فصلنامه روستا و توسعه
سال چهاردهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 55، پاییز 1390)

Rural development has been the main focal point of state policy, strategy and plan in post revolutionary era. Thus, the examination of different dimensions of human development is particularly important in rural areas. This study examines human development situation during 1996-2006 in rural areas of Iran. The study applies numerical taxonomy of 14 indicators related to education, economy and health sectors. The data is extracted from census and official documents. The results indicate significant inequalities between the rural areas of different provinces; and despite relative improvement in human development conditions during the ten years under study, significant changes cannot be observed in the rankings of the studied areas. Tehran and Isfahan provinces are ranked as the highest; and Sistan-va-Baluchetan, Kordestan, and West Azerbayjan are known as the most deprived rural areas with respect to the studied indicators.

The conservation of human, natural and socio-economic capital is a main concern in sustainability concept and in the direction of intergenerational equity. In addition, the theoretical framework of sustainability indicates that every planning with a sustainable development approach requires a multi-dimensional presentation of studied case. Social sustainability is rather associated with qualitative aspects, being evaluated by concepts such as human life, the feeling of welfare, and prosperity in social environment. The rural community in Iran is influenced by different policies and trends in recent decades and it has been under extensive changes, but there is some evidence indicating the movement of rural areas towards social unsustainability in particular. The present study applies a geographical approach to the examination of the level of social sustainability, the method of indicators selection, and evaluation of prioritizing and measuring methods among 200 rural households in 14 rural centers located in Khorrambid county in Fars province. The results of measuring and ranking social sustainability in the county, by application of TOPSIS, are consistent with empirical methods.

Farmers’ access to services and inputs are problematic, due to the lack of efficient, appropriate and equitable agricultural service system in many developing countries. The present study is an attempt to explain, analyze and prioritize the problems of farmers’ access to agricultural services. The research is a quantitative survey; the statistical population includes the farmers of central district of Mianeh county, and the total number is 180. Sampling method is a composition of clustering and proportionate stratification, and the data is collected by a questionnaire. The results indicate that the farmers’ access problems are rooted in five attitudinal factors: supportive and monitory, transport infrastructure, time distribution of services, extension, and training that can explain 60 percent of the problems of their access to agricultural services.

Comparative study as a scientific research method can lead to the discovery of the success and experiences of other countries in different areas, and these successes can be used as beneficial lessons to achieve desirable results. The purpose of the present paper is to study rural management in Iran and China comparatively during two periods based on important evolutionary historical-political events; and ultimately, governance indices are applied for measurement and comparative study. The research methodology is documentary by application of content analysis. The results indicate that in the three primary periods, rural management is the same, based on traditional principals that governed the society, but it has been changed after the second revolution in China (1978), which is concurrent with Islamic revolution in Iran; Chinese achievements are more significant in the rural management and local governance.

The purpose of this study is to examine the situation of social, cultural, health and infrastructural indicators in Isfahan’s sub-districts and to rank them according to their access to development indicators. Forty four indicators are selected from 2006 population and housing census, and region’s sub-districts are ranked and their levels of development identified and analyzed by the application of numerical taxonomy and Morris methods. The results indicate that in both methods, South Ghahab, East Rodasht, North Bran and Jarghoyeh are identified as developed while Sistan, Rodasht and Zafre are categorized as deprived sub-districts. In addition, significant inequality exists in the studied indicators, such that in Morris method this ratio is 23 times and in Taxonomy this difference is around 0.376.

Institutionalization of participation among farmers is a very important issue in rural development. The main purpose of this study is to define and measure this concept and factors affecting it. Among different factors, the study considers personal, social and economic characteristics. In addition, the level of farmers’ participation (consultation, participation in implementation, financial matters, evaluation and benefiting from participation) is defined and measured and its impact on dependent variable is examined. Statistical population in this study, which has been carried out from 2003 to 2011, is 1450 residents of Sagzabad county and the sample size is equal to 138 heads of households. The results indicate that the only variable that has a significant and direct relationship with institutionalization of farmers’ participation is the size of household. Farmers’ participation in implementation, evaluation and financial issues and their benefit from the project relate directly and significantly to institutionalization of farmers’ participation.

In spatial environment, human habitat is recognized as one of the forming components of a system in a specific geographical space and as such, different relationships exist among them. This study is a survey; the data is collected by a questionnaire, and the sample size is 240, which is selected randomly. The sampling method is proportionate stratification. The data is analyzed by paired t test. The results indicate that the establishment of nomad estates influences social, economic and physical indices on peripheral villages but no impact is found on cultural index of these villages.

Enhancement of rural women’s skills can play an important role in improving the conditions of rural areas. Information technology can play different roles in development approach and has an extensive network that can aid the performance of its roles. It can affect rural women’s awareness and empowerment process. This study is a descriptive analytical attempt in 2010 to examine the relationship between the empowerment of rural women and the use of information and communication technology in Shapoorabad village in Isfahan province. The statistical population includes 317 literate women over the age of 15; and the sample size is selected randomly. The results indicate that the higher use of information technology is associated with the higher level of empowerment.