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Showing 6 results for Diversification

Majid Yasouri, Farhad Javan,
Volume 4, Issue 13 (11-2015)
Abstract

Introduction
In economy structure of rural districts in different countries, agriculture is considered as the main source of livelihood. The most important characteristic of this structure is lack of diversification for economic contexts and job opportunities, especially for the increasing number of people in the villages which is almost the result of attitude toward the village and government policies and internal factors in the village. The consequences that are the results of dependency of the users to the environment out of the village and external markets, obvious and unobvious unemployment, decrease in return of investment, destruction of basic natural resources, rural economy vulnerability, and instability of income sources include weakening economy and culture of the village, rural migration and marginalization. The country's villages have a weak economy and they are vulnerable because of their severe dependency on agriculture and its income and lack of employment sources and non-farm income sources. Agriculture section is not capable of increasing the level of income because of limitation of land areas which cannot be increased. Therefore, it seems necessary to search for another income source regarding the capabilities and limitation of each region of the country for rural economy diversification in order to increase the population stability in the villages. Upper Ashkevar rural district is located in a mountain region and therefore it has limitation in land area, it has agriculture -based livelihood, a limited capacity for employing workforce and no diversification. Because of population growth and increase of the number of young workforce, unemployment rate is growing every day and it seems to be extremely important to find alternative strategies for villagers' employment and income earning in this region focusing on population stability and saving the remained population. Therefore, diversification approach for rural economic activities as a useful strategy is one of the most important strategies which is presented for reducing the negative impacts of unsustainability in different environmental, economic and social aspects on rural contexts and in accordance with sustainable development pattern which is confirmed by most of international organizations including Global Bank and by most of theorists. High vulnerability of agriculture activities in the region has increased the necessity of diversification in agriculture activities. This study aims to answer the following question: "What are the most important limitations in diversification of rural economic activities in Upper Ashkevar"?
Methodology
This survey is a practical one, regarding its aim and it is done by descriptive-analytic method. The population includes villages of Ashkurat district in Rudsar which is determined according to field studies in the region and exploratory studies. For assessment of studied variables, we used survey methods and documentary research methods to obtain the information needed. In documentary part, we collected data by reviewing the literature and theories and in quantitative part we analyzed data which were collected through field study and also by the information provided from some organizations. The study population includes villages of Upper Ashkevar rural district (53 villages) in Rudsar County. To determine the number of households, we used Cochran Formula and according to that, samples are 285 households. Alfa Cronbach coefficient is calculated 0.786. To analysis the impacts of infrastructural and basic variables, natural factors and social factors which are effective on the lack of diversification in rural economy activities, we used step by step multi regression analysis method. The studied region is located in Rahimabad district in Rudsar County, north of Iran. Its elevation is 1500 to 2000 meter above sea level. Its population has decreased from 2478 people in 2006 to 1619 people in 2011. Agriculture is the basic occupation for the villagers in this region. Environmental limitation especially droughts in recent decades and climate changes in most years have threatened the agriculture production in this area.
Discussion and Conclusion
One of the most effective factors to describe the presence of increasing unemployment, low income, migration from rural districts to cities, low level of production, and inefficient use of resources is lack of diversification in economic activities in rural settlements. This issue has a fundamental role in economic instability. Rural settlements in this region are affected by many factors including unevenness of the soil surface, weather, water resources, soil and vegetation, limitation of slope, cold weather, geographical isolation and lack of infrastructures. As a result, there is a sever instability in economy and population of this region; in a way that during two censuses in 85 and 90, population of this region decreased by 30%. Increase of unemployment, poverty, income inequality and as a consequence pressure on basic resources have resulted in environmental problems including soil erosion. The obtained results show that among all the different factors which were studied, the impact of infrastructural and basic factors is more than other variables. Then, environmental factors, economic factors and social factors are effective in lack of rural economy diversification respectively. Regarding this, providing and implementing development plans for expansion and improvement of infrastructure levels such as suitable road, supporting services for production and alternant industries can be effective in rural economy diversification of the region.
 

Mir Sattar Sadrmousavi , Mohsen Aghayarihir , Mohammad Valaei,
Volume 9, Issue 34 (2-2021)
Abstract

Introduction
Reduction of inequality and poverty has always been one of the topics discussed by scholars and has been considered as part of the main aims of rural development. It has increasingly become one of the important topics in development literature.   Different strategies to reduce poverty by different scholars such as; funding micro-credit and increasing the quality of life and empowerment of women, small-scale agricultural development as an essential component of food security, strengthening social capital in the form of local organizations, global economic integration and globalization, increasing public participation and creating grassroots organizations including rural cooperatives, diversification of economic activities, etc.,  has been proposed. However, due to the dependence of the villagers on the agricultural sector, not compatibility with the culture of the villagers, none of these solutions has not completely succeeded in reducing poverty and eradicating it from rural communities. Similarly, in Miandoab County, the agricultural sector, due to limited water resources, reduced productivity, job creation, mechanization, etc., has undergone a declining trend and is not able to attract the available labor. Furthermore, given that the study area has been severely affected by the Lake Urmia drying up in recent years, leading to a decrease in income, employment, investment, labor productivity and agricultural land, and hence, an increase in the number of underprivileged people in rural areas and migration of youth and depopulation of a number of villages in the area. Therefore, seeking solutions to reduce rural poverty are crucial such as, reviving the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors according to the strengths and obstacles of the region, increasing labor productivity in all economic sectors and enhancing rural population sustainability and stability, employment, income and food security.  The main issue of the present study is to investigate rural poverty reduction strategies, emphasizing the rural economic diversification approach and the effects of economic diversification in reducing rural poverty in Miandoab County. 

Methodology
The purpose of this study is to investigate poverty reduction strategies with an emphasis on rural economic diversification in Miandoab County. The research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method.  Field and documentary methods were used to collect data and information. This study includes two parts: quantitative and qualitative. In the qualitative part, theoretical saturation was achieved by conducting 24 semi-structured interviews, and in the quantitative part, 120 local informants, rural managers and staff of Miandoab County were selected as a sample. The reliability level of the research questionnaire was obtained using Cronbach's alpha method of 0.701.  Purposeful sampling (snowball and sequential method) was used.  Grounded theory, regression, path analysis and influence diagram were used to analyze the information.

Discussion and conclusion
The most important strategies identified to reduce rural poverty in Miandoab are: Funding micro-credit to villagers and farmers, crops insurance and government support, economic diversification in agricultural and non-agricultural sectors (changing the pattern of cultivation with water-resistant species such as saffron, Damask rose, pistachio, livestock development, developing industries), construction product processing factories, industrial town establishment, handicraft, tourism development and expansion, creation small businesses, creation of local markets and services, etc., enhancing educational quality of villagers, using indigenous knowledge, increasing social capacities, improving infrastructure, increase research, change government support policies, reform rural management and belief system.  Among these, one of the most important strategies to reduce rural poverty in this area according to the study is to pay attention to the "rural economic diversification" approach. Accordingly, the diversification of the rural economy has positive effects on increasing income, employment, production, investment and hence reducing rural poverty in Miandoab County.  The index of non-agricultural (non-agricultural) diversification and the creation of jobs that require less water, such as development of rural industries (manufacturing units for processing livestock, agricultural, horticultural products, etc., handicrafts, carpet weaving units, metal industries, wood industries, food industries, etc.), development of service sector in most villages and expansion of rural tourism (religious, sport, nomadic) is of great importance in reducing rural poverty in the study area. Thus, long-term diversification alters the income opportunities for rural households and reduces their income vulnerability to economic and environmental changes. In general, diversification of jobs can be considered as an indirect insurance for the security of income of villagers who have low productivity or have been damaged due to unexpected natural disasters.

Hossein Ghazanfarpour, Sadegh Karimi, Zakaria Gomshadzehi,
Volume 10, Issue 38 (3-2022)
Abstract

Introduction
The most important feature of the economic structure of the country's villages is the lack of diversity in economic contexts and job opportunities. In this regard, the approach of diversification of rural economic activities has been presented as a useful solution that many development theorists emphasize in order to reduce the effects of this structure and in the framework of the sustainable development model. The emergence of environmental crises such as water scarcity in rural communities causes the decline of the most important economic pillar and the largest source of income for rural households, namely the agricultural sector. With the disappearance of agriculture, unemployment increases and the rural economy becomes unstable. One of the important strategies to prevent the instability of villages in different dimensions and move towards sustainable rural development is the diversification (diversification) of economic activities. As a system becomes more diverse, its stability over time and space is maintained not only against internal actions but also against external stresses. Diversifying the economy of rural settlements in developing countries has improved non-agricultural job opportunities in rural areas and also has a significant impact on the well-being of rural areas. The economic prosperity of the villages of Mirjaveh city in Sistan and Baluchestan province is largely dependent on the environmental conditions and talents of the region, including water resources, soil quality, temperature, relative humidity and .... The study of geographical features in this area shows the fact that the climatic situation of this area will impose many decisive constraints on the growth of the agricultural sector. It seems that diversification of economic activities can be an effective strategy in this regard. In this study, we seek to assess the capacity and diversification of economic activities in the villages of Mirjaveh city in Sistan and Baluchestan province based on the priority categories of inclusive employment facilities in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

Research Methods
The present research is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of nature and method of descriptive-analytical work. Theoretical foundations and information related to the background of the project and its generalities have been obtained by library method by referring to Persian and English library sources and translation from these sources. The statistical population in this study consists of experts (local experts and elites) who have a complete knowledge of the rural areas of Mirjavah. In this research, the sampling method is the non-probability method "available". To analyze the data and information obtained, quantitative and qualitative analyzes have been used. To analyze the findings, the 7-capital analytical model has been used. Radar graphic graph has been used to display information.

Discussion and conclusion
The capacity of each village is summarized as follows. Suburban village is based on spatial-spatial capital of agricultural business development with the approach of developing gardens, activities related to transportation, border bazaar, consumer services and markets, and retail and wholesale. The jobs of the rural villages are limited border market activities, and the natural capital of agriculture is low and livestock and poultry are raised. Tehlab rural jobs Jobs related to transportation and logistics, border bazaar, consumer services and markets and retail and wholesale, Tamin rural jobs based on natural capital, especially related tourism and agriculture related activities Poultry farming, jobs in the villages of Ladiz village based on natural capital, especially related activities of agriculture and livestock and poultry, major jobs in the villages of Junaabad village based on natural capital, especially related activities of low-input agriculture and light livestock breeding (goats) And the main occupations of the villages of Rigomalek village are activities related to transportation and logistics, border bazaar and agricultural activities such as fodder growing, palm growing and camel breeding. As a result, it can be said; Economic capacities of rural areas of Mirjaveh city vary based on geographical location. The results of the analyzes showed that in the framework of the priority categories of inclusive employment; The capacities of the villages of Mirjaveh city are different. The results of the above analysis, which addressed the capacity-building and capacity-building of employment through the 7 capital model, showed that the main occupations of rural villages are in terms of geographical location, water resources potential, rangeland capacity, rural capital, rural social participation for rural development. , Tourism capacities, natural environment capacities and transportation and communication potentials have been different. The highest capacity is in the villages of Ladiz, Tamin, Andeh, Junabad and suburbs, respectively, and the lowest capacity is in the villages of Tehlab and then Rigomolk, respectively. We conclude that the planning of rural employment development in the studied rural areas requires attention to the spatial differences and different talents of each of the rural settlements.

Ali Akbar Taghilou, Naser Soltani,
Volume 11, Issue 40 (9-2022)
Abstract

Introduction
In the catchment area of Lake Urmia in West Azerbaijan province, the development of non-agricultural and agriculture-related small production activities has been the main strategy of the government to reduce the dependence of rural livelihoods on the agricultural sector and reduce water consumption in agriculture.
Referring to the studies conducted and the literature on the subject, it seems that the issue for the development and expansion of small non-agricultural activities in the villages is a problem of power relations and the inequality of abilities among the beneficiaries of these activities, which has made them unable to get the market benefits and capture the surplus value.
Therefore, the purpose of this article is not to explain the lack of success and discover the cause and effect of the development and establishment of non-agricultural production activities in villages. Rather, it is to help understand the structural limitations of the development and creation of production activities by identifying and examining the pairs of power relations and the interaction forces of these pairs.

 Methodology
Our fieldwork was done in 2019. The main methods used in this research are in-depth interviews, document reviews, and secondary data analysis. In-depth interviews with villagers, semi-structured interviews with officials of financial institutions and entrepreneurship fund (KARA), responsible for rural small business development of Jihad Agriculture Organization, responsible for the training of technical and vocational organization, responsible for the rural economic development of West Azarbaijan Governorate, rural insurance fund, responsible for cooperation Rural, responsible for rural business development of the province's industry, mining and trade organization is.
Villagers and village councils and, producers of pickles, herbal spirits, paste, and dry fruits production, some large and medium-sized companies producing similar urban products were of interest to us in the interview. During the research, we also conducted informal interviews with a number of villagers who own small workshops. Also, we examined the sixth development plan and policies for the development of household and small rural businesses of the Agricultural Jihad Organization, Department of Labor, Welfare and Social Security, Technical and Professional Organization, and Urmia Lake Restoration Headquarters.
Finally, the interviews of the officials in charge of small rural businesses with news agencies were used as second-hand information in our analyses, But the questions that were raised in the interviews are: Why do you think small non-agricultural production activities related to agriculture do not develop? What is the role of the government's interests and programs in the development of urban and rural industries in the development of these activities in the villages? How do you evaluate the performance factors of financial and government institutions in the development of these activities?

Discussion and conclusion
The relations between small rural production activities and similar urban production factories threaten each other's interests, and there is no common interest between them. These two activities compete with each other in acquiring the market and adding value produced in the market. Small rural production activities have a relative advantage, such as high-quality raw materials, more organic production, production quality, and reasonable price compared to the production of urban industries in gaining market and benefits.
According to the logic of the consumer, this advantage in the consumer market increases the ability to gain benefits and keeps the flow of market benefits for itself; But in contrast to the advantage of Urum Ada, Pakdis, Sasan Shahd, Khoshkbar il Sur, Khoshdis and Noushin Shahd industries against these activities, it is in how they relate to the government and other determinants of small rural production activities that have changed the flow of benefits; Because the strength of small rural production activities is in their nature, but urban industries have gained their strength from relationships, which play a decisive role in the distribution of market resources and benefits, and with the rents created through relationships, the most banking facilities, government incentives, opportunities They change the market created inside and outside for their own benefit and threaten small rural businesses with mechanisms such as unhygienic, traditional, bribery of regulatory organizations and non-compliance with labor laws and rural production insurance.
In the network of urban consumer relations and small rural production activities, the flow of benefits is somewhat bilateral. The interests of the consumer are the quality and price of the product; considering the bad economic conditions of the consumer and the low purchasing power of the urban consumer, products with a low price are the priority of purchase, and the quality of the products is the second priority. Rural products have been produced at a relatively low price due to the elimination of many costs such as tax, insurance, labor and energy costs, and self-sufficiency of raw materials. Therefore, the consumer market has welcomed it, and it has generated good income for producers. But since these products are not a priority in the households' basket, it does not bring many benefits to the producers. On the other hand, the production of discourses on "rural products being unsanitary" by scientific centers and government institutions such as universities and health centers changes the relationship between urban consumers and rural producers in favor of industries with similar urban production in a small market and causes further contraction of the market and the interests of the villagers.
The main issue in this section is to investigate how the relationship between the government and the city and the government and the village disrupts the balance of power between the city and the village and how this imbalance of power affects small rural production businesses. Apart from the relationship between the city and the village, which has always prevailed over the village in attracting human, financial capital, goods and other things, this dominance is due to the relationship between these two places with the scientific and economic elites and the government, which affects small production activities.

 

Abdul Majid Ahmadi,
Volume 11, Issue 41 (12-2022)
Abstract

Introduction
Benefiting from geo-tourism to set up small and diverse businesses in villages is a type of sustainable tourism which requires quantitative and qualitative coordination. Also, the business environment of the villages should have a competitive atmosphere and the necessary platforms and infrastructures so that the villages can achieve economic benefits. Based on this, the present research seeks to identify the most critical obstacles and problems preventing the rural areas around Zarivar wetland from realizing the potential f this geo-tourism site in the direction of economic diversification and find practical solutions to the problems. Despite the high potential of the Zarivar wetland and the pristine natural environment around it, Geotourism in this rural area has yet to be promoted and play a role in the preservation of the wetland and the economic and social development of the villages around it.

Methodology
the data was collected through a survey method, and a purposive method was used to select samples. The sample was from the officials, tourism and development managers of the region, villagers, councils and experts of five villages adjacent to the Zarivar wetland (Dare Tefi, Nei, Kanisanan, Kani Safid, Yengijeh), academic specialists and researchers with research experience related to the impact of Zarivar Wetland on the regional economy, private sector investors in the tourism sector of Zarivar wetland, owners of temporary small businesses related to tourism and tourists visiting Zarivar wetland and the input to the studied villages were collected and analyzed in the qualitative part with the grounded theory technique and in the quantitative part with the factor analysis method.

Discussion and conclusion
The results showed that the four main factors are management inadequacies, weak planning and lack of services and facilities needed for economic diversification and geo-tourism development, weakness in providing financial resources and the security atmosphere prevailing in the studied border villages, social failures and inappropriate business environment, and the weakness in marketing and education and the lack of demand, are the most significant obstacles and challenges in diversifying the economy of the villages on the edge of the Zarivar wetland through the expansion of geo-tourism. Meanwhile, the first factor, that is, management inadequacies, weak planning and lack of required services and facilities with the most significant number of accumulated indicators or obstacles and the highest specific value, were recognized as the most essential and effective obstacles. In fact, in these border and isolated villages, due to the numerous weaknesses of the economic and social structures, the government institutions and their management and planning situation create the environment for economic activity and utilization of resources. The formed factors show important points, the most important of which can be mentioned in the economic diversification sector, the importance of creating a suitable business environment in the region. An environment that not only has infrastructural, managerial and financial weaknesses but also is not in a satisfactory state in terms of social and supporting values ​​needed to move towards setting up and supporting new tourism businesses. which is rooted in the villagers' poverty. Eventually, it is necessary to form a single working group under the supervision of the governor of Marivan County, composed of all the organs and organizations related to the development of the villages on the edge of the Zarivar wetland and with the presence of representatives of the local people, and matters related to the development plan, coordinate and follow up geo-tourism and related businesses in this region. There is a need to change the perspective of threat management in securing this border region into an opportunity-oriented perspective, and in addition to protecting the border with new methods, take advantage of the Zarivar wetland and starting the businesses related to it for the development of these border villages should be considered alongside with moving towards sustainable security. Also, Changing the view of regional development and tourism managers to a systemic view in tourism management and then changing the procedure in emphasizing the development of mass tourism in the Zarivar wetland and giving importance to the city of Marivan towards emphasizing the expansion of tourism with geo-tourism and other particular motives (sports, rural, adventure tourism, etc.) and also, attention to the villages on the edge of the wetland In order to be present in the tourism market of the region is very necessary for these villages.

 

Naser Shafii Sabet, Siavash Moradimokaram,
Volume 13, Issue 47 (6-2024)
Abstract


 
Objective: Rural transportation accessibility is an indispensable component of the economy and a crucial factor influencing rural economic development.
Methods: To thoroughly examine this relationship, a quantitative study was conducted using a questionnaire tool to gather data. The study assessed the connection between transportation accessibility and rural economic development in Asadabad County, encompassing eight indicators across 30 villages and 368 sample households.
Results: The findings revealed that all indicators of access to the rural transportation system had a positive impact on the rural economic development indicators in Asadabad County. Additionally, a significant relationship was observed between the accessibility of villages to the transportation system and the improvement of their economic development according to their settlement patterns in plain, foothills, and mountainous locations. This suggests that beyond accessibility to the transportation system and the distance of villages to urban and rural market centers, the location of villages also plays a significant role in their economic development. Based on the standardized beta coefficients representing the impact of independent variables on the dependent variable, the results demonstrate that the effect coefficients for each of the rural transportation system indicators are positive and have a significance level of less than 0.05. This confirms the direct and significant influence of each rural transportation system indicator on rural economic development. Further analysis indicates that improving transportation services had the most significant effect (0.341), while expanding transportation infrastructure had the least significant impact (0.270) on rural economic development, according to the Beta values.
Conclusions: The study unequivocally establishes that access to the rural transportation system plays a direct role in fostering rural economic development. The location of villages, in conjunction with their accessibility to the transportation system, further contributes to their economic growth. Therefore, prioritizing the improvement of transportation services and expanding rural transportation infrastructure are key strategies for promoting economic development in these areas.


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