درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- In the hierarchical planning of central places, systematic and calculated settlement is based on the desired spatial system, and small cities play a major role in striking balance and equilibrium in the residential system. The role and function of this type of rural centers lay the theoretical basis for strategies of developing a balanced settlement model. The proponents of small towns point to importance of these settlements as service centers in rural development, stressing the construction of a cohesive settlement hierarchy and the effects of top-down distribution. According to their view, small towns are at the forefront of rural and regional development in terms of production and institutional structure, preventing the over-concentration of population and activities in large cities. It is an issue that has deprived these cities of proper economic returns and investment. Design/methodology/approach - In this study, the effect of Molkabad City on the spatial organization of rural settlements is investigated, and research hypotheses are tested using t-test, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis and WASP. Finding- Of the sample villages in various geographical areas located at varying distances, Derakht-e Sepidar Village has the highest Qi in WASPAS model and is ranked first, thus having the highest spatial development among the sample villages. It is true because this village is located in a plain area adjacent to a dirt road that leads to Molkabad City. In the same region, Razan Village has the lowest Qi in WASPAS model and is ranked last, mainly because this village is located on a plain, but far from communication routes. Further, this village is within the jurisdiction of Binalood Town rather than Molkabad or even the center of its county, Imam Taghi Village. In general, according to the results obtained from the WASPAS model, it can be mentioned that there is a slight difference between the first and the last village and the rate of spatial development in the studied villages is almost identical. That is, it is not pertained to the remoteness and proximity to Molkabad City.

Purpose- Since the rural unemployment rate has increased and rural dwellers suffer from the shortage of the basic requirements of life due to the lack of livelihood sustainability, it is important to address the significant role of Sustainable Livelihood in rural areas, particularly, regarding female household heads or women with unfit providers. Therefore, the present study has aimed to examine the factors that determine the SL of the afore-said women who have the membership of rural microcredit funds in Ghaemshahr County.  Design/Methodology/approach- The data have been collected through a census with a sample of the female household heads and the women with unfit providers who are the clients of 30 microcredit funds in rural areas of Ghaemshahr County, Mazandaran Provice. (n=170). The data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire, which was divided into two main sections of SL evaluation and the significant factors affecting the SL developed into 11 categories. The validity of the research tool was determined by the expert panels while the Cronbach’s alpha test determined the level of reliability. In order to analyze the data,the researchers employed SPSS25 and Smart PLS3 to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics.   Findings- The results of the current study indicate that the personality, economic, support/service and cultural factors, respectively, with the path coefficients of 0.361 and 0.344, 0.291 and 0.266 had positive impacts on the SL of the aforesaid women. However, the first two factors had the confidence interval of 99% while support/service and cultural factors earned 95% confidence interval. Moreover, the results of the structural equation indicated that the factor of support/service had more impact on these women’s level of SL than other factors.      Research limitations- One of the main limitations was the difficulty in identifying and accessing research population and the unbalanced distribution of microcredit funds in Ghaemshahr County.   Practical Implications- There are several strategies that affect the ever-growing SL of female household heads, including government-supported facilities and low-yield financial services with the aim of enhancing fast-growing job opportunities, encouraging creative ideas and activities and entrepreneurships in rural areas, certain specialties, professional marketing for rural products and guaranteeing their dealership.     Originality/value- The results of the present study can help the associated organizations and developers to focus on the accessibility and achievements of the predetermined objectives of the funds and financial services that address women’s activities -women financial services, especially,   the ones that creates fast-growing job opportunities. Given the current financial problems, the present study has aimed to improve women’s SL.  

Purpose- Among the most important challenges in the agricultural sector are lack of optimal use of production factors, multiplicity of parcels and dispersion of agricultural lands. Land consolidation is one of the effective solutions which can change the size of fields and organize them to increase production, especially in paddy fields, which facilities agricultural development and ultimately achieves a sustainable livelihood in rural areas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the success rate of paddy field consolidation project through the study of a group of farmers who are included in the land consolidation project. Design/Method/Approach- The population of the study consisted of 285 farmers from 11 villages of Choobar rural district in Shaft County who have been selected by regular sampling method. To collect the data, library and survey methods (observation and questionnaires) have been used. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure the reliability of the research tools, and in the analytical part, single-sample t-test was used to evaluate the success rate of the project in Choobar rural district; To investigate the relationship between land consolidation project and improvement in economic indicators of rural households, initially Spearman correlation coefficient was used, then simple regression test and coefficient of determination R2 were used to measure the effectiveness of the project on economic indicators. Finding- The research findings on the level of economic and social dimensions and the assessment of the success rate of the project in Choobar rural district showed the project was moderately to highly successful in the study area. The effects of the project in improving the socio-economic indicators of rural households in Choobar rural district are such that the highest correlations were found between the project and economic indicators in the use of machinery, land infrastructure, productivity, household employment, ease of access to machinery and manpower, income, and investment; At the level of social indicators the highest correlations were respectively found in interpersonal and generalized trust, objective participation, sense of physical security, insurance services, formal participation, conflict reduction and institutional trust. From farmers’ perspective, among the socio-economic indicators, the infrastructure indicator which is created by the government and the use of machinery after the implementation of the project, and the ease of access to machinery and manpower, interpersonal and generalized trust have had the greatest impact on the implementation of the project.