فصلنامه روستا و توسعه
سال بیست و چهارم شماره 2 (پیاپی 94، تابستان 1400)

The present study, in terms of method, had a combination of documentary and survey methods and in terms of nature, was based on new methods of futurology, research, analysis and exploration and it was conducted with a combination of quantitative and qualitative models. Firstly, the required data were collected through both desk study and interviews with seventeen experts of all organizations related to rural affairs as well as five village administrators and rural council members of Nahavand County of Iran as key individuals within a Delphi panel; and the components that could have a significant impact on the diversification of rural economy in the future, were identified. Then, a questionnaire consisting of these components in the form of a cross-matrix was provided to the panel of experts. The weighting of this questionnaire was measured by pairwise comparisons and the relationship between variables and numbers between zero and three. After completing the questionnaire by the statistical population, the findings were analyzed using MICMAC software. The results showed that the components of using the production capacity of each village, creating industrial units around rural areas, strengthening transportation and communication infrastructures, social support such as insurance and also creating high-yield enterprises, with the most direct and indirect effects on other components, were the most important solutions for diversifying the economy in the rural communities of the studied county.

The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying causes of cultural tourism underdevelopment in rural areas of Lorestan province of Iran. It would be categorized as a qualitative research, using grounded theory to analyze data. The statistical population included experts from tourism related organizations of the province. A number of 20 experts were selected in a purposeful sampling method to reach theoretical saturation stage and the required data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The study results led to the extraction of the model of cultural tourism underdevelopment based on Strauss and Corbin framework and showed that the reasons of cultural tourism underdevelopment should be sought in the inadequate understanding and low acceptance of the host community, inappropriate context of rural creativity and entrepreneurship, lack of proper education for tourism development, lack of communication and welfare infrastructure, poor management and inefficient strategy, declining tourist attractions, and institutional and legal challenges.

Due to the special geographical conditions of the villages of Sardasht County in West Azerbaijan province of Iran, these villages are prone to political, economic, social and regional threats. The present study, focusing on the concept of resilience, examined and analyzed the resilience of villages in Sardasht County against natural and human hazards in various dimensions based on their geographical location. The research was conducted in descriptive and analytical methods and the required data were collected in documentary and field methods. Data collection tool was a questionnaire and a random classified sampling method was used. Among other study results, in the economic dimension, the results showed that the farmer's capital and savings (in valley villages), employment (in valley villages), income from non-agricultural activities (in border villages), income from remittances from the city (both in mountainous and suburban villages) and property ownership and land number (in border villages) were indicators of high importance in resilience.

This study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of establishing a water user association using the Ostrom method in Mehraban Sofla sub-district in Kabudrahang County in Hamedan province of Iran and it was conducted in a descriptive-analytical method. In addition to library studies and regular observations, a questionnaire was used as the main tool for collecting field data. The face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the relevant professors and experts; and to evaluate its reliability, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used, which was 0.90. The statistical population consisting of 107 farmers in this sub-district was selected by simple random sampling. Statistical tests were performed using SPSS23 and LISREL 8.8 software. The results showed that all the rules were necessary for the formation of an association of water users; however, among them, cost-benefit and information were the most necessary rules required in the mentioned sub-district where at present, the institutional basis for establishing a water association was not ready. Therefore, it was suggested that by identifying the existing capacities in Mehraban Sofla sub-district, non-agricultural businesses be developed in order to provide various sources of income in parallel with agriculture, as well as trainings to prevent the digging of illegal wells in the studied sub-district should be provided in order to protect groundwater and also to encourage farmers to cultivate cultivars with less water needs and to use modern irrigation methods in order to increase the productivity of water resources. In addition, the results showed that the attitude towards the water user association had a significant relationship with the desire to join it; therefore, it was suggested that by holding educational and extensional classes and using educational videos and local media such as provincial radio and other information resources to raise the level of awareness and knowledge of farmers about the benefits of participation, the grounds for their cooperation and assistance in water resources management be provided.

Today, due to rural migration, agricultural activities in rural areas face problems such as labor shortages, aging of rural people and low productivity. In this regard, this study aimed at examining the effects of access to formal and informal financial credit on migration. To analyze the required data, the multilevel order logit model was used for 397 households from Razavi Khorasan province of Iran. The general results of the research showed that an  increase in access to financial credits above 200 million IR rials would lead to an increased probability of households being in the group of ‘high satisfaction with rural residence’ and a decreased probability of households being in the group of ‘low and medium satisfaction with rural residence’; in addition, households' access to informal loans would increase their probability of being in the group of ‘low and medium satisfaction with rural residence’ and decrease the probability of households being in the group of ‘high satisfaction with rural residence’. Based on the study findings, by expanding and granting the formal financial credits, policy makers can play an effective role in increasing the satisfaction of the rural people and reducing their willingness to rural migration.

Over recent decades, in most developing countries, the tendency of planners to spatial decentralization and the reduction of regional inequalities and urban-rural dichotomies led to the adoption of different urban strategies; one of the most important strategies is to turn the village into a city and strengthen it. Due to the importance of the issue, the present descriptive-analytical research aimed at identifying the effects of village conversion into the city on the development of rural areas in Soltanabad city in Sabzevar County if Iran in 2019. The required data were collected in both documentary and survey methods. The data were analyzed by SPSS and LISREL software, using single sample T-tests and factor analysis in exploratory and confirmatory methods. The study findings showed that some of the effects of rural conversion to the city in Soltanabad included: creating new job opportunities, satisfaction with the village transformation to city and reducing the motivation of people to migrate to other cities. Therefore, the study results indicated the success of ‘rural-urban conversion’ policy in the rural development of the studied area.

Various models of empowerment of deprived and poor communities have been provided, but their adaptation to different geographical and temporal conditions and contexts with different social, cultural and economic conditions limits their use. At a glance, the empowerment model has been developed by psychologists and health, management and human resources professionals as well as sociologists and social scientists. Therefore, this study aimed at achieving a model for empowering disadvantaged communities in Makran region of Iran with emphasis on the community-based empowerment approach in the rural areas. For this purpose, according to the concerned society, the qualitative method was used predominantly; at the same time, quantitative methods were used to measure the level of development and to obtain experimental samples. The main tool for data collection was a focus group at different levels with participatory observation. The research findings showed that empowerment should be implemented both "bottom-up" and "top-down"; in particular, empowerment in this community was an intertwined set of empowerments of individuals, institutions and government administrators as well as managers and organizational experts. Therefore, the empowerment model should be designed based on these three groups and with emphasis on general and skill training.