حمید برقی

Purpose - Rural production cooperatives (RPCs) play an important role in sustainable development in rural areas by considering three principles: domination, possession, and agency in the agriculture sector. The purposes of this study are to measure the stability of RPCs and presenting effective strategies to achieve it from the managers’ view point. Design/methodology/approach - The present study is a mixed-research method using analytic-descriptive method, including two different questionnaires. One questionnaire aiming at prioritizing and measuring the stability of the RPCs was prepared and presented to the members of RPCs. Stability was measured with 24 indices in three economic, social, and environmental dimensions using Shannon Entropy technique, according which the cooperatives were prioritized. The other questionnaire was prepared to present the best approach to achieve sustainable development from the view point of the managing directors and the board of directors. The best strategy was adopted using SWOT and ANP analysis. Findings - Regarding the sustainable development, the findings of the study indicated that among rural production cooperatives in Isfahan, 12 cooperatives were unstable, 8 cooperatives were semi-stable, and 8 cooperatives were stable; this type of farming system is semi-stable. Developmental strategy (SO) was adopted as the best strategy to achieve sustainability, and the focus was on endogenous development through reinforcing internal strengths to obtain external opportunities. It includes promoting self-reliance through increasing members’ participation in cooperative, empowering the staff and members (i.e. the experienced managing director and the staff with required specialty and expert holding promotional classes), using multilevel, multi-sectorial, multi-cluster, collaborative, and holistic approaches to manage the RPCs, and promoting systems based on collaborative team work. Practical Implications - In rural sustainable development planning, sustainable farming systems must be considered as the focal core of any development plan. Since a big part of farming system in rural areas is devoted to smallholdings, promoting cooperation culture by the rural development planners can prepare the ground for empowering the villagers to obtain sustainable development. Originally/value: For the first time in Iran, the current research attempted to present functional strategies for RPCs development using a mixed-method design.

Purpose- Employment and unemployment, which are very important issues in rural areas, can be solved in general through home-based businesses and their development. The issue of home-based businesses can be very influential in creating employment in rural areas The main purpose of this study is to provide a paradigmatic model of home business development in rural areas of Isfahan province based on basic theory. Design/Methodology/Approach- This study was conducted in 2020. The present research is among the basic and qualitative researches that have been done with the approach of the foundation data theory approach. The interview collection tool was structured. The interviews were conducted among experts and experts in the field of home-based jobs, and the opinions of the interviewees were theoretically saturated from the 29th interview. Findings - After the emergence of concepts (139 references) and open, central, and selective coding, led to the design of the conceptual framework of the research model and the presentation of the paradigm model. Based on the results of the Grounded Theory, the pattern of home-based businesses to achieve development in rural areas of Isfahan province has been drawn. This model includes causal conditions (including managerial factors and comprehensive policy system), intervening conditions (educational-promotional factors, motivational factors, and attitudinal factors), contextual conditions (infrastructure factors, marketing, skill factors, and promotion of financial and credit resources). This includes strategies (stakeholder participation, information system, and support factors) and social consequences (increasing the level of participation and sense of responsibility and cooperation among residents, reducing social harms, empowering local people, Reduce the migration of local people to the city, move towards sustainable development) and economic consequences (rural growth and development, reducing the dependence of local people on government credits and facilities and assistance such as subsidies, promoting economic welfare, improving local livelihoods) has it. Research limitations/implications- The limitations of the present study include the following: Research is time-consuming; some people are not cooperating to collect data, it is difficult to assess the relative importance of the components and factors of the proposed theory.