Search

The Achievement of sustainable rural development necessitates active participation of all stakeholders within these communities. Among the crucial components for progress and development in rural areas is the enhancement of manpower skills. Recognizing significant involvement of rural women in village production activities, growth of tourism in these regions presents a new opportunity for their engagement in development, thereby underscoring the importance of their empowerment. Empowerment has emerged as a fundamental aspect of sustainable development, wherein augmenting women's capacity and control over resources can be facilitated through tourism development. This research aimed to assess the role of community-based tourism in the economic, social, and cultural empowerment of women residing in the coastal villages of Bushehr Province. This study adopted a practical research approach with survey-based data collection. The research population comprised the residents of coastal villages in Bushehr Province. The sample size for this study was determined to be 400 individuals using Cochran’s formula. Statistical analysis, employing the one-sample T-test and utilizing AMOS and SPSS software, was conducted. The theoretical framework and the results of the statistical analysis employed in this research demonstrated the positive impact of tourism development on the economic, social, and cultural empowerment of women in the coastal villages of Bushehr Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, mass media play a multi-dimensional role -either positive or negative- in the evolution of communities. cultural dimension is one of thes dimensions, being intensely under the impact of television programs. Cultural development shapes the foundation of rural development, that enjoys diverse indexes in skills' system, knowledge system, ability system, promoting social capital, preserving and promoting cultural identity, and improving the culture of using cultural goods and places. The purpose of this study is explaining Identifying the role of television programs on promoting the cultural development of rural women, in west Chiar district. The research is descriptive- analytical, and conducted through survey. The study sample composed of all over 15 years old rural women, in West Chiar districts, 359 ones finally selected as the sample population, using Cochran formula. To evaluate the reliability of the research, we conducted a guide-study with 30 questionnairs. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was obtained more than 0.7, that confirmed the reliability of the questionnaire. T-test, regression and cluster analysis in SPSS were used for data analysis. Results showed that although women in rural districts of Western Chiar, spend in average 4 hours a day for Watching TV, the impact of these programs on cultural development of these rural women, was the mean 2.9 (lower than the average). Also, the results showed that 10 reserch variables, explained totally %73.4 of the variance of television effects on the cultural development of women in the rural districts of West Chiar. The most important of which, are respectively: considering the problems and challenges facing women, showing program with the subject of modern culture (low attention to the culture and demands of rural women), programs to promote women's rights and strengthening villagers' participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: The issue of participation has become very important in recent decades in relation to such issues as democracy, development, etc. Participation and rural development have been proposed as two related and complementary elements and increasing the level of participation among villagers is considered as a sign and means of rural development. This can be useful for future policies and planning for rural areas. Purpose: Social participation is a broad concept that includes dimensions, such as social trust, empowerment, and norms, which are discussed today in socio-economic analyses of rural development. The purpose of this article was to show the role of social participation in rural development. Methodology: The statistical population of the study consisted of 4200 rural women aged 15 years and older in Fereydunshahr City and the sample size was determined to be 240 people by using Cochran's formula. Results: Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). In this study, the observed variables for the two components of empowerment and social trust were obtained. Two first-order factor analysis models were developed and validated to measure two subscales of social participation. Finally, the roles and effects of the observed variables and their dual components on social participation as the main latent dependent variable, as well as the relationships between them were analyzed by using a two-factor structural model of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The results showed the acceptable fit and validity of both models of measuring social participation and achieving goals, as well as the second-order three-factor model for examining social participation, based on the collected data. Also, social empowerment (0.65) and trust (0.78) had an effect on social participation. Innovation: In the present study, for the first time, the issues of participation and rural development were investigated by performing the structural analyses of the two categories of social trust and social empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on women's participation in various activities indicate that women can have a significant role in various agricultural activities and studies show their effective participation in the economy and production. This study aims to identify the extent of women's participation in agricultural activities in the rural villages of Northern Astarabad in Gorgan. The study is a descriptive - analytical one and the data are collected based on library and field study and are statistically analyzed and described. From the general population, a sample of 206 rural women is selected by use of Cochran formula. This number is randomly distributed among villages in six districts of Northern Astarabad. For data analysis, the statistical SPSS program, t-test, and ANOVA are employed. The research validity was determined to be 75% and the validity and reliability of the questionnaires were verified by some professors. The findings show the participation of women in animal husbandry with an average of (3.29) and in horticulture with a mean of (2.52) and the average of (2.37) in agriculture, which represents the maximum participation of rural women in animal husbandry activities. It should be noted that there is a relation between women's age and their activities in agriculture and animal husbandry. In this study, only 0.05 of the changes in women's participation in various agricultural activities are affected by age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Today, active participation and empowerment of rural communities are essential for achieving environmental sustainability. Empowering local people will lead to their active involvement in environmental protection. Research Method: This research aimed to elucidate the concept of environmental empowerment strategy in rural communities, identify effective indicators, and present strategies in South Mirbeg District. It is a part of basic research with an exploratory approach due to its purpose and descriptiveanalytical methodology. After identifying and defining the effective components of environmental empowerment through literature review and expert opinions, a specialized questionnaire was designed to collect information from 365 households and 5 villages. Research Innovation: The innovative aspect of this research lay in the thematic combination of empowerment and environmental strategies. Research Findings: The components of new environmental technologies (A4) with a weighting factor of 0.094, financial incentives (A8) with a weighting factor of 0.094, and environmental investments (A11) with a weighting factor of 0.086 had the greatest effects on the process of environmental empowerment in the territory. Among the selected indicators, the effect coefficient of managers and decision-makers (A14) with a weighted value of 0.014 and the index of extrapolated plans and programs (A15) with a weighted value of 0.019 had the lowest effects on the process of environmental empowerment of residents in the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem: An awareness of the nature of the spatial distribution of poverty in rural areas based on the indexes which explain poverty in these regions could help policy makers take policities to reduce poverty in such areas. In other words, the spatial distribution of poverty could be defined as the spatial representation of poverty in rural areas. Therefore, knowledge of the prevalence of poverty in society and its spatial pattern are important issues to develop poverty reduction programmes. Research objectives: The purpose of this study was the spatial analysis of poverty in rural settlements of Miyandoab County. Research method: The present study was carried out based on a descriptive-analytical method. Library and field studies were used to collect information. The studied spatial territory was the villages of Miyandoab County with a population of 125,893 people, of which 37,637 rural households inhabited 189 villages according to the 2016 census. Twenty percent of villages were selected as sample villages. The sample size obtained based on Cochran's formula was 313 rural household heads living in rural areas. To analyze the data, Coopras multi-criteria decision analysis, K-cluster analysis, and Morans I statistic were utilized. Results: Out of the 38 sample villages in the county, 17 villages (44.74%) were in the cluster of "very severe poverty" in terms of agriculture, services, productive employment, income, participation, security, and environmental degradation. The people of these villages, most of which were located in Barouq District, were facing many problems. Also, Lalehloo, Qataradash, and Ghorghchi villages were known as the poorest villages of Miyandoab County. The rural poverty was shown to have a clustered and dense spatial pattern based on Morans I my statistics. Innovation: In this research, reduction of rural poverty in Miyandoab County was innovated by using Coopras technique through spatial and other statistical analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of the Problem: Currently, the rural community of Iran faces many problems such as poverty, unemployment, low income, migration, low access to infrastructure and welfare services, and a high level of food insecurity. The main root of these problems lies in the weakness of the economic base of the villagers. The development and promotion of entrepreneurship among them are referred to as the engine of economic development. Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate entrepreneurship indicators among villagers and identify the factors affecting them in the Owramanat region (Kermanshah province). Method: This quantitative and applied research was survey and descriptive-analytical in terms of type and methodology. The main research tool for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire. Its validity and reliability were confirmed using the formal method and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The statistical population of the study included all heads of rural households living in the Owramanat region (N= 23344). Then, 209 of them (head of household) were selected using Bartlett et al.’s table (2001) and the stratified method with a proportional assignment of samples. Results: The research results show that the region is located on the lower level status of entrepreneurship indicators with an average of 2.453. The results of the structural analysis on determinants of entrepreneurship in rural areas show two factors of economic protection policies and environmental-regional factors with a total effect of 0.613 and 0.461, respectively, which are key factors affecting the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas. Innovation: Localization of entrepreneurship indicators provided by the Global Institute for Entrepreneurship Development in the study area could be considered the innovation of the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem definition: Dairy products are one of the most important foods in all societies, playing an important role in the agricultural economy and the development of rural societies. Even with the important role of rural and nomadic women in producing these products, Meanwhile, the marketing and selling methods of these products in Iran are incompatible with the goals of sustainable development of rural economy, facing them with so many problems. Purpose: This study is aimed at investigating the challenges faced with women in marketing the dairy products in Sarchehan vill, in Bavanat City, Fars province. Methodology: This is a descriptive and analytical research. In this regard, besides the documentary studies, a broad spectrum of indicators, were studied within the framework of field studies (completing the household questionnaires, interviewing local experts, and filling out forms of field observations). In order to analyze the data, one-sample t-tests in SPSS software, (FAHP), GRA, also ArcGIS software for spatial analysis, were used. Findings: Results confirmed that, the most barriers and challenges faced by women in the marketing of dairy products, included cultural and economic barriers, with the average of 3.56 and 3.42, respectively, and the least barriers were in social dimension, with an average of 2.44. According to which, women in the villages of Abunasr, Sufian and Ghanat Sorkh, were faced with the most barriers and challenges in the marketing of dairy products. Innovation: up to now, no complete research has been conducted on the barriers and challenges facing women in the marketing of dairy products, in Bavanat county. In order to reduce this barriers, maximizing public participation in establishing a Dairy Cooperative office for ranchers of the region, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]