Rural Development Process Research Articles

Revitalizing traditional villages through Bookstore-led Rural Tourism: a case study of three Bookstore villages in Rural China

ABSTRACT Rural tourism has been used to revitalize traditional villages by integrating creative tourism service facilities. This paper focuses on the role of physical bookstores as a significant tourism service facility in rural China. In urban settings, physical bookstores have faced numerous challenges, leading them to evolve into new forms and offer immersive experiences to visitors. Bookstores have also ventured into traditional Chinese villages that leads to rural revitalization. Despite the evidence of rural tourism initiated by bookstores, it received little attention in academia. This paper aims to propose the concept of bookstore-led rural tourism, investigates its tourism development process and impacts on rural communities. Three bookstore villages were selected as case studies and the research was conducted using qualitative and inductive approaches. The findings confirm that (1) rural bookstores play a leading role in the rural tourism development process through the three stages; (2) bookstore-led rural tourism also revitalizes traditional Chinese villages at the material, social, and spiritual levels, with rural bookstores playing a crucial role in shaping rural identity. This paper recommends that the application of bookstore-led rural tourism to revitalize traditional villages using a holistic approach should be valued in future research studies and real-life practice.

Political Mobilization of Farmers in India: A Case Study of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) in Punjab

Growing agrarian contradictions and peasant protests globally are seen as outcomes of the commercialization of agricultural production systems. The Indian Punjab is one such site that has also witnessed a high degree of agricultural commercialization, and farmers’ movements and protests are attributed to growing discontentment among peasantry due to the emergence of agrarian crises. This has led to massive farmers’ movements and protests through their unionization over time. These protests received global limelight during the introduction of three farm laws by the union government of India in 2020, which were repealed in 2021. This necessitates understanding the organizational structure and functioning of unions; their social composition, mobilization strategies and role of gender. This article examines the evolution and strategies of Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan, ekta meaning united), which is the largest farmers’ union in Punjab and one of the largest in India. Using a mixed-method approach of research, which included interviewing union member farmers and agricultural workers through a semi-structured schedule and conducting focused group discussions with block presidents and executive committee members, the study finds that the unionization of farmers has accelerated the process of rural democratization. However, active persuasion of social reforms along with other agrarian issues in rural society by the unions is needed to bring social inclusiveness to make rural development process pro-poor and inclusive.

A Study on the Endogenous Dynamics of Rural Tourism Green Development in Yunnan Under the Background of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality

Yunnan Province has abundant rural tourism resources, however, the vigorous development of rural tourism in Yunnan is accompanied by ecological safety risks. Severe tourism pollution restricts the sustainable development of rural tourism in Yunnan. 'Greening' has become the main way for the sustainable development of rural tourism in Yunnan under the background of 'dual carbon'. Based on the 'dual carbon' background and combining the perspectives of 'driving factors for green development' and 'green behavior', this paper deeply analyzes the current situation of 'greening' in rural tourism communities in Yunnan during the process of rural tourism development. Combined with the social network relationships of rural tourism green development communities in Yunnan, the original model is modified. On the basis of social exchange theory and group dynamics, a relationship model between social network environment and participation behavior mechanism is formed. Through this model, the endogenous driving force of rural tourism community residents to participate in green development is explored, and methods and paths to motivate the driving force for green development are sought. Ultimately, it achieves that residents can participate, are willing to participate, and have the ability to participate in all aspects of the green development of rural tourism in Yunnan, promoting the sustainable development of rural tourism and communities in Yunnan.

FACTORS IMPACTING THE WELLBEING OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN MALAYSIA’S RURAL SETTLEMENTS

A rural development process could have a direct impact on the wellbeing of rural households. This wellbeing assessment needs to be addressed adequately in Malaysia. The aim of this paper is to investigate the factors impacting the wellbeing of rural households in Malaysia’s rural settlements. The Iskandar Malaysia region in Johor was selected as a study area because of its diverse settlements, consisting of seven types of rural settlements in Johor. A quantitative approach was adopted by means of a household survey involving 282 heads of households as respondents. The finding reveals that different types of rural settlements were affected by different factors that influence the wellbeing of the rural households. This paper can provide an understanding of the factors that affect wellbeing, specifically income generation and job opportunities for rural households based on different types of rural settlements.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT: CASE OF WOMENS GROUPS IN THE PREFECTURE OF KISSIDOUGOU, GUINEA

This work aims to determine the role that women play in the rural development process in the prefecture of Kissidougou. The activities took place in Kissidougou prefecture from July 16 to October 25, 2023.To better understand this study we adopted the following methodology:Consultation of executives, archives and documents and socio-economic surveys. To this end, our surveys focused on: 240 women surveyed using the direct interview method, including 168 women belonging to groups formed, i.e. 6 women per group and 72 women working individually.From the data collected we arrived at the following results: 1. The annual income of women from all activities combined amounts to 221,479,000 GNF or $25,840 with a total expense of 177,064,570 GNF equivalent to $20,659 or a net profitability of 25.08% 2. The annual expenses of a female farmer increased from 385,200 GNF ($45) to 700,600 GNF ($81.8) or a variation of 82%, that of crafts 422,200 GNF ($49.3) to 710,200 GNF ($83) for a variation of 68% and those of traders from 643,400 GNF ($75.1) to 979,100 GNF ($114.23) for a variation of 52% 3. A change in mentalities for development 4. An increase in the purchasing power of women thanks to the increase in income and their strong application in family expenses (food, health care, schooling, clothing, housing, etc.), purchase of livestock, means travel and house construction. 5. Better management of the family budget and improvement of the conditions of members and non-members of groups. However, it should be noted that despite the efforts made by womens groups for rural development, there is still a lot to do in the sense that the groups are so far confronted with certain problems which are among others: 1. Insufficiency of areas specific to women farmers, inputs, seeds and materials 2. Insufficient infrastructure and craft equipment 3. Insufficient working capital and difficulty in selling finished products. 4. To remedy this problem, in the process of perpetuating the groups it is necessary to adopt the legislative, financial and administrative measures necessary to create an environment favorable to the entrepreneurial spirit of women and their participation in active life. Based on these observations and the testimonies of some women interviewed, we can say that women play a leading role in direct or indirect rural development and in improving family living conditions.

Gender Issues that Influence Financial Inclusion of Rural Women in Developing Nations.

Rural women in the developing world often face barriers that hinder them from benefiting from the formal financial sector. They experience structural challenges which frustrate their efforts to participate meaningfully in rural development processes as a result of this financial exclusion. This subsequently leads to the feminization of poverty thereby reducing their chances for social mobility. This paper analyses the gender issues influence these rural women’s financial inclusion. The paper mainly relied on desk research to identify and analyses common factors influencing rural women in the developing world’s financial inclusion in the contemporary world. The researchers utilized a systematic literature review method to identify and analyse information related to rural women’s financial inclusion. This entailed a robust internet search for different articles deemed relevant to the topic under study. The search revealed that rural women face challenges to do with time poverty, rural-urban gender gap, and lack of gender mainstreaming and patriarchal barriers. Basing on the factors highlighted above, the paper recommends that women should be helped to acquire saving techniques, improve their mobility, coopted into agricultural leadership positions, enhance their access to and participation in livestock production and have their self-concept improved. There is also need for structural changes where the government and other development agencies gender mainstream different financial services and projects offered in rural areas and to promote gender sensitive training for rural women programmes. They should consider cultural, psychological and legislative barriers that hinder rural women’s financial inclusion so as to improve access to financial products and services. Contract farming companies should also consider the implementation of contracts plus programmes.

Study on the Path of Rural Tourism for Rural Revitalization under the Threshold of Value Co-Creation

Abstract Rural tourism presents multifaceted development and community participation as the core of rural tourism development also serves as a solid force for rural revitalization. Under the concept of value co-creation, community residents are involved in the entire process of rural tourism development, and their role is more significant. Studying the participation of community residents in rural tourism development is of great significance. In this paper, we construct a dynamic model of the rural tourism value chain using value co-creation and elaborate on the co-creation processes involved in the entire value creation process. Combined with the sample data to analyze the overall situation of rural tourism development, we collect data on the willingness of community residents to participate and construct a regression model of the factors influencing the willingness of community residents to participate in rural tourism. With the conclusion of the influencing factors analysis, we further analyze the motivation and behavior of community residents’ participation in the development of rural tourism and propose relevant strategies to optimize the path of rural revitalization with respect to the overall level of community participation. The correlation analysis of the influencing factors shows that the correlation coefficients of residents’ ability to participate, residents’ motivation to participate, residents’ attitude to participate, and the degree of community participation in rural tourism are 0.686, 0.785, and 0.706, respectively, all indicating positive correlation. Community residents’ participation in conservation behavior and responsibility and obligation motivation have a significant positive correlation. The correlation coefficient is 0.623, and the significance is 0.000, which indicates that community residents’ participation occupies an important position in the whole rural tourism development community, and the innovative community participation mechanism can significantly accelerate the development of rural revitalization.

Digital Economy and Urban and Rural Integration, Development Research

Digital economy plays an important role in the transformation of traditional industries. It not only provides new impetus for economic growth, but also helps traditional industries to accelerate the pace of transformation and promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure. This paper discusses the connotation of digital economy, that is, the mechanism of digital economy affects the integrated development of urban and rural areas, and constructs a seven-index system, which uses the entropy weight method, linear regression model, coupled coordination model and intermediate effect analysis to measure the development of national digital economy from 2016 to 2022. The following conclusions are drawn: In recent years, China's digital economy has been sustainable developed, and the coordination between digital economy and urban-rural integrated development has gradually reached a good level. The digital economy contributes to the integration of urban and rural areas. Every 1% increase in the digital economy, the growth level of urban-rural integration will increase by about 0.4694%. Taking the innovation index of science and technology as the intermediate variable, a model is constructed to detect the development degree of digital economy and urban and rural integration. The results show that scientific and technological innovation passes the intermediate effect test, indicating that digital economy can be promoted through scientific and technological innovation and the process of urban and rural integration development. On this basis, this paper puts forward relevant suggestions, which provides reference for the comprehensive development of urban and rural areas.

Enhancing territorial development based on biocultural identity. A capacity building approach

The adoption of new territorial approaches based on biocultural identity is increasingly valued for the activation and enhancement of processes of inclusive and sustainable rural development. These processes are often hindered by the presence of conflicts, rather than collective action and collaboration among stakeholders, at different institutional levels. This negatively affects the preservation and sustainable valorization of local biocultural heritage towards a synergic integration and balanced satisfaction of the interests at stake.Consequently, capacity building is increasingly taken into consideration by both researchers and policy makers to respond to an emerging need of territorial dynamization, requiring the mobilization of local actors, as well as enhanced decision-making and action-taking powers.Our paper aims to provide a systemic comprehension and enhancement of territorial development paths based on biocultural identity and to foster their enhancement through the adoption of a capacity building approach. A novel holistic conceptual model is designed and operationalized supporting the analysis of the key processes of biocultural heritage valorization for rural territorial development.A participatory action-research (PAR) approach was developed in eight territories, in both Europe and Latin America, illustrative of biocultural heritage valorization dynamics. The latter represented case studies and worked as laboratories for the model application. The paper presents the case of the Garfagnana territory, an inner mountain area of the Tuscany Region (Italy), which stands out for its capacity to comprehensively illustrate the applicability of the conceptual model and its expected results as a typical case study.The findings prove the model to be supportive in the identification of the virtuous aspects, criticalities, and needs for improvement that characterize processes of biocultural heritage valorization for rural territorial development, the detection of related dynamization needs, and a shared demand for capacity building, which made it possible to highlight and describe a new interdisciplinary profile of territorial enhancer (TE).The results support the adaption of education and training to align with territorial specificities and the valorization of the local diversity of resources and knowledge. As an outcome, we expect to foster processes of both educational transformation and social innovation through empowerment, thus generating concrete change in rural territories and communities, aiming at a long-lasting impact on social wellbeing, sustainability, and cohesion.

Energy development in rural China toward a clean energy system: utilization status, co-benefit mechanism, and countermeasures

In order to promote the construction of a clean, low-carbon, and diversified modern rural new energy system, this study examines the development, utilization, connection, and system construction of rural new energy in China. This is done through the classification, integration, and systematic analysis of official statistical data and materials from recent years. Utilizing descriptive statistical analysis, the study holds great theoretical and practical significance. The findings indicate the following: 1) overall, the development of new energy in China’s rural areas is progressing well. However, there is an increasing contradiction between supply and consumption. 2) The new energy industry is experiencing overall growth, accompanied by increasing policy support. Despite this, the industry’s driving effect is not substantial. 3) The development of new energy production equipment in rural areas is lagging, resulting in insufficient cleanliness of energy consumption. There is still a significant gap compared to the goal requirements of agricultural and rural modernization. 4) During the process of rural new energy connection and development, there exists a lack of strong connections between the various subjects of interest. The interest relationship is consequently unstable, necessitating the improvement of a closely-knit interest community. Taking the issue of rural new energy development as its starting point, this paper thoroughly explores the mechanisms driving rural new energy connection. It delves into the interest relationship between the different stakeholders and provides guidelines for optimizing rural new energy system construction. Ultimately, this research aims to contribute to rural revitalization, facilitate the realization of the “double carbon” goal, and establish a modern rural new energy system.

Strategic management of rural areas in the context of decentralization

This article analyzes economic mechanisms and approaches to optimize rural governance and development, particularly in the context of ongoing decentralization reforms in Ukraine. Decentralization has given more budgetary and administrative powers to local governments in rural areas, allowing for policies that are more adapted to local conditions. However, local governments often lack the knowledge, skills, and resources to take full advantage of these opportunities. The study aims to identify strategies for strengthening governance and economic management of rural areas through improved financial planning, investment, use of technology, and human capital development. The aim is to provide recommendations for improving the efficiency, sustainability and equity of rural development processes.

How should rural development be chosen? The mechanism narration of rural regional function: A case study of Gansu Province, China

Several major changes in China's land policy, economic system, and development strategy have contributed to the continuous transformation of rural patterns and urban-rural relations. The deepening of urban-rural interaction has led to an increasing complexity of rural territorial functions, and the importance of territorial multifunctional mechanisms in the dynamic process of rural development in China has been highlighted. However, the current choice of a rural development model lacks comprehensive thinking that combines the functional mechanisms of rural areas with the elements of the development environment. In this paper, we define and identify the functions of rural areas in Gansu Province, China, and analyze and construct a rural development model by analyzing the interaction between the mechanisms of rural regional functions and the “rural revitalization” strategy. We find that under the control of “rural revitalization,” a sustainable development tool, the countryside is constantly developing into a multifunctional complex, and its development mode should be dynamically adjusted according to functional changes. Finally, we summarize the general evolutionary cycle of the multifunctional system of rural regions and attempt to extrapolate the dynamic developmental village type classification process of “rural revitalization” from the perspective of rural regional functions in China.

Building the plane in the air: Articulating neo-endogenous rural development from the ground up

Neo-endogenous rural development is driven by local people from the ground up but enabled and steered by policy actors from the top down; the balance of driving and steering, or where the power in the relationship lies, is thus a key point of enquiry. This paper interrogates contemporary theorisations of rural development using recent empirical evidence from Australia. We analyse a recent development process in the rural region of North West Tasmania, Australia: the “Regional Futures Plan”, conducted over the period 2019–2021. The Regional Futures Plan was a locally led development initiative that brought together regional actors across sectors in a structured process to address employment, population, and sustainability challenges. It received limited State government funding or support. In this paper we ask: to what extent is this locally led rural development process an empirical example of neo-endogenous rural development, classic endogenous rural development, or something else? Analysis through an anthropology of development lens deepens current theorisations of neo-endogenous rural development by revealing the logics and strategies local actors use as they work together for change in dialogue with external actors and the State. The analysis concludes that the Regional Futures Plan experience can be understood as a form of disarticulated neo-endogenous rural development whereby local actors seek to drive local development outcomes in dialogue with, but in the absence of formal relationships with more powerful governing institutions and the state. The existence of locally led but disarticulated rural development suggests both opportunities and challenges for future rural development policy.

Stakeholder Empowerment in Sustainable Rural Development Partnerships: Two Case Studies from Italy

The funds allocated through the EU Rural Development Programme provided the engine for local stakeholders to interact, forming mixed collaboration partnerships. This paper investigates the structure of such partnerships with the aim of verifying whether (R1) there are significant differences between the various stakeholder categories in influencing the rural development process, and (R2) which categories of stakeholders are more empowered in directing the design of sustainable rural development. The study is focused on two Italian cases: the regions of Apulia and Veneto. Using a combination of SNA and nonparametric tests, the results demonstrate that the empowerment of the stakeholders followed unequal paths in the two cases; i.e., a central role is clearly played by economic associations in Apulia, while this power is more distributed between different kinds of stakeholders in the case of Veneto. Agricultural associations in Apulia play an important role in the densely connected rural development network, promoting information flow and collective action. On the other hand, the weakness of this configuration lies in the fact that the rural development agenda can receive strong pressure from the agricultural sector, pushing more sectoral strategies in turn. Private companies play a key role in Veneto’s rural development, bridging the network gaps between more clustered local groups and increasing pluralism and inclusion. However, the network is sparse and shrinking, posing challenges in terms of coordination and collective action. This kind of evaluation makes policymakers and managers aware of both the most influential and weakest actors. This is crucial to improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the project, as they can involve the most influential groups from the early stages of the design process to ensure support as well as address the needs of the lagging stakeholder categories to reinforce tacit rules, trust, accountability, and responsibilities.

Pembaharuan Data Profil Desa Bumirejo Sebagai Dasar Menetapkan Sasaran Program Pembangunan Desa

The rural development process in Indonesia ideally translates village character and responds to community needs. However, some of these villages have not prepared and updated village profile data based on real-world conditions in order to provide a complete picture of the village's character. The purpose of this paper is to photograph the development of Bumirejo Village so that it can be used to set development program targets and assess the effectiveness of village development. This community service activity employs qualitative methods. Data collection techniques such as observational studies and in-depth interviews and data analysis employs narrative analysis. As part of the village government, this activity resulted in a village profile book containing basic family data, potential, and regional development of each hamlet.

Diagnosis of Rural Development Processes Based on the Stock of Social Capital and Social Networks: Approach from E-I Index

Europe’s rural areas have suffered a continuous loss of human and economic capital from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. In an attempt to alleviate the effects of this dynamic, the European Union has implemented the LEADER rural development programme since the 1990s (Liaisons Entre Actions de Développement de L’Economie Rurale). Among the many objectives of this policy, the social articulation of its populations stood out as a way of strengthening development processes. This article aims to provide a methodological approach to analyse and quantify the stock of social capital (SC) present in the social networks of rural areas after more than thirty years of European rural policy. Based on 160 interviews with stakeholders linked to rural development processes in rural areas of Spain and England from institutional, economic, social and technical sectors. The methodological approach of Social Network Analysis (SNA) has been used, and within this, the study of SNA indicators and the analysis of the E-I index have been integrated in order to analyse the stock of internal (bonding) and external (bridging) SC. The conclusions of this study clarify the role of stakeholders and their contribution to the stock of SC. The studied rural areas present a balance in internal and external relations, which shows a high stock of SC and an encouraging scenario for the development processes and, thus, for the success of the LEADER programme. Nevertheless, the participation of the actors in the LEADER programme in Spain still shows a worrying project class.

Impact of State and Legal Regulation on the Sustainable Development of Agricultural Territories and Improving the Standard of Living of the Population

The presented study assesses the impact of state regulation on the processes of sustainable development of rural areas in the EAEU countries. Sustainable rural development today is one of the strategic tasks of the state related to ensuring its economic, environmental, and food security. The authors aim to identify the opportunities for sustainable development of rural areas in the EAEU countries in comparison with international trends. The paper analyzes the main theoretical concepts and methodological approaches to assessing the sustainability of rural development developed by researchers. The authors review the legislation regulating the processes of sustainable rural development. They consider examples of world experience in the application of state regulation measures to ensure sustainable development of rural areas. The main principles on which the management of sustainable rural development is based, according to the authors, are consistency, an integrated approach, strategic planning, and inclusiveness. It is concluded that it is the state that is the main interest and actor in ensuring sustainable rural development. The lines of action for the improvement of state regulation of rural areas' for EAEU countries’ sustainable development are proposed. According to the authors, in order to ensure the sustainable development of rural areas, the support program should be focused on small producers, private households, and farmers.

К ВОПРОСУ ОБ ОЦЕНКЕ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО РАЗВИТИЯ СЕЛЬСКИХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ НА ОСНОВАНИИ СТАНДАРТА КАЧЕСТВА ЖИЗНИ

Modern socioeconomic processes of rural development make it necessary to look at the problems of the agrarian sector of the economy from a new angle. The growing differences in rural areas in terms of social and economic development reduce the efficiency of the spatial organization of Russia’s economy, affect food security and form an environment of focal and fragmented development in traditionally agrarian regions. The spatial structure of Russia’s economy includes both depressive rural areas and quite successful ones showing stable economic growth. This largely depends on the density of the population, the development of social, engineering and transport infrastructure in rural areas, and the differentiation and sustainability of the regional economy. In order to make effective management decisions, the regional and municipal management system needs to develop a methodology for assessing the socioeconomic development of rural areas based on the quality of living standards. This requires the development of appropriate management tools, which makes the results of our research, tested on the example of the village of Vodorazdel in the Stavropol Territory, very relevant. The practical significance of the results of the study lies in the possibility of their use by state executive authorities and local governments in order to improve agricultural policy and rural development.

The role of irrigation projects in the development of rural settlements conceptual framework and experiences

Irrigation projects have a key role in influencing economic factors and reshaping the demographic distribution pattern of rural settlements and elements of development. As the main objective of the research is to show what irrigation projects achieve in rural development through the redistribution of rural human settlements in a schematic manner consistent with the new irrigation reality and helps In exploiting the agricultural potential to reach the rebuilding of the rural economy, and to help solve the problem of poor distribution of development benefits and the lack of public services for rural human settlements, due to the spread and scattering of villages, assuming that the prevailing pattern of widespread distribution changes and the use of a new pattern based on the grouping of villages, and raising the rate of Population size in a way that helps to achieve the rural development process. Considering that the dominant feature that distinguishes the pattern of rural settlements in Iraq is the small size of the settlements, their spread and their lack of basic services, which is the characteristic that stands in the way of development and development.Among the most important conclusions achieved for the role of irrigation projects in addition to agricultural development, is their contribution to the urban development of rural human settlements and providing them with public and agricultural services by linking to a network of roads, in addition to establishing new settlements that support the rural economy.

Agricultural Modernization and Rural Development: Reference to Traditional Agriculture Transformation in Nepal

This study has aimed to analyze the process of agricultural modernization and rural development in Nepal that focused on the issue, the contribution of agricultural growth and rural development in the case of agriculture modernization. It is qualitative in nature based on secondary literatures such as theory of agriculture modernization and some relevant literatures of Nepalese economy were reviewed to analyze the level of agriculture modernization of Nepal; agriculture has significantly contributed in its national economy as one of the dominant sectors; the sector found not being transformed even the numbers of policy measures implementing for its modernization. Still the most of the Nepalese people depends upon traditional agriculture sector as their major source of income, struggling in a adverse situation in this sector both in economic growth and farm productivity. In the context of agriculture modernization, the country has brought various policy measures and programs before and after establishing democracy in 1990.Various policies and programs aimed, Nepal would go through the process of agricultural transformation even though, and the result found to be remained the same. It is happening because of the policy gap in the process of formulation and implementation; still most of the Nepali farmers are engaged in the traditional agriculture that is subsistence. There is also found the situation of high ratio of unemployment, underemployment, seasonal unemployment and disguised unemployment in the country. Thus, the country Nepal has probably found to be failing in the process of agriculture modernization and the ratio of economic growth contribution in the gross national economy has gradually been decreasing instead of being radical increase from a decade 2011 to 2021.