Rural Development Research Articles

The Effect of Urban–Rural Fringe Landscape Environment Enhancement on the Settlement Intentions of Young Talents

As new urbanization and rural revitalization strategies are implemented, the relationship between urban and rural areas is rapidly changing. Accordingly, rural landscape design is becoming increasingly important for promoting rural development. Located at the intersection of urban and rural areas and offering unique geographic characteristics and developmental potential, urban–rural fringe villages offer a valuable setting for assessing how rural transformation and landscape improvement influence the settlement intentions of regional talents. Drawing upon the Landscape Affordance Theory and the Stimulus–Organism–Response Theory, this study develops a model to evaluate how enhancements in comfort, convenience, safety, and aesthetics within rural landscapes influence the perceptions of livability and settlement intentions of young rural talents. The research utilizes a survey of residents aged 16 to 45 in representative urban–rural fringe villages in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, collecting 230 valid responses. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 28 to assess the impact of these landscape attributes on livability perceptions and settlement intentions. This study demonstrates that Perceived Convenience (PCV) and Perceived Aesthetics (PA) have significant positive effects on Design Satisfaction (DS) and Perceived Livability (PL). The research identifies the positive impacts of the four characteristics of rural landscape enhancement on PL, ranking them in order of influence: PCV > PA > Perceived Safety (PS) > Perceived Comfort (PC). Similarly, the positive effects on DS are ranked as follows: PCV > PA > PC. PL is identified as having the strongest impact on Talents’ Intention to Stay (TIS), indicating that improving livability perceptions is crucial for enhancing both design satisfaction and settlement intentions. Our findings demonstrate that improvements to the convenience, comfort, aesthetics, and safety of the landscape environment can significantly affect the settlement intentions of young talents in rural areas. Through field research and empirical data validation, this study highlights the positive effect of enhancements in four key areas of landscape design on the perceived livability and settlement intentions of young talents in rural settings, offering clear guidance for rural planning and design initiatives.

A multifaceted analysis of pesticide utilization in market gardening along the Ruzizi plain: Exploring factors, farmer perceptions & media influence

Along the Ruzizi plain, subsistence agriculture constitutes households' primary food source. Regardless of the environment, the low level of pesticide use ensures less effective disease and pest control. This is why a study was carried out in the Ruzizi plain to identify the main determinants of pesticide use on vegetable crops for effective control of diseases and pests that significantly reduce the yield of these crops, which play an economically important role for producers and the role of the media in this context. The data was collected using a closed-type survey questionnaire on 90 market gardeners distributed equally between localities applying the probit model. The results of the probit model estimation reveal that about nine factors positively influence the use of pesticides: membership in a cooperative (p=0.0012), access to agricultural credit (p=0.0153), experience in agriculture (p=0.0008), experience in market gardening (p=0.0197), standard of living (p=0.0139), yield (p=0.0001), capacity building (p=0.0035), the area exploited (p=0.0011) and the cultivation system (p=0.0233). In addition, tomatoes are the leading vegetable crop grown by many market gardeners (61.1%), followed by amaranth (20%) and onions (18.9%). Also, 67.8% of market gardeners use pesticides compared to 32.2% who do not use them. Thus, considering these factors would contribute to decision-making when carrying out certain activities to improve market gardening, contributing considerably to the fight against food insecurity. Also, it is advised that the media work harder to inform rural residents and areas about the agenda for rural development.

Retraction Note: Empowering rural development: the socioeconomic impact of energy transition and sustainable agriculture

Retraction Note: Empowering rural development: the socioeconomic impact of energy transition and sustainable agriculture

How Can Digital Villages Improve Basic Public Services Delivery in Rural Areas? Evidence from 1840 Counties in China

Digital transformation is spreading from urban to rural areas, and the construction of digital villages has become a key growth point for rural sustainable development globally. Digital villages improve the level of basic public services delivery in rural areas via the penetration of digital technology. However, few studies have empirically investigated the theoretical mechanisms underlying the impact of digital villages on various aspects of rural basic public services. To address these gaps, this study investigates the impact mechanisms of digital villages on rural basic public services delivery in terms of accessibility, equity, agility, holistic nature and participation. Using 1840 counties in China as the research sample, this study applies the entropy method to extract a composite index of basic public services and performs correlation, regression, and heterogeneity analyses to examine the effects of digital villages on basic public services delivery. Empirical analysis results show that the construction of digital villages is positively associated with the level of basic public services in rural areas. Meanwhile, heterogeneity analysis results confirms that this relationship is mainly observed in eastern counties but not observed in central and western counties. These findings provide a basis for using digital inclusion to improve basic public services delivery in rural areas and achieve balanced development across regions.

Research on the Development of Hainan Rural Tourism and Cultural Handicrafts Under the Background of Rural Revitalization

Under the background of rural revitalization strategy, Hainan has become a hot spot of rural tourism development by virtue of its unique natural scenery and rich ethnic cultural resources. This paper aims to explore the development path and strategy of rural tourism cultural handicrafts in Hainan, analyze the development status of rural tourism in Hainan, put forward specific development strategies and policy suggestions, in order to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the upgrading and development of rural tourism industry in Hainan.

Exploring Diversification Strategies among Italian Farms

The multifunctionality model is receiving more and more attention from policymakers as a result of recent initiatives to build more resilient and sustainable food systems as well as the potential for increased farm revenue. This paper explores the role of multifunctional farming in the Italian agriculture viewed through the lens of an entrepreneurial strategy grounded on-farm diversification. Farm diversification strategies, which broaden the farm’s traditional boundaries to include additional activities at the farm level, help the evolution towards multifunctionality. A policy-driven transition towards multifunctional farming has been noticed in Italy during the past few decades, which has prompted a strategic reconfiguration of the farm’s business models. Drawing on the identified activity of portfolio diversification, this study provides an overview of the analyzed 49,429 Italian farms, by articulating diversification strategies into four entrepreneurial activities, which are related to on/off-farm/farm-related or farm-diverse diversification strategies. This article has attempted to verify the presence of farm types that responded to portfolio diversification management strategies through the use of a cluster analysis on data from the general census of Italian agriculture. Supporting new patterns in the adoption of business models focused on multifunctionality should be considered in European rural development policies.

Research on the Development Path of Rural E-Commerce in Supporting Rural Revitalization

With the rapid development of information technology, rural e-commerce is playing an increasingly important role in promoting rural economic growth, increasing farmers' incomes, and driving rural revitalization. This paper begins by defining rural e-commerce and analyzing its characteristics, current development status both domestically and internationally, and exploring the close connection between e-commerce and rural revitalization. By investigating multiple development paths through which rural e-commerce supports rural revitalization-including industrial structure optimization, market expansion for agricultural products, development of rural human resources, and improvement of information infrastructure—this paper reveals the critical role of rural e-commerce in achieving the goals of rural revitalization. Additionally, it presents relevant policy recommendations and solutions to the challenges faced by rural e-commerce development while forecasting future trends in rural e-commerce.

Nutrient content and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry metabolomic comparative analysis of Lithocarpus corneus and Lithocarpus pachylepis.

China possesses abundant species resources in genus Lithocarpus Blume, commonly known as "acorns." These nuts are traditional foods in China, holding significant potential for local specialty food and rural economic development. To explore their edible value, we compared the nutritional components and metabolites between the fruits of Lithocarpus corneus (YD) and Lithocarpus pachylepis (HL), which are cultivated widely in south of China. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis of YD and HL was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry technology. A total of eight classes of differential metabolites (DAMs) were detected: alkaloids, amino acids and peptides, carbohydrates, fatty acids, polyketides, shikimates and phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, and other metabolites. In the positive ion mode, 225 DAMs were identified, whereas in the negative ion mode, 116 DAMs were identified. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differentially abundant metabolites were generally enriched in three pathways: aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and ABC transporters. The nutritional content of YD has higher moisture, fructose, and total flavonoid levels, but lower starch, protein, fat, glucose, sucrose, and total sugar content than HL. Additionally, YD contains more Ca, K, P, and Fe, but less Mg and Zn compared to HL. Analyses indicate that YD is nutrient-rich and beneficial, making it suitable for further development. Two species of Lithocarpus contain nandrolone, suggesting a new direction for specialty food development. The unique chemical composition and rich nutritional content of Lithocarpus fruits provide a theoretical basis for their development and application as food resources. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: L. corneus and L. pachylepis are traditional Chinese nuts, rich in starch, minerals, and flavonoids, making them suitable for consumption or use as food constituents. Their fruits contain various unique natural chemical compounds, indicating high application value and development potential.

Social network, sustainable livelihood capital and risk response: an empirical analysis of rural China

ABSTRACT In rural China, farmers who have been “lifted out of poverty” still at risk of returning to poverty. The sustainable livelihood and risk coping ability of farmers are of great significance for rural development, and social networks have a distinctive effect on livelihood and risk coping ability of farmers. Based on full-coverage survey in a village, this paper adopts the entropy weight method, Social Network Analysis, and aims to build a social network model and reveal the impact of social networks on farmer’s livelihood and risk coping ability. The results show that the farmers’ livelihood capital based on social network has a significant amplification. Furthermore, social relationships can directly affect farmers’ ability to cope with livelihood risks. And, for farmers with higher social, information, human and financial capital, the effectiveness of social networks in enhancing their risk coping capacity is more significant. Overall, it is suggested that more attention should be paid to the positive role of social networks on the livelihood in the future. For rural development, social relationship networks should be continuously enriched and to strengthen its multiplier effect on farmers’ livelihood. And for farmer development, it should take measures to improve the mobilising capacity of social relations. And to amplify the effectiveness of various types of livelihood capital in risk response.

Analysis of the Current Situation and Countermeasures for College Students Returning to Employment and Entrepreneurship under the Background of Rural Revitalization

With the in-depth implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, an increasing number of college students are choosing to return to their hometowns for employment and entrepreneurship, becoming an important force in promoting rural development. This paper aims to explore the current situation of college students returning to their hometowns for employment and entrepreneurship against the backdrop of rural revitalization, as well as the challenges they face. Through an analysis of relevant policies, data, and case studies, it was found that college students currently face issues such as insufficient funding, unstable market conditions, and a lack of skills and experience during their return. To address these challenges, this paper proposes corresponding countermeasures, including strengthening policy support, providing vocational training, utilizing social resources, and encouraging innovative cooperation. It is hoped that this research can provide references for policymakers and college students, promoting the sustainable development of the rural economy.

Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Korean Farmers: Survey on Occupational Diseases in 2020 and 2022.

This study investigated factors influencing the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) resulting from agricultural work, utilizing the 2020 and 2022 occupational disease survey data collected by the Rural Development Administration. The combined data from these years indicated a 6.02% prevalence of MSDs, reflecting a significant class imbalance in the binary response variables. This imbalance could lead to classifiers overlooking rare events, potentially inflating accuracy assessments. We evaluated five distinct models to compare their performance using both original and synthetic data and assessing the models' performance based on synthetic data generation. In the multivariate logistic model, we focused on the main effects of the covariates as there were no statistically significant second-order interactions. Focusing on the random over-sampling examples (ROSE) method, gender, age, and pesticide use were particularly impactful. The odds of experiencing MSDs were 1.29 times higher for females than males. The odds increased with age: 2.66 times higher for those aged 50-59, 4.60 times higher for those aged 60-69, and 7.16 times higher for those aged 70 or older, compared to those under 50. Pesticide use was associated with 1.26 times higher odds of developing MSDs. Among body part usage variables, all except wrists and knees were significant. Farmers who frequently used their necks, arms, and waist showed 1.27, 1.11, and 1.23 times higher odds of developing MSDs, respectively. The accuracy of the raw method was high, but the ROSE method outperformed it for precision and F1 score, and both methods showed similar AUC.

Buddhist participatory communication for rural development: a comparative analysis of case studies in Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, Thailand and lessons learned for Vietnam

ABSTRACT Religion, the foundation of all cultures, can serve as a potential substitute for participatory communication and rural community development. This paper attempts to (1) analyse how the Buddhist approach is integrated into development communication initiatives in three countries, namely Sri Lanka, Lao PDR and Thailand, (2) identify the key principles and values of Buddhist philosophy that inform development communication practices in these countries, (3) examine similarities and differences in the Buddhist-based development initiatives and projects conducted in the three countries and (4) provide insights and recommendations for Vietnam through analysing how Buddhist-inspired approaches to development communication have been conceptualised and implemented in these Asian nations by making use of comparative case studies research method. The study reveals that while these initiatives share a philosophical basis centred on Buddhism and local culture integration where Buddhist monks/nuns play important roles, they vary notably in the methods applied due to differences in cultural context. This comparative analysis aims to inform future endeavours in Vietnam and beyond, advocating for culturally sensitive and spiritually grounded approaches to rural development.

Cattle breeding, associations, and rural development: The Italian case study in the 20th century

Cattle breeding, associations, and rural development: The Italian case study in the 20th century

Design and Application of Exclusive Service App for Rural Elderly

With the further advancement of rural development and the rapid development of mobile Internet, rural service apps have gradually become an important means of promoting rural economic development and improving farmers’ production and living standards. At present, a number of service-type apps with wide applications in the field of rural services have emerged, such as “Planting Master”, “Farming Network”, “Rural Taobao”, etc. However, these apps do not pay special attention to special groups, but only target the majority of young people and office workers. However, these apps do not pay special attention to special groups, but only target the majority of young people and office workers. In order to fill this gap, we have designed a software called Nong’e Tong, which is specially designed for the elderly and other special groups. The software has a simple and beautiful interface, and is easy to use. It not only provides a lot of special functions, but also can link the elderly’s cell phone with their children’s cell phones to check the health and safety of the elderly at any time. Compared to other software, the application has special features for seniors to ensure that they can use the application easily and quickly.

Household residential energy choices in green transition: insights from a household survey in rural China.

It has been widely recognized that accelerating green residential energy transition from traditional solid fuels (biomass and coal) to clean and high-efficient energy sources is critical for rural sustainable development. However, little attention has been paid to estimate panel data discrete choice models to analyze the dynamic behavior information of individual households in the process of energy transition. Hence, this paper investigates green residential energy transition using a panel dataset from 3308 rural households in eight provinces of China in 2015 and 2018. The results show that although traditional solid biomass still plays a dominating role in rural residential energy choice, fuel switching from solid fuels to modern clean energy alternatives is taking place. Off-farm employment plays an important role in the transition towards more sustainable energy sources, as households with off-farm employed heads and higher off-farm income level are highly likely to choose superior energy alternatives other than traditional biomass. Besides, the educational level of the household head and household location are also important influencing factors of household residential energy choices. Based on these findings, this paper suggests that job creation in non-farm sectors should be given a priority in future policy design to promote rural green energy transition in residential sector. North-south differences should be taken into account, whereas more policy options for optimizing biomass energy use should be explored.

Rural development as the propagation of regional ‘communities of values’: A case study of local discourses promoting social innovation and social sustainability

AbstractDiscourses on rural areas and their development concurrently encompass both negative narratives of them dying out and discussions on how to constitute future visions for a ‘living’, ‘good’ and ‘sustainable’ countryside to work towards. As a solution, ‘social innovation’ has been proposed to counter the economic, demographic and sociocultural challenges disadvantaged rural regions are facing. Accordingly, this article contributes to the growing literature on the dynamics of social innovation initiatives by investigating how rural areas and their communities are communicatively re‐constructed, as part of socio‐spatial processes emerging from the work of rural development initiatives, fostering potential social change towards more sustainable societies. Building on fieldwork from the rural Austrian region of Mühlviertel, it is shown how social innovation aiming at instigating positive territorial developments is linked to intertwined processes of the re‐figuration of social bonds and re‐figuration of space, which is centred around the propagation of regional ‘community of values’ founded on ideas about changing values and social sustainability.

Assessing investment priorities for inclusive agricultural transformation in Tanzania

AbstractMotivationPolicy‐makers dealing with conflicting development goals and constrained budgets must comprehend the relative cost effectiveness of agricultural and rural development initiatives.PurposeWe assess the impact of alternative interventions on development outcomes—economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, and diet quality—to inform decision‐making and resource allocation in Tanzania's agriculture. We analyse trade‐offs among development objectives and explore budget reallocation to enhance the efficiency of public spending.Approach and methodsWe used a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model linked top‐down with microsimulation modules to simulate the impact of public investment options.FindingsNo single option emerges as the most effective across all development objectives. Investments in improved inputs and extension for horticulture and cash crops stand out for diet quality and employment creation. Livestock services show consistently high rankings across multiple objectives. Investments to boost cereals and root crops promote growth and reduce poverty but do little to increase employment and diet quality.Budget reallocation towards more cost‐effective interventions can significantly enhance the development effectiveness of Tanzania's agricultural expenditures and would substantially increase cumulative gross domestic product growth between 2019 and 2028.Policy implicationsPolicy‐makers can use the findings to design and prioritize agricultural interventions that better align with broader development objectives. Tanzania can achieve higher benefits and contribute to overall development goals by reallocating resources towards more cost‐effective expenditure options.

Retraction Note: Biomass energy and rural development: economic benefits and sustainability pathways

Retraction Note: Biomass energy and rural development: economic benefits and sustainability pathways

Farmers' Perception on the Functioning of FPC-NRMFPCL in the Zaheerabad Region of Sanga Reddy District, Telangana, India

Indian agriculture is predominantly comprised of small and marginal farmers, who face significant challenges in accessing modern resources and markets. To address these issues, the government has promoted Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) to enhance market access. This study assesses farmers' perceptions of the Narinja Rythu Mithra Farmers Producer Company Limited (NRMFPCL) in Zaheerabad Mandal, Telangana, using systematic random sampling of 80 farmers and a Likert scale for evaluation. Findings indicate high satisfaction with the quality of seeds and market information, reflecting the effectiveness of the services provided. The results underscore the importance of FPCs in improving farmers' livelihoods and accessing vital resources, suggesting a promising future for collective agricultural initiatives in enhancing market participation and overall rural development.

Birsa Harit Gram Yojana: Fostering Rural Employment through Afforestation and Sustainable Development in Jharkhand, India

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of environmental concerns and the necessity for sustainable development. The Birsa Harit Gram Yojana (BHGY), a flagship initiative launched by the Government of Jharkhand, seeks to promote rural development through environmental conservation. Drawing inspiration from the vision of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, the scheme aims to revitalize rural landscapes, enhance livelihood opportunities, and promote sustainable growth. This article provides a detailed analysis of BHGY in Jharkhand, exploring its objectives, implementation strategies, impact on environmental sustainability and its role in generating employment. Based on government reports and academic research, the article emphasizes the importance of BHGY as a transformative initiative in rural development within Jharkhand. This article examines the year over year trends in total beneficiaries, land area covered and fruit trees planted under BHGY across all districts of the state during FY 2021-22 AND FY 2022-23. Using paired t-tests, the statistical significance between the data of the two fiscal years were analyzed. The results indicate no significant changes between the two years for the total number of beneficiaries, the total area in acres pr the total number of fruit trees planted with p-values of 0.2835, 0.4369 and 0.4444 respectively. These findings suggest that the scheme outcomes remained stable across the two years with ant observed differences likely due to random variation. The results highlight the consistency in scheme implementation and offer insights for future planning and resource allocation.