Rural Development Perspective Research Articles

Multi-aspect assessment of operational fog collection systems: A rural development perspective, insights from the Sidi Ifni project in Morocco

Ongoing climate change and anthropogenic impacts will continue to worsen the problem of water crisis. In order to explore practical solutions for drought and climate change adaptation, this work uses a set of different methodologies to evaluate an operational fog collection project and discuss solutions for some emerging challenges. This study uses fog collection rate, Water Quality Index (WQI) and interviews with the community as indicators for the assessment. Results indicate that the project continues to deliver improved drinking water access to the community. Fog harvesting rate yielded an annual average from 1.6 to 6 L/m2/d. Interviews confirm the social commitment of the local community. However, challenging points emerge: (1) ongoing groundwater pollution due to the lack of sanitation; (2) if fog water is the only source, inconsistent fog yields may negatively impact water availability; (3) poor solid waste management. The findings represent a baseline for assessing and benchmarking other similar projects or project proposals in the Atlantic coast of North Africa. Therefore, the proposed methodology can also be used in other fog collection projects around the world.

Rural Development perspective factors in the Russian Federation: breeding, seed farming and pedigree work

The article studies the specific Rural Development features, defines the main Rural Development elements as systems: village-forming enterprises (agricultural enterprises, as well as enterprises of other activity spheres within a given agricultural area), rural infrastructure, housing complex, etc., which is necessary for the life of the population in rural areas. The necessity of the breeding, seed production and pedigree business development as an important condition for the agricultural plants seeds provision of higher reproductions and high-productive breeds of farm animals is substantiated. Trends in the agricultural plants and animals breeding development are analyzed. The breeding research development problems have been analyzed, including the poor level of Public Research Institutes material and technical base development, lack of modern equipment and technologies, qualified personnel, which makes it difficult to carry out breeding work. The conditions for the rural areas development are defined and grouped, namely: conditions that have a direct and indirect impact on the rural areas development. The need for the enterprises development that form the core of rural areas (agricultural enterprises and enterprises of other spheres of activity), including through the agricultural enterprises interaction with scientific organizations in the field of breeding is determined. The authors justify the need for revival and development of experimental production farm, seed farms and breeding farms for successful implementation of the scientific research results in the breeding, seed production and breeding field. It is justified the fact that the full rural areas development is possible only by ensuring the cumulative effect of these conditions. The main constraining factors in the practical use field of breeding varieties and breeds of animals in the agrosphere are determined. The directions of rural areas development on the basis of use by agricultural producers of achievements of domestic breeding are formulated.

Land use planning, sustainable food production and rural development: A literature analysis

In many countries agricultural land is a scarce resource, either due to natural conditions or because of competition over land. An increased need for food globally, changing environmental conditions and increased demand for environmentally sound agriculture and food systems, all require better integration of planning for rural land use and food production. A literature analysis was conducted including coding of 76 papers, to answer the question on how and to what extent, literature addresses the integration of land use policy and planning, and food system planning, in the context of sustainable rural development and agri-food production. The results indicate that land use and food system planning co-occur in literature, yet lacking the perspective of sustainable rural development, suggesting that integrated planning for sustainable rural land use and food systems needs to be strengthened. Food system research has largely focused on availability and access, or what can be associated with consumers, rather than rural land use. Likewise, the inclusion of food systems is neither common in rural land use planning nor in agricultural policies. Holistic planning for a sustainable food system may be suffering from a disjointed approach, e.g., planning for farmland may not have any links to planning for accessibility, consumer preferences or food marketing. Increased cooperation between stakeholders is necessary to break down the silos in the food system. Policies and plans for rural land use and agri-food production should be coordinated for the common goal of sustainability.

Socio-Demographic Status among Rural Municipalities in Humla District, Nepal: A Comparative Study

This study compares the status of rural municipalities in the Humla district of Nepal regarding various household and demographic variables. This paper aims to compare rural municipalities of the Humla district in terms of population, area, sex ratio, literacy ratio, dependency ratio, fuel used, drinking water, internet user, etc. It is based on secondary data from the central bureau of statistics (CBS). The descriptive and comparative design is used to explore the result. It analyzes the data from the perspective of rural development. Rural development is the process of creating wellbeing and ensuring the quality of life among rural people. This study revealed that there are unequal situations in rural municipalities. In some rural municipalities, there is a situation of demographic loss. There is a lack of well-being among people. Deficiencies and deprivation of socio-economic requirements are common for them. Rural areas in the northern belt have acute problems compared to the south-eastern belt of the district. Three tiers of government along with market and cooperative sectors must focus to launch their policy and program to uplift the miserable situation of rural municipalities in Humla district.

Correlations between climate resilience in family farming and sustainable rural development.

Given the recognition that climate change predominantly affects the most vulnerable groups, there has been a growing interest in reorientations that can influence family farming's resilience. However, there is still a lack of research relating this subject to sustainable rural development perspectives. We reviewed 23 studies published between 2000 and 2021. These studies were systematically selected according to the pre-established criteria. Even though there is evidence that using adaptation strategies can effectively strengthen climate resilience in rural communities, many limiting factors remain. The convergences for sustainable rural development may include actions with a long-term horizon. These actions include an improvement package for territorial configurations within a local, inclusive, equitable, and participatory perspective. Furthermore, we discuss possible arguments for the results and future directions to explore opportunities in family farming.

Increase the impact of European funds on Romanian rural development through vernacular expertise

It is well known that the projects financed by the European Union generate effects on the entities that implement them, on the interested factors, but also on the regions where they are implemented. These projects aim to develop the regions and achieve the sustainable development. Taking into account a large number of investments initiated through projects at the level of the European Union, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of these projects, respectively, the analysis of the effects created to control whether or not the proposed objectives are achieved. So, in this article, the authors highlighted the main difficulties faced by rural projects, the impact factors in the implementation of projects financed from European funds, and the ways of increasing the impact of European funds from the perspective of rural development. The relevance of the research consists in identifying the impact factors and problems specific to rural areas in Romania and submitting proposals to increase the impact of European funds (based on the Neamt County case study). The research aims to determine the best ways and solutions to increase the impact of European funds from the perspective of rural development. Therefore, the results of the research, especially of the conducted survey, allowed us to conclude that increasing the impact of European funds on rural development can occur through the implementation and use of vernacular expertise, which is also a new element of the study.

The implication of 'Smart Village' in Nepal: Sustainable rural development perspective

The implication of 'Smart Village' in Nepal: Sustainable rural development perspective

The implication of 'Smart Village' in Nepal: Sustainable rural development perspective

The implication of 'Smart Village' in Nepal: Sustainable rural development perspective

Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Influencing Factors of Rural Resilience from the Perspective of Sustainable Rural Development.

Rural resilience is not only a comprehensive reflection of “thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperity”. It is also the unity of resilience in industry, ecology, culture, organization and livelihood. This paper uses the entropy weight-TOPSIS method to measure the rural resilience level in 31 regions in China and analyzes the configuration of influencing factors with the Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results of the study are as follows: (1) The level of rural resilience in China showed a stable increase from 2010 to 2019, but the overall level was low, with large regional disparities, showing a significant positive spatial correlation. (2) In the high-level rural resilience explanatory path, labor-driven, cultural-driven and market–labor–technology linkage-driven play a core role, while administrative force is not playing a significant role. In the explanation path of non-high level rural resilience, the market–labor absent, administrative–market absent and cultural absent hinder the improvement of rural resilience. In summary, we put forward the following suggestions. Policy renovation and support should be strengthened. Adaption to local conditions should be considered in order to achieve sustainable and differentiated development. Development should be coordinated and balanced in different regions so as to achieve an overall resilience level in rural areas.

Rural Effectiveness Evaluation: A New Way of Assessing Village Development Status

China is currently at a crucial stage of rural revival and transformation growth. Accurate measurement of rural development status is able to provide decision-making services for rural revitalization plan implementation. To address this issue, combining with effectiveness concepts and on the basis of the widely recognized “production–living–ecology” perspective of rural development in the world, this study proposes an innovative technical evaluating system for rural effectiveness. We constructed a rural effectiveness evaluation index system and measurement model, as well as a four-quadrant approach to identify the effectiveness of villages, selecting Xintai county, a typical resource-depleted city, for empirical analysis to verify the evaluation technical system. The results show that (1) 220 villages had comprehensive effectiveness, accounting for 27.8% of the total; the amount of effectiveness for villages in terms of the production, living, and ecological dimensions were 204, 229 and 195, respectively, and they clearly displayed heterogeneity in terms of spatial distribution. (2) The following are village effectiveness dominant types: the function dominates the comprehensive effectiveness. For each dimension, there is a functionally dominant type. (3) Bivariate Moran’s I analysis revealed the relationships’ internal effectiveness. In the same dimension, there was a conflict between efficiency and function. In each dimension, trade-offs were found between the production function, ecological function, living efficiency, as well as production efficiency, ecological function, and efficiency. Synergies were found among the production function and ecological efficiency. Living efficiency had synergies with production efficiency and ecological efficiency. This research enriched the theoretical approach of assessing rural development status and can help guide the rational conversion of village elements to achieve village transformation and sustainability development, as well as providing technical assistance for the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy.

Tourism Perspectives in National Parks—A Hungarian Case Study from the Aspects of Rural Development

Nature-based tourism has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted the tourism sector and triggered contradictory processes, even in protected areas. This phenomenon opens up new opportunities for nature-based tourism from the perspective of rural development. In this study, we assess the relations between tourism and nature conservation and examine the characteristics of practical cooperation in three Hungarian national parks. Based on in-depth interviews (n = 76), document review, and analysis of tourism-related data, our research proves that nature-based tourism could play an essential role in rural development, but this is far from being fulfilled. None of the sectors have been able to impact the comprehensive development of the rural areas concerned. We conclude that sectoral partnership is inadequate, and there is no effective policy coordination. There is a lack of multiday tourism programs, and the currently available tourism infrastructure is insufficient. Initiatives such as the national park product trademark exist but are not well managed, so they do not have a meaningful impact. The results point out that cross-sector collaboration must be strengthened after the epidemic to provide a basis for policy coordination and joint planning.

Renewable Energy Plants and Business Models: A New Rural Development Perspective

The paper evaluates the rural development (RD) contribution of local economic activities (LEAs), whether generated or affected by the proximity of renewable energy plants (REPs). The study also informs about LEAs’ role as co-players in the fight against climate change. Semi-structured research interviews have been applied to identify LEAs’ BM (business model) in Andalusia, Murcia, and Catalonia, autonomous communities of Spain. Most LEAs present a BM based on the RE plant, and others do not, but they still contribute to RD, rural communities’ well-being and global sustainability. Results show, first, that certain LEAs, due to their inter-connection with large REPs, can innovate and create a significant number of stable jobs. Second, land leasing to REPs allows for temporary farms’ diversification, which is conditioned to its bargaining power. Third, advice on integration RE projects in RD strategies should be provided. Conclusions suggest the need for new governance to favor energy transition coherent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Research on the Current Situation of Preschool Education Resource Allocation and Optimizing Countermeasures from the Perspective of Urban and Rural Development

Urban-rural coordination is an important reform and development strategy advocated by the state. It connects my country’s cities and rural areas closely, unified deployment, coordinated planning, and comprehensive consideration, so as to establish an integrated urban-rural development pattern and lay the foundation for my country to achieve a well-off society in an all-round way. However, at present, the problem of uneven development of my country’s education system is serious, especially the preschool education level is more prominent, which has a certain restrictive effect on accelerating the overall development of urban and rural areas. This paper analyzes the current situation of pre-school education resource allocation and proposes specific optimization countermeasures from the perspective of urban and rural overall development, in order to help improve the uneven development of preschool education and lay a solid foundation for the overall development of urban and rural education.

MULTIDIMENSIONAL SOCIAL INCLUSION AND ECONOMIC WELLBEING OF AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS: A LITERARY ANALYSIS

This research was focusedon the agricultural labourers’ social inclusion and economic wellbeing. The researchers argue that these concepts and their relationships are addressed rarely. Prominent features of the agricultural labourers are that they utterly poor, excluded, exploited and marginalised. Their socio-economic issues seldom looked from the agricultural, rural, human and inclusive development perspective. A qualitative interpretative meta-synthesis showed the related socio-economic aspects of agricultural labourers’ social inclusion and economic wellbeing. The review results showed that the agricultural labourers lacked social security, inadequate wages, wage insecurity, extra and unpaid working hours, poor health, low living and working conditions, exploitation, lack of legal rights, low access to public services, financially excluded, limited social life and, so forth. The review results also showed that the agricultural labourers’ multiple and multi-layered issues are hardly studied in social inclusion/exclusion contexts. So, there is a need for further research in perspectives of social inclusion and economic wellbeing. The finding would be a significant recommendation to the policymakers, legal rights practitioners, and rural and inclusive development-based researchers.

Can fair trade resolve the “hungry farmer paradox”?

Fair trade (FT) schemes claim to improve food security by generating economic gains for certified households. Previous research has shown that FT-certified households may benefit from higher prices and incomes. However, little attention has been paid to the implications of FT for food security. In this paper, we use qualitative data, cross-sectional household surveys conducted among coffee-growing households in Peru and matching econometric methods to investigate whether economic gains resulting from FT are enough to ensure food security for farming households. Results show that although FT increased the return from certified coffee (prices, production, yields and net return), the extent of the food insecurity facing FT participants remained unchanged. Our qualitative results suggest that farming households use the additional income they receive from FT to pay for their children’s higher education as a long-term non-farm investment. This leakage effect raises the question of the effect of FT in the medium and long term from a rural development perspective.

REDD+ en México: Conflictividad en la implementación temprana de REDD+ en México

México ha buscado fortalecer su política forestal a través de la implementación de la iniciativa de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas para el Cambio Climático (CMNUCC) denominada REDD+, consistente en la reducción de las emisiones derivadas de la deforestación y la degradación de los bosques, su manejo sustentable, así como la conservación y el incremento de los acervos de carbono forestal. Durante el periodo de preparación de REDD+ en México (2010-2017) se buscó replantear las políticas forestales para introducir en ellas una perspectiva de desarrollo rural sustentable a través de un amplio proceso de participación de los sectores relacionados, el cual sentó las bases para el diseño y la implementación de la Estrategia Nacional REDD+ (ENAREDD+). Este artículo se propone indagar si en el diseño e implementación de los proyectos piloto REDD+ se consideraron las formas locales de manejo de recursos, y si las intervenciones de REDD+ pueden crear o bien aumentar las posibilidades de cooperación o de conflicto. A través de una investigación con actores a nivel nacional, estatal y municipal, se muestra cómo las inercias en el diseño e implementación temprana de REDD+, arraigadas en relaciones de poder, ponen en riesgo el cumplimiento de sus objetivos. Asimismo, se da cuenta de cómo las políticas de mitigación y adaptación de carácter tecnocrático que son aplicadas a los sectores forestal, de conservación y de desarrollo rural, son contradictorias y débiles, al igual que sus objetivos sociales, por lo que desalientan el interés de la población local en reducir emisiones derivadas del cambio de uso del suelo. De continuar estas tendencias más allá de la etapa de preparación, es posible que la implementación de REDD+ no cumpla los objetivos de la CMNUCC ni las expectativas de las partes interesadas, generando así desaliento, descontento y conflicto.

Rural livelihoods and agricultural commercialization in colonial Uganda: conjunctures of external influences and local realities

Rural livelihoods and agricultural commercialization in colonial Uganda: conjunctures of external influences and local realities

Agro-tourism in Nepal: A Rural Development Perspective

This library based paper presents potentiality of agro-tourism in Nepal from rural development perspective. In doing so, focuses are given to fundamentals and management of agro-tourism as well as interface between agro-tourism and rural development. This paper argues that agro-tourism not only emphasizes on good health and environment protection but also creates economic opportunities to the poor farmers, unemployed youths and women. That is why Tourism Vision 2020, Tourism Policy 2007 and National Tourism Strategy Paper (2018-34) have given more focused on rural tourism in general and agro-tourism in particular. However, there are many challenges such as proper management of agro-tourism farms, road accessibility, better health care facilities and evidence based policies related to organic farming and agro-tourism marketing. Finally, this paper suggests performing different activities such as garden visit, harvesting and farm stay, farm restaurants, leisure fishing, highway landscape, agro-diversity conservation and marketing of local organic products for developing and promoting agro-tourism in more potential destinations.

Following the fish inland: understanding fish distribution networks for rural development and nutrition security

In developing countries, small-scale fisheries are both a pivotal source of livelihood and essential for the nutritional intake of larger food insecure populations. Distribution networks that move fish from landing sites to coastal and inland consumers offer entry points to address livelihood enhancement and food security objectives of rural development initiatives. To be able to utilize fish distribution networks to address national development targets, a sound understanding of how local systems function and are organized is imperative. Here we present an in-depth examination of a domestic market chain in Timor-Leste that supplies small-pelagic fish to coastal and inland communities. We present the market chain’s different commodity flows and its distributive reach, and show how social organization strongly influences people’s access to fish, by determining availability and affordability. We suggest there is potential to advance Timor-Leste’s food and nutrition security targets by engaging with local influential actors and existing social relations across fish distribution networks. We argue that in addition to developing improvements to fish distribution infrastructure, utilizing existing or locally familiar practices, organization and social capital offers opportunity for long term self-sufficiency. Livelihood and food security improvement initiatives involving natural resource-dependent communities are more likely to succeed if they incorporate rural development perspectives, which frame directly targeted interventions (‘intentional’ development) within broader structural contexts (‘immanent’ development).

Heritage and Patrimony of the Peasantry: an analytical framework to address rural development

The term “rural development” is exceptionally multifaceted, which makes it difficult to define. This and other features make it a ‘wicked problem’, which means the consequences of ruraldevelopmental problems can create other complications. To date, the important discussion of rural development has dealt with productivity and economic concerns. This discussion has many crucial aspects such as the environment, infrastructure, and respect for fundamental rights. This paper describes the ‘Heritage and Patrimony of the Peasantry’ as an alternative analytical framework for addressing rural development. This analytical framework takes important topics from other rural development perspectives (primarily focused on food sovereignty principles). The heritage and patrimony of the peasantry framework moves away from the market point of view, which converts everything into an asset that can be marketed, and utilizes other sources of heritage. The peasantry has seven kinds of ‘heritages’ or ‘patrimonies’: natural, cultural, economic, physical, social, institutional, and human. These heritages or patrimonies are the bases of construction for a decent standard of living which will accomplish full rights for all rural inhabitants, i.e. rural development.