People's Participation in the Improvement of Rural Environments with Reverse Migration (Case study of Mehrabad village, Ardestan county).

Background: In order to create a balanced and sustainable development, it can be of special importance to examine living conditions and peace and prosperity both in cities and in villages. The purpose of this research is to study people's participation in the improvement of rural environments. The context of this study is to investigate the effect of reverse migration on the improvement of rural environments. Method: The research method is ground theory. The data is the result of a semi-structured interview with 15 informed people, including the village council, village trustees and benefactors, school principals in Mehrabad village, Ardestan city. The method of selection is targeted and accessible and determining their number is to reach the saturation stage. Research findings: two central paradigm models "textural-structural changes" and "elderly reverse migration" were chosen as two central phenomena. The selected paradigm of this research is "participatory development". Participatory development means the participants' understanding and lived experience of village improvement and the positive points of the phenomenon of reverse migration. The feeling of belonging to the village and the utilitarian and profit-oriented choice are considered to be the main causal conditions in the phenomenon of participatory development. Providing government support and allocating loans with low interest rates are the conditions that intervene in this phenomenon. According to the participants, the quantity and quality of participation in the improvement of the village can be increased by clarifying the financial sums of participation, as well as by appreciating and thanking and highlighting the participants through the virtual networks of the village. Conclusion: Villagers have a positive view of reverse migration and people's participation in these migrations. According to them, improvement in villages is done by increasing the population and increasing people's contributions, both financially and non-financially, as well as by attracting government support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]