain the factors affecting it in the resettled villages of Varzaghan County. Design/methodology/approach - The research methodology is descriptive and analytical and the required data were collected using the questionnaire instrument. The study population was 7975 people living in 11 resettled villages in Varzeghan County. The sample size was 382 people who were randomly selected. The validity of questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was also obtained 0.921 using Cronbach Formula. Finding- Results indicate that the quality of life of villages in Likert six-point scale was equal to 3.47, and the highest and lowest levels of satisfaction are related to the areas of infrastructure, employment and income. In addition, the results of the factorial analysis were identified in four dimensions for quality of life. In this regard, the four factors of physical, economy, psychology, and housing clearly explain the 90.95% of the variance of quality of life. The results of T, Tukey, and Scheffe tests also showed a significant difference between the resettlement patterns and the quadruple dimensions of quality of life. Practical implications- With respect to the importance of quality of life in the development and welfare of human societies in resettlement projects, it is necessary to considerate the effects and consequences concerning the quality of life in addition to selecting the optimal rural site in order to improve the residents’ wellbeing while identifying the strengths and weaknesses of these projects.