درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- The implementation of participatory projects aiming socio-economic empowerment and environmental sustainability is one of the sustainable management strategies in arid rural areas across the world in the recent decades. This study was conducted to answer two questions: What have been the characteristics and achievements of participatory development and community-based projects in rural areas located within the critical centers of Sistan, Jazmourian, and Rigan? How is a process model for rural development planning consistent with the geography of aforementioned areas? Design/methodology/approach- The present study is descriptive-analytical and the research process includes the analysis of the goals and final achievements of participatory plans in Rigan (RFLDL), the progress and development Plan in Ghaleh-Ganj, the Carbon Sequestration plan in Jazmourian and Lashar, the Menarid Project in Sistan, "Village without unemployed" project, SAHAB community-based projects, and ASEMAN project from Barekat Foundation in Sistan region. The required data consisted of the performance statistics of the above-mentioned projects, and the required analysis was conducted on the dat. Finding- Each of these projects has positive achievements in accordance with its short-term goals. Although it is quantitatively desirable, they failed to continue to operate in a regular and stable planning process in rural areas. Execution of a process model for rural development planning requires institutional transformations and the establishment of an integrated facility direction system for the economic infrastructure of rural areas (with a focus on the value chain) and a series of previous and subsequent jobs in each chain.  Research limitations/implications- Among the main limitations of reformation in the programs and continuous learning from past experiences are the effort of conductors in charge of implementing rural development projects to indicate the expected achievements by relying on seemingly favorable statistics with false documentation, and the weakness or lack of a public oversight system on the actual achievements of projects. Real decentralization in the country's rural planning system, the establishment of a public oversight system, and a process planning are the best strategies for sustaining local communities.

Purpose- Rural areas experience various economic and social tensions such as population instability and limited job opportunities, which place villages at risk. Rural tourism can improve the economic activities that increase the population and improve the economy because tourism transforms a fragile economy with dynamic activities that enable the establishment of service enterprises and bring about entrepreneurship opportunities. This study aimed to model the multilateral effects of tourism on rural sustainability. Design/methodology/approach- This research applied the theoretical-pragmatic approach. Data were collected using library and field studies. Field studies are a prominent element in the analysis of results. In this course, the systematic questionnaire was used for the extraction of the field database. Using the Cochran formula, the sample size was estimated 214 people. Furthermore, the interrelationship Structural Equation Model (SEM) was applied to analyze the networks of variations. Also, path analysis and partial least squares regression model was adopted to model the interrelationship between the variables observing the systematic nature of the sustainability approach. Findings- Tourism is an accelerating tool in rural permanency. It stimulates the stability of the population, cultural similarities, and promotion of rural culture, which subsequently establish rural sustainability. On the other hand, as land use change is acknowledged as one of the unfavorable consequences of tourism, support for the environmental aspect is mentioned as a necessary factor for sustainability. Tourists should also recognize the eminent function of the environment in rural settlements to ensure that promoting the entire aspect of sustainability results in rural stabilization. Practical implications- Specifically, tourism develops social solidarity through the formation of micro-businesses and particular rural entrepreneurship that directly and indirectly contribute to the expansion of job creation in rural settlements. Also, these mechanisms are involved in producing local capital that strengthens sustainable rural income and livelihood. On the other hand, tourism highlights the significance of the environment, and its protection is essential to the rural sustainability.

Purpose- This study aimed at identifying the successful aspects of the LEADER Approach in European countries. Design/methodology/approach- The methodology in this study is a systematic overview. The statistical population of the present research consisted of 30 scientific articles on the LEADER Approach published in different journals during 2000-2017. Findings- The results showed the success cases (items) of the LEADER Approach in European countries can be defined in four general categories contains: economic, social, environmental, and management dimensions. Moreover, among the successes of the LEADER Approach, the economic dimension with a rate of 38.4% has the highest percentage relative to the other dimensions. One factor behind the success of the LEADER to European countries, which is an important guide for rural development programs in Asian countries including Iran, is a very important issue of networking in the rural development process, which has recently been intensely debated in the discussions of academic and executive development spheres in the EU countries. However, the effects of LEADER vary from region to region, so any generalizations between regions are likely to be unreliable. Therefore, it is still difficult to judge its true impact on rural development. Originality/Value- The LEADER Program is one of the performed programs being implemented by European Union countries in the new vision of rural development planning. When the European Union started its new program with a completely new approach, there were a lot of skeptics against the initiative based on local development. LEADER has often been praised as a successful approach to rural development, although its implementation is not without scholarly critiques.

Purpose- Villages are full of new and undiscovered opportunities that can be explored in a timely manner to create opportunities and new businesses for the villagers. In this regard, those approaches are sustainable that, due to changes in technology and the market, constantly assess market and technological needs and provide a more appropriate employment model. To this end, development through business clusters has recently been considered by economic and industrial policies. Design/methodology/approach- The main purpose of the study was to investigate factors affecting rural tourism cluster development via a quantitative approach.  The statistical population consisted of two groups of experts in Hamadan province with 21 individuals and 360 rural households. A total of 185 rural households were randomly selected using the Krejcie and Morgan table. This research was an applied research that investigated the contribution of each independent variable in explaining the dependent variable (rural tourism cluster development) using structural equation modeling through Smart PLS6 software. Findings- The results showed that in the structural model of research, the highest effect (β=0.420) belonged to institutions on rural tourism development and the relationship was positive and significant. In total, 56 percent of the dependent variable of tourism development in Ashtaran village is explained by four factors: institutions, tourism infrastructure, economic capacities and tourism services.

Purpose- The growing attention to rural development issues has created a strong trend in related scientific communities, as over the last few years one can see the traces of this thinking in many relevant scientific trends. One of the most important relevant subjects was job creation using the resources available in rural areas in line with their industrialization and the emergence of agro-processing industries. Spatial distribution of rural industries, spatial justice and their fair distribution based on the distribution of rural settlements have been among the most important concerns in this field. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the distribution of agro-processing industries with a spatial approach in rural areas of Gilan Province.  Design/methodology/approach- This research is an applied one conducted in a descriptive-analytical method. The collected data were analyzed using the average nearest neighbor, multi-distance spatial cluster analysis, mean center and standard deviational ellipse. Results showed that industries in rural areas of Gilan Province have been located in clusters. Finding- That is, their sites were selected with an eye to favorable conditions such as proximity to cities, population centers and markets, access to infrastructure, proximity to political and decision-making centers, access to major roads, access to more raw materials and cheaper agro-processing industries. Such industries are often located in the counties of Rasht, Rudsar, Astar, Talesh, Lahijan, Langrud and Sowmehsara. Therefore, the officials in charge should make plans to establish agro-processing industries in a more scattered and diverse manner in Gilan Province.