درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- since governance has a direct and close relation to democracy and socio-economic development everywhere, and it is considered to be the main discussion of the discourse of sustainable rural development, the purpose of the present study is to examine the position of governance indicators in rural areas of Abarkooh town and its impact on the villagers' higher participation.   Methodology - the present research has been conducted using a descriptive-analytical method and the data were obtained through survey methods. The statistical population of this study were rural district governors, members of Islamic councils and residents of Abarkooh town. Chi-square test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Pearson correlation coefficient and regression coefficient were used to analyze the data. Research findings- the results indicate that the villagers had the highest participation of villagers is in manpower and participation in land donation is in the second place and financial aids is in the last place due to the weak financial strength of the villagers. According to the results of the T-test, the scores of the items related to the indicators of rural governance in Abarkooh town are at a desired level and the highest values belong to social trust and social justice indicators and the lowest value belongs to rule of law indicator. The results of Wilcoxon test show that, the impact of feasibility of governance indicators on public participation in this area has been at a high level. Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to examine each of the governance indicators "transparency and accountability, efficiency and effectiveness, social justice, awareness, social trust, rule of law, acceptance of participation" as independent variables on villagers' participation in the dimensions of "manpower, financial assistance, land donation, (which were aggregated) as dependent variables and determine the effect of each of these dimensions. The correlation test value equal to 0.712 shows a significant, positive and direct relationship between independent and dependent variables of the present research. The modified determination coefficient indicates that, 69.4% changes in villagers' participation level is related to feasibility of principles of governance in the study area; therefore, holding meetings for rural people, rural district governors and members of councils for more interaction and informing people about their rights, clarification of financial and income issues and identification of capabilities of human society can play an essential role in feasibility of this matter.

Purpose - Value chain development is an approach to rural economic development, which promotes the development of businesses and farmers' access to the market, reduces poverty, increases income and sustains food security in rural areas. Design/Methodology/Approach - This study is mixed qualitative-quantitative research, and applied research and in terms of purpose. A non-probability sampling method was used in the research. The main method of collecting research data was semi-structured interviews with the selected sample. The interviews were continued until the theoretical saturation. At the end, 38 individuals participated in the interviews. Interview notes were classified and analyzed in three stages: open, central and selective coding. Ultimately, 20 respondents were selected to answer the questionnaires after reviewing the content. The data of the questionnaires were collected and combined as a direct input matrix in MICMAC Findings- Barriers to olive value chain efficiency were identified: 30 criteria, 10 subcategories and 5 main categories. The efficiency of the olive value chain in Tarom County depends on a proper marketing management, providing infrastructure, policymaking, planning and also the organizations and trade unions. These factors were the most important and influential factors that had high cohesion and influence among other factors. In contrast, variability of the purchase and sale price, taking advantage of buying the product below the price by the middlemen, pre-sale of the product by farmers, more product waste during storage, transferring the olives to processing factories in the county are the dependence criteria. Practical implications - Given that the olive value chain in Tarom County is not efficient, its efficiency depends on a proper marketing management, providing infrastructure, policymaking, planning and also the organizations and trade unions. Most of the mentioned factors are dependent on the institutional actors and agricultural managers, and indicates their important role in enhancing the productivity of the olive value chain. Originality/Value- The results of this research can be a good way to solve problems and obstacles to agricultural development in rural areas.

Purpose- The consequences of drought and the damages inflicted on the rural community, which are major challenges confronting rural communities to achieve sustainable development, mirror the poor resilience of farmers against this risk. Therefore, the main issue of the current research is to explore the factors affecting Pakdasht farmers' drought resilience. Design/Method/Approach: This paper adopts a descriptive-analytical research method. The data collection is based on library study analysis and field surveys. The main data collection instrument is a questionnaire completed by the subjects (n=381 farmers). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software as well as t-test, regression, analysis of variance, the COCOSO technique and the COPELAND technique. Finding- The t-test was used to investigate the drought resilience status of villagers. The socio-cultural, psychological, and economic components, except for those related to the extent of damages, environmental factors and institutional performance, and the scale of civil and physical development in the region under study, were in a balanced and favorable condition, but the items of the institutional framework, institutional relations, and technological level and infrastructure were not desirable. The correlation between researches indices in the region is 0.747, meaning that mentioned indices can explain 74% of the variances. The result of the ANOVA test suggested that the villages of Pakdasht County were not significantly different in terms of the psychological index (Sig=0.085) of resilience. Informed by the findings of the COCOSO technique, the farmers of Filestan village are more drought-resistant than the farmers in other villages. Greater participation of people, diversity of economic activities, appropriate physical and civil development, technological advancement and more suitable infrastructure are some of the factors that contribute to the higher resilience of farmers in this village. According to Copeland’s method, the variables of education and awareness as well as the diversity of economic activities of the farmer's household ranked high in terms of importance. Originality/value- The results of this research can help organizations in charge of handling drought in the villages of Pakdasht to gain deeper insights into the existing conditions so that they can enhance the resilience of farmers during drought using the presented solutions. It also allows officials to diversify economic activities and promote complementary businesses as effectively as possible.

Purpose - The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of improving the dimensions of social capital in the spatial evolution of rural settlements in Esfandagheh. Design/methodology/approach - This study is a quantitative survey conducted using questionnaires distributed among 400 households in 30 sample villages. Descriptive-analytical measures such as mean, variance, standard deviation, Kendall Tau-b correlation coefficient, and multiple regression were used to analyze social capital's status in the spatial evolution of rural settlements in the study area. Findings - The findings revealed that the six dimensions of social capital, including social awareness, social organizations and groups, social networks and relations, social participation, social cohesion, and social trust have a positive and significant relationship with the dimensions of the spatial evolution of rural settlements. Moreover, there is a positive and significant relationship between social capital and spatial development dimensions in the studied villages' four environmental-ecological, social, economic, and physical-infrastructural dimensions. Also, social awareness, social participation, social cohesion, social trust, social networks and relations, and social organizations and groups with a variance of 0.433% were explained as predictors of spatial changes in the Esfandagheh rural district. Research limitations/implications - The variable of social capital plays an essential role in the spatial transformation of rural settlements because improving the dimensions of spatial transformation regardless of the dimensions of social capital faces a crucial challenge. In other words, social capital is influential in various areas of life, from the local and micro-level to the national and macro-level; it can empower the villagers in dealing with the socio-economic problems of their village. Practical implications - Paying attention to the dimensions of social capital in terms of approaches and planning and policy-making system of rural development and subsequently emphasizing the status of social capital as one of the most important intangible assets to improve the spatial evolution of rural settlements. Originality/Value - This study investigated the effects of all dimensions of social capital on all four dimensions of geographical space. In such a way, the attention of policymakers and development planners to the outcome of this research provides a more effective planning ground for developing the rural space based on people's views and the conditions of each region.