فصلنامه روستا و توسعه
سال هجدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 69، بهار 1394)

Education as the most influential factor in human capital with a significant role in the growth and economic development has always been of interest to economic planners and policy-makers. Given the importance of education and training and bearing heavy costs for improving the quality of human force in Iran, this study tried to assess the impact of education on rural people's income in the form of incoming Mincer function, and its focal point was to use multilevel models to estimate the effects of education and experience on the income. For this purpose, we used the data collected from rural household expenditure-income plan of Statistical Center of Iran for 13953 rural workers in 2012. Study results indicated that education had a significant positive role in the rural income; also, given a constant condition for other factors, rural men's incomes were 62% higher than rural womens, and their maximum experience was also more than that of the women group. Therefore, to enhance the rural income, the planners should pay more attention to educational development and optimal use of educated people, especially those with higher education.

Agricultural production operators can achieve a sustainable income and employment by adopting the products in accordance with their natural, economic and social conditions. This study aimed at assessing the effects of saffron cultivation on the income and employment of operators. The research plan used a methodology of pre-test and post-test with the same group (at two different times) by comparing the variables of income and employment extents before and after saffron cultivation. The statistical society included all saffron producers and operators in Lorestan province of Iran (196 samples) in 2012. For data collection, the survey method was used by means of questionnaires and interviews. Study results showed that despite the small size of the saffron farms and harvest mostly in their early years, compared with other cultivated crops, the income and employment of the operators before and after saffron cultivation were different and these differences were significant at the level of 99 percent.

This descriptive-correlational study aimed at investigating factors affecting the household waste prevention behavior of rural households in Qazvin County of Iran. The statistical population consisted of all the rural households of the county (N=31338), out of which 247 households were selected by means of Cochran sampling formula in randomized multi-stage sampling method. The 'household waste prevention behavior' was measured by a composite index consisting of 17 items in Likert-scale type. In addition, for the purpose of data analysis, the statistical analytical methods including correlational coefficients, regression analysis and nonparametric compare mean tests of Mann-whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were applied. The study analyses showed that age, environmental responsibility, social participation, social trust and social status had significant positive correlations with household waste prevention behavior; in contrast, education level, income, household size and knowledge had negative relations with that. Multiple regressions analysis showed that six variables including age, social trust, social participation, income, environmental responsibility, and social status of the rural women explained 57 percent of household waste prevention behavior variance.

Given the importance of countryside on physical and mental health of the people, this study tried to determine the recreational value of Akhlamad countryside in Khorasan Razavi province of Iran by using cross section data of 120 eco- tourist households of Mashhad County. For evaluation under hypothetical market creating value, 'contingent valuation' and ' travel cost' methods were used. The results showed that the average willingness to pay (of visitors) for recreational value of this area is 15400.27 Rials for each visit. For travel cost, the recreational value estimated in non-linear least square method was 54640 Rials and in Poisson method was 181810 Rials for each visitor. By considering Mashhad’s population (about 2.8 million) as the main users of the concerned natural resources, the estimated total recreational value of this countryside area in two methods of 'non-linear least square's and 'Poisson distribution' was about 136600 and 454540 million Rials, respectively. Significant recreational value of this area provides a reasonable means for policy-makers and decision-makers in the tourism sector to justify investments in quality and summering areas to support these and prevent their destruction.

This study aimed at exploring the effective performance of Rural Assistance Offices (Dehyaris) in rural development and challenges ahead from Rural Assistants (Dehyars) perspective in Fars province of Iran. It was a descriptive-correlation study based on survey quantitative methods. The statistical population included all the rural assistants in the province (1231 individuals). The method of sampling was multistage stratified sampling method, through which 145 people were identified as the sample by calculating Cochran’s formula. The results of descriptive analysis showed that three challenges of insufficient funds of rural assistance offices, inappropriate and excessive public expectations of rural assistants, and high unemployment rate in the villages were the most important challenges of these institutions. The study results of factor analysis also revealed that challenges ahead of effective performance of the rural assistance offices can be summarized into six factors including bureaucratic, the lack of planning, economic, cultural and social, infrastructure-equipment and cognitive challenges. These factors explained about 66.66 percent of the total variance of the performance challenges ahead of the rural assistance offices.

This study aimed at determining the characteristics of farmer-oriented extension trainings in agricultural extension system of Iran. It was an applied research conducted in a survey method. The statistical population consisted of all 810 specialists of Agricultural Extension and Education who were working in the Cooperation Management of Extension in the Organizations of Jihad for Agriculture in all provinces of Iran (N=810). Using a stratified random sampling, 189 persons were selected as the sample. The data were collected through a questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by a panel of extension and education experts. The study results indicated that among the studied characteristics, the suitable interactions were in the highest priority in current situation, while for creating a desirable situation, comprehensiveness of policy should be paid more attention. The results of paired t- test showed that there were significant differences between current and desirable situations of all six components.

This analytical applied and correlational study aimed at investigating and analyzing geostatistical and climate maps and calculating Pearson correlation ratio among rural locations and drought by using SPI climate index and SPSS and ARC GIS10 softwares. The statistical society included 898 inhabited villages of Qazvin province of Iran with the population of 365225 people. The findings indicated that 923 villages of Qazvin County with about 202566 populations were at risk of drought. The results indicated that there was a significant relation between drought and the number of district villages and their populations at the level of 0.01; also, the results of Pearson test indicated a significant relation between the variables of drought and the number of villages and their populations.

With respect to economic and social effects of watershed management activities, this study aimed at investigating the effective factors on the attitudes of operators in Kelestan watershed area in Fars province of Iran. The Statistical population included 382 operator households in Kelestan village, out of which 97 households were selected in a stratified random sampling method. The factors were estimated by a Logit econometric model. Study results showed that the variables of increase in agricultural efficiency, decrease in damages of roads by floods, increase in waters of springs, and increase in exploiters’ incomes were significantly and positively related to attitudes towards the watershed management activities; and the marginal effects of these variables showed that their increase by one percent would result in an increase in the probability of positive attitude towards watershed management activities by 46, 36, 33, and 29 percent, respectively.