Rural Development Strategies

Abstract Marketing mix is one of the important categories in tourism marketing and plays a significant role in the process of planning and developing ecotourism accommodations. In this regard, the aim of the current research is to identify the marketing mix components in ecotourism residences and measure their importance in Hawraman region. Hawraman region is located in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah and is divided into three parts: Hawraman Takht, Hawraman Lehun and Hawraman Javahrud, and there are 25 villages in this region and 45 ecotourism residences. The method of collecting documentary and field information is used in this research to extract the marketing indicators and to express the research literature from the documentary method and from the field method to collect the data needed to check the indicators. The statistical population of the research includes faculty members of the country's universities, students and doctoral graduates with related dissertations (15 samples), tourism experts of the General Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces (15 samples) and managers of ecotourism residences in Hawraman region (28 samples). A total of 58 questionnaires were completed by them in 1401. For data processing and analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics (one-way analysis of variance test, Tukey's post hoc test) were used in Spss software. Also, the results of the research with Tukey's post hoc test show that there is a significant difference among the elements of the marketing mix of ecotourism accommodations in Hawraman region, and in this regard, product indicators with 20 indicators, price with 14 indicators, location with 17 indicators and people with 16 indicators are more important in Hawraman region are enjoying. In order to achieve the goals by using the results of the research along with the attractions and tourism resources of the eco-tourism residences with the aim of attracting more tourists, it is suggested to produce cultural, artistic and service works of eco-tourism while updating the eco-tourism services by using the combination of new technologies and local knowledge. Radio and social networks should be introduced.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the welfare effects and vulnerability of rural households from the increase in food prices due to the devaluation of the national currency in Golestan province. In this regard, Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QAIDS) was estimated for 14 food groups used by the rural households of Azadshahr County, Golestan province, by separating two groups of rural households with above and below the average income. In the following, in order to determine the changes in the well-being of households, the index of Compensating Variation (CV) and then the index of vulnerability of rural households were calculated. The required information was collected by completing the household income and feed expenditure questionnaire with the help of Golestan Province Health Center. The studied community in this research is the rural households of Azadshahr County, which was obtained by using Cochran's formula, the sample size included 260 households. Then the sample households were selected using the cluster sampling method. The required information was collected by completing the household income and feed cost questionnaire with the help of Golestan Province Health Center in 2017 and 2018. The results showed that due to the increase in food prices, the welfare index of Compensating Variation (CV) in the groups above and below the average income is equivalent to 4603.77 and 5438.99 thousand Rials, respectively. Therefore, the well-being of the studied rural households has been weakened. This result is also confirmed by the vulnerability index, so that based on this index, the level of vulnerability of rural households in households with high and low income is calculated as 20.08 and 51.83%, respectively. Therefore, in order to improve food security and living standards of rural households, it is necessary to support them at least as much as the index of compensatory changes calculated.

Abstract In developing countries, young people are not only future leaders but also part of the human capital to achieve development. The unwillingness of young people to choose agricultural jobs is a serious threat to achieving sustainable rural development. The purpose of the research was to analyze the factors affecting the motivation of rural youth to choose agricultural jobs in the Maku free zone. The research was conducted using a survey method and questionnaire tool in 2016. The statistical population included all rural youth aged 15-24 in Maku Free Zone, 128 of whom were selected as samples by random sampling method. Data were analyzed by applying the chi-square test, phi and Eta coefficients, logistic regression, and SPSS software. The results showed that 74.2% of young people are interested in choosing agricultural jobs and 25.8% are interested in choosing non-agricultural jobs. Four variables including, the youth's view of agriculture (with Exp., 4.932), the literacy level of young people (with Exp., 0.538), the literacy level of the respondent's father (with Exp., 0.711), and marriage (with Exp., 1.350) explained their choice for agricultural jobs. Therefore, it is suggested that governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions, while giving importance to the agricultural sector in macro-politics and introducing successful models of agriculture promote the value of work and employment in the agricultural sector so that, it is considered as part of the norms of the society. In addition, using free zone potential, the government can help their employment in the agricultural field by allocating land and water, providing facilities, and developing transformational and complementary industries.

Abstract Abstract

Food security remains central in the United Nation Development Agenda (2030) as highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs 2). Food insecurity is an important topic among development practitioners.

The main goal of this study is to assessment the food insecurity of urban and rural households using the food insecurity experience scale in a descriptive-survey method in Behmai county, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad provinces.The statistical population of the research included the heads of urban and rural households in Behmai county, and 400 households were selected for study using a multi-stage stratified sampling method.

The required data has been collected through the standard household food insecurity scale questionnaire (HFIAS) in 2022. The results of the research showed that the majority of urban and rural households are in a relatively secure food situation. So that 22% of the study households are in a food secure situation, 58.5% mildly food insecure, 15% have moderate food insecurity and only 4.5% have very severe food insecurity.

The findings of the research indicate a statistically significant difference between urban and rural households in the index of food insecurity. The comparison test showed that the food insecurity situation between different income groups had a statistically significant difference, but there was no significant difference between different social observation groups. It is suggested to use other methods of measuring insecurity and food security of the household in order to present a comprehensive and expressive picture of the food security of the household. It is also suggested that in the conditions of inflation and severe economic pressure on the poor classes and society, to support these classes by allocating food subsidies and increasing financial support. Therefore, the adoption of support and compensation policies of the government should be proportional to the point inflation rate of producers and consumers and in such a way which leads to sustainable production and consumption patterns.

Abstract Tourism, as an industry in long-term and stable interaction with a set of socio-cultural factors, plays an important and undeniable role in rural transformation and development. It is considered one of the most important economic solutions in regional development, serving as a platform for the development of small businesses. Despite the important role of this industry in the development of regions, obstacles and problems have always hindered its sustainable development. In this regard, it is necessary to understand and explain the factors affecting the resilience of tourism businesses for optimal and appropriate management and planning, strengthening their capacity to adapt activities against sudden changes. Therefore, aiming to develop a model of resilience for tourism businesses in the Oramanat region of Kurdistan, the current research has attempted to identify the factors influencing resilience and design a desirable model of resilience. Using qualitative methodology (grounded theory), the current research conducted in the Mexquioda environment extracted necessary information for coding from semi-open questionnaires designed for the expert community (20 people). The findings of the research identified 185 open codes. After removing duplicate codes, 60 conceptual codes were obtained, which were classified into 20 core codes, 12 selection codes, and finally categorized into 6 codes with key roles. The results of the research indicated that the research sample community placed the most emphasis on foresight, which played a strategic role. Following that, positioning from the consequences subgroup, marketing, and capacity measurement from the central code subgroup. Finally, the resilience model of Ormanat tourism business includes causal, central, field, intervening, strategic, and resultant components.

Abstract This research was conducted in order to sociologically explain the role of Omid Entrepreneurship Funds in the development of small businesses. The research method was mixed, in which thematic analysis method was used in the qualitative part and confirmatory factor analysis was used in the quantitative part. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect information, and composite reliability was used for reliability and validity in the qualitative part, and convergent and divergent validity were used in the quantitative part. In the quantitative part, the statistical population includes 416 small rural businesses that have used the services of Omid Entrepreneurship Funds in 2023. The sample size in the qualitative section includes 18 managers; first, 6 managers of Omid Entrepreneurial Funds and then 12 managers of small business companies in the villages of Gilan province were interviewed using the principle of theoretical saturation, which finally led the researcher to a theoretical model with 6 main sociological components. Hypotheses were tested using SPSS software. Findings showed that the first hypothesis about the group of managers had a significance level of 0.001, that the satisfaction of managers was not significant. Other hypotheses about the two groups (fund managers and company managers) had a significance level of less than 0.05, i.e. (0.000). As a result, the mean difference test method was used to rank the components, and the components of Social Security with a value of 30.173 ranked first, Social Participation with a value of 28.50 ranked second, Social Capital with a value of 28.18 ranked third, Social Justice with a value of 25.34 ranked fourth, Social Satisfaction with a value of 20.84 ranked fifth, and Social Solidarity with a value of 16.34 ranked sixth. According to the findings of this research, it is recommended that the managers of the funds should consider giving loans to neglected people when paying loans for setting up rural businesses in Gilan province, which will lead to the development of justice for the villagers. And finally, in the Omid Entrepreneurship Funds of Gilan province, experts should be used to pay loans to applicants.

Abstract The rural areas of Khorasan-Razavi province play an important role in the production of medicinal plants in the country. After saffron, cumin, borage and rosemary account for the largest cultivated area in this province. Knowledge of the cost structure of medicinal plant production can lead to providing solutions to reduce the cost and increase the income of farmers, which will increase the welfare of the producers of these products in the villages of this province. To this end, the aim of this study is to investigate the cost of production of major medicinal plants in the villages of Khorasan-Razavi province. The data required for this research was collected by using random sampling method through interviews and completing questionnaires in 2017-2018. In examining the production structure, using the estimation of the Translog cost function for each of the examined products, the substitution relations between the production inputs have been estimated and based on that, the economy of scale in the production of each product has been examined. Results showed that the Translog cost model had a good fit to the researched data. Estimation of price elasticities using this function showed that price sensitivity to chemical fertilizer input in cumin production, poison and labor force in rosemary production is high. Also, in the study of economies of scale, it was found that the production of borage flowers in large-scale farms is more economical compared to small farms.

Abstract Tourism entrepreneurship in villages is a solution for empowerment and capacity building in order to reduce the gap between city and village, create economic, social, environmental and institutional equality and is an important tool to achieve sustainable development. In the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas, women play a significant role. In order to collect information, library and field studies (observation, interview and questionnaire) were used. The geographical area is the villages of Kerman province and women who are active in the field of tourism and ecotourism. According to the statistics obtained from the cultural heritage organization and the governorate of Kerman province in 2019, 370 are active in the field of tourism, and of these statistics, 219 women are active in the field of tourism and ecotourism, which was estimated to be 139 according to the Cochran formula. According to the results, The results of psychological factors, awareness and knowledge, social norms, technical and managerial capabilities, environmental factors have a positive and meaningful relationship and have no relationship with the economic component, advertising, education level. To investigate this effect of the sum of the predictor variables on the criterion. Knowledge and awareness with a coefficient of 0.98 have the highest effect and advertisements with a coefficient of 0.23 have the lowest effect on the entrepreneurship of rural women in agriculture and tourism. The tourism industry offers various business and entrepreneurship opportunities to generate income for rural women. Rural women can get many opportunities through training in food preparation, craft making, hospitality management for guests. Rural foods, which are increasing, provide huge entrepreneurial opportunities for rural women. Considering the gender norms and social barriers of women, women should increase their awareness and knowledge during entrepreneurial activities in order to manage their activities. do better.