مطالب

The agricultural sector in developing countries plays an important role in promoting national development and rational policy making and strategic planning to advance the sustainable development of this sector are of main concerns of the relevant institutional actors. In this regard, the current research was conducted with the aim of identifying scenarios of sustainable agricultural development in the catchment area of Zayandeh River in Isfahan province. The present research was applied, of descriptive-survey type. The statistical population was experts related to agricultural development in the province. To collect data, library sources, questionnaires and interviews were used. Delphi method and interviews with elites and executives were used to identify the primary components and drivers effective on the sustainable development of agriculture in the Zayandeh River watershed of Isfahan province. The snowball technique was used to select the experts. Finally, 8 key drivers were identified and separated in order to explain the research variables in a strategic format. Based on this, in the section related to the expression of research priorities in two direct and indirect modes, these 8 key factors have been repeated in different priorities. Questionnaires were distributed among 25 experts. In this study, five plausible scenarios were identified for forecasting the future of sustainable agricultural development by considering potential outcomes based on key factors and their similarities or differences across the categories of favorable, static, and critical scenarios. Based on their total scores, which range from 85 to 109, two scenarios were identified as the most likely: one favorable scenario and one critical scenario.

Housing satisfies crucial needs, as shown in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Be that as it may, the Sustainable Development Goals evidently have one critical aspect missing in its 17 goals: achieving housing security for all. Goal 11 mentions urban settlement but fails to understand the concept of housing security. Over a billion people reside in slums and other informal settlements across the globe, and the number is expected to increase. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive, multidimensional, and validated instrument for measuring the extent of housing insecurity despite housing significantly impacting household’s health, economic, and psychological well-being. Methods: This study sought to apply and adopt a newly developed multidimensional household housing insecurity index (HHII), consisting of eight dimensions that respond to the lack of universally accepted measures of housing insecurity. This study used primary data with a sample size of 600 South African households collected in four types of areas in two provinces (Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal). Results: The findings indicated that merely 25% of households were deemed housing secure, in stark contrast to 75% facing varying levels of housing insecurity, from mild to severe. This concerning result highlights that, even after more than thirty years of democracy, housing remains a significant problem in South Africa. Conclusions: The study reveals that housing insecurity significantly impacts Black populations, with female heads of households in rural and informal settings facing the most severe challenges.