Strategies for Empowering Local Communities in the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas (Case Study: Villages of Bazan District, Javanrood)

The purpose of this study is to determine strategies for empowering local communities in rural areas of Bazan, Javanrood County. The principal research tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α <0.7). The method of the present research is descriptive-analytical and it is an applied-developmental study. The required information and data were collected using documentary and field surveys by distributing the questionnaire. There are relatively good strengths and opportunities for empowering local communities in Bazan rural district: "Creating the necessary grounds for the participation of villagers in marketing and sales of handicraft products" and "Supporting the economic strength of the villagers in the form of organizations and production cooperatives" are the most important strategies proposed to empower local communities in Bazan rural areas. Establishing necessary conditions for the villagers’ involvement in marketing and sales of handicraft products is proposed as one of the strategies for empowering local communities in the rural areas. Small rural industries are feasible and have a high employment relative to investment. It is estimated that with a certain amount of investment in this category of industries, it is possible to create much more jobs than in large industries.