Journal of Research and Rural Planning
Volume:12 Issue: 4, Autumn 2023

The effects of tourism on rural employment in the village of Varkāneh in Hamedan County, Iran were investigated. Rural tourism is one of the practical solutions to solve the problem of employment in these areas. This industry with its special dynamics can have major effects on the economic, social and environmental situation, especially at the local level.

The study is an applied correlational-descriptive study using a quantitative approach and a survey methodology. The research population was composed of 250 households out of whom 148 people were sampled by simple randomization. The sample size was determined by Krejcie and Morgan’s table. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire whose items were arranged in three sections. Data were analyzed by path analysis and structural equation modeling using the WarpPLS software package.

The results show that the variables of economy, resources, occupation, agriculture, social capital, and welfare have directly influenced employment. The strongest impact on rural employment has been related to economy with a path coefficient of 0.364. In total, 56 percent of the dependent variable (increase in rural employment) in Verkane village is explained by five factors of economic effects, infrastructure and resources, agricultural effects, social capital, and social welfare.

Tourism, through the development of infrastructure such as the development of residences, transportation, shops and public places, telephone and internet, and infrastructures such as bridges, roads and mosques, has led to employment growth in the studied area. Therefore, one of the solutions for tourism development is to create tourism infrastructures in rural areas in such a way that this will lead to an increase in the number of tourists. The results of this research can help to plan for the development of tourism in rural areas and especially to solve the problem of employment in these areas.

Although second home ownership is a growing phenomenon and a common lifestyle in most parts of the world, especially in rural areas, there is still no specific conceptual classification to define this phenomenon in the theoretical literature. Due to the complexity and variety of second homes; many definitions, terms and conceptual features have been mentioned regarding this fuzzy concept, increasing the conceptual disturbances in this field even more. To fill this gap, this research aims to provide a flexible conceptual framework to define “second home” through a systematic review of various sources.

In this research, by conducting a systematic review process, 75 international articles were identified for study. Then, the conceptual framework of second homes was formulated in the form of categories, subcategories and conceptual codes using the content analysis method.

The results show that, in total, six categories, including physical characteristics, the pattern of expansion and tenure, spatial characteristics, sensory-emotional characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics and usage characteristics form the “second home” conceptual framework. In this framework, the conceptual categories are stable and repeatable in all contexts, while the conceptual codes are fluid and adaptable in geographical and temporal situations.

So far, no systematic review has been done to reduce the conceptual dispersion in the second home literature. The proposed framework highlights two characteristics of fluidity and stability, which help to disambiguate the “second home” concept and it is a suitable alternative for numerous definitions and different conceptual features of the second home. The results of this research can aid scholars in clarifying the second home concept and applying it in different contexts.

Rural entrepreneurship is a suitable solution for empowerment and capacity building in rural areas in order to change the current life pattern, create economic, social, environmental and institutional equality.Meanwhile, women play apivotalrole in promoting employment and improving the economic status of rural areas.Thus, a thorough conception of all aspects of entrepreneurship can be an effective factor in increasing the success rate.

In this research, a descriptive survey and correlation method have been used.To analyze the data collected through field study, various descriptive and inferential statistical methods have been employed by SPSS15 software.Using the LISREL 8.5 software, the relationships between independent and dependent variables as well as the structural equation have been determined.

The results indicate that three factors including structural, behavioral, contextual and the most important item of each factor including "paying attention to the social environment", "paying attention to development","Legislating the necessary laws and regulations" could be measured integrally in the structural equation model, respectively.It is also revealed how is possible to create innovatively the identifying and implementing stages of the investing process and creating women's businesses by becoming more detailed and determining the subset of each of the main structural, behavioral and contextual factors.Considering the structural equation model, the importance of these factors in the investing process and creating women's businesses in the southern villages of the country is highlighted.

Research and training activities can be one of the initiatives of governments and institutions related to the subject. Knowing the market context, the experiences of other regions of the country, obstacles to women's entrepreneurship, and the opportunities for women's entrepreneurship in different rural areas of the south of the country provide suitable opportunities for women's entrepreneurial activities. Furthermore, training programs should be based on women's condition in the village in such a way that the level of education, type of profession, geographical region are of the effective factors in the design and implementation of training programs. Providing training packages and the possibility of distance training is also useful for all entrepreneurs in the southern parts of the country.

Supporting and stimulating agricultural development has a decisive role in rural development and is considered the main basis of rural development. Therefore, the agricultural sector and rural areas in Iran are still far from the real potentials for development. Therefore, this study aimed at the consequences of creative agriculture and its role in the development of rural areas of Roshtkhar County in Razavi Khorasan province.

This research was an applied one, conducted with descriptive-correlation and causal-relational methods. The statistical population of the research consists of all heads of rural households (21,785) in Roshtkhar County, using the Cochran formula, 377 farmers from the heads of households were selected as a sample. The main tools of the research were researcher-made questionnaire, field observations and library studies. Then, the questionnaires were distributed in 20 villages of the study area. SPSS software and structural equation modeling approach were employed to analyze the data.

The results of the fitted model showed that creative agriculture had the greatest effects on economic (0.405) and social (0.370) variables. The results of investigating the status of creative agriculture in the study area showed that more than 60% of rural farmer households stated that creative agriculture has been able to play a significant role in rural development.Limitations/Strategies: The dispersion of the studied villages to fill out the questionnaire depending on the topic at the village level, the lack of awareness of some rural households towards conducting research projects in order to complete the questionnaire, and finally the costs of conducting this research are challenging of this study.Practical solutions: Finally, according to the results, solutions such as the full implementation of modern irrigation systems, changing the cultivation pattern and using up-to-date machinery and tools in the agricultural sector can improve the results and the consequences of creative agriculture and its role in rural development in the villages and the implementation strategies of this solution are considered necessary.

This study is significant as the recognition of different issues of creative agriculture at the regional level can help to take an important step in order to improve the condition of rural households in different dimensions (economic, social-cultural, institutional-managerial and physical).

Rural elites, as the most important human capitals of rural communities, are a distinct and progressive stratum in various dimensions of development, and their persistence in villages can be effective in accelerating the process of rural development. Nonetheless, studies show that due to various reasons, elites are less persistent in villages and often migrate to cities. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to analyze the causes of elites' migration and how to attract the elites’ participation in the process of rural development in Kurdistan province.

This study was conducted in the framework of interpretative-constructive paradigm and the research method is thematic analysis. In-depth individual semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data.

The results showed two overarching themes namely rural repulsion (including six organizing themes: family and social determinism, weak infrastructure, geographical isolation, environmental challenges, weak economic conditions and weak local and regional management) and urban attraction (including four organizing themes: personal improvement, economic opportunities, social opportunities, and the use of infrastructures and facilities) are the most important causes of rural elites’ migration. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the elites’ participation in rural development could be possible through three overarching themes namely empowering villagers (including four organizing themes: capacity assessment, skill training, strengthening vitality, raising the level of villagers' demands), developing employment and entrepreneurship (including two organizing themes: promoting innovation and economic investment) and efficient rural management (including two organizing themes: managing social challenges and occupying managerial positions).

The rural elites’ migration is accompanied by many negative consequences for rural communities. Nevertheless, there is a gap in studies regarding its causes and especially how to attract their participation in the process of rural development. The present study can be a basis for future researches in this field.

The "Smart Village" approach includes long-term social, economic, and environmental activities of the rural community that involve widespread participation in local governance processes, promoting entrepreneurship, preserving the rural environment and, ultimately, sustainable development of rural areas. Therefore, the development of scenarios that facilitate the realization of the smart village approach in the peri-urban settlements of the metropolis of Tehran should be emphasized.

This research is a descriptive-analytical study from the perspective of its objectives it is applied. Data and information were collected through library research, documentary studies, and survey methods (interviews). By reviewing scientific sources and conducting interviews with experts, 57 influencing factors of the smart village approach on the sustainability of peri-urban settlements were identified, categorized into 5 dimensions, and a total of 35 people, including managers of relevant organizations and university experts, were interviewed. The analysis of data was based on futures studies techniques, including structural analysis and mutual effects analysis (done using Micmac and Scenario Wizard software).

The research findings show that there are a very large number of possible scenarios for the impact of the smart village on the sustainability of peri-urban settlements in the metropolis of Tehran within the range of Islamshahr County. Among them, 14 scenarios have weak compatibility and only 1 scenario is in a state of strong and sustainable compatibility (zero incompatibility). The first scenario, which is a positive one, has a mutual effect score of 733 and a compatibility value of 13, while the second scenario, which indicates unfavorable conditions for the future impact of the smart village on sustainable development, has a mutual effect score of -144 and a compatibility value of 5. The third scenario also has a compatibility value of -2 and with a mutual effect score of 63, it can be one of the impactful scenarios for the smart village on the sustainability of peri-urban settlements in the metropolis of Tehran. At the end of the research, operational suggestions are presented to enhance the indices of a smart village to achieve sustainable development in the rural settlements of the studied area.

For the first time in Iran, scenarios have been developed on the impact of smart villages on the sustainability of peri-urban settlements, and from this perspective, it is innovative and among the first research in the field.