Rural Innovation Research Articles

Is a Rural Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Conducive to the Improvement of Entrepreneurial Performance? Evidence from Typical Counties of Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation in China

Rural entrepreneurship is an important means to solve the problem of “rural decline” and is also the focus of the “rural revitalization” strategy. The rural entrepreneurship ecosystem directly affects entrepreneurial performance. Based on the configurational perspective, using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method, taking 85 typical rural innovation and entrepreneurship demonstration counties in China as research samples, this study explores the impact path of the rural entrepreneurship ecosystem composed of multiple factors on entrepreneurial performance and the complex causal mechanisms behind it. The results show that market size, human capital, financial capital, infrastructure (both hardware and software), and government scale cannot individually constitute the necessary conditions for high or non-high rural entrepreneurial performance; there exist two pathways driving high entrepreneurial performance in rural areas: a market-driven financing-and-intelligence integration pathway and a government-supported infrastructure-assisted pathway. Under certain conditions, there is a substitution relationship between rural entrepreneurial market allocation and government intervention; there are two paths driving non-high rural entrepreneurial performance, which are summarized into market–financing suppression and market–government suppression according to the core driving factors. By systematically analyzing the impact of the rural entrepreneurial ecosystem on entrepreneurial performance, and explaining the intrinsic logic and path of high and non-high entrepreneurial performance based on the configurational perspective, this paper provides a decision-making reference for further enhancing the entrepreneurial performance in rural China and realizing rural revitalization.

Has the Policy of National Agricultural Green Development Pilot Zones Enhanced the Agricultural Eco-Efficiency? Observation Based on the County-Level Data from Hubei Province of China

China’s agricultural green development is of great significance to protecting the ecological environment, ensuring food security, and promoting rural revitalization. This study considers China’s agricultural green development pilot zones policy as a natural experiment to examine its impact on regional agricultural eco-efficiency. Based on county-level data in Hubei Province from 2013 to 2021, the EBM-Undesirable model was employed to measure regional agricultural eco-efficiency. Then, the staggered DID model was conducted to estimate the policy impact. The results indicate that the pilot zones policy significantly enhances the agricultural eco-efficiency in the designated areas. The results from heterogeneity and mechanism analysis indicate that the pilot zones policy has a more substantial effect on the western region and less-affluent counties, and rural innovation serves as an intermediary variable for the policy to exert the “green” effect. Therefore, it is crucial for the government to consider regional disparities and the role of rural innovation when advancing policy implementation. Tailoring measures to suit specific local circumstances and consistently enhancing agricultural eco-efficiency in different regions is essential.

Exploring the potential of wild leafy vegetables widespread in European Alps as functional food

Wild leafy vegetables, historically vital for Alpine biodiversity and nutrition during hardship, are regaining importance due to the demand for healthy and sustainable food. This study evaluated mineral and phytochemical compositions of eight species: Achillea millefolium, Alchemilla xanthochlora, Bistorta officinalis, Blitum bonus-henricus, Phyteuma betonicifolium, Plantago lanceolata, Silene vulgaris, Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum. Total trace element concentrations ranged from 26 mg kg−1 (T. officinalis) to 92 mg kg−1 (B. officinalis), and potential toxic elements were below legal limits. The sum of the phenolic compounds analysed ranged from 155.30 mg GAE 100 g−1 FW (A. millefolium) to 1200.38 mg GAE 100 g−1 FW (A. xanthochlora). Flavanols were the most abundant phenolic class, but cinnamic acids, flavonols, benzoic acids and vitamin C also showed high values in the analysed species, contributing to high antioxidant activity (from 0.59 μmol TE g−1 FW in A. millefolium to 149.39 μmol TE g−1 FW in A. xanthochlora for DPPH). Overall, A. xanthochlora stood out for its richness in phenolic compounds. These findings underscore wild vegetables potential as functional foods, offering bioactive compounds comparable to or exceeding cultivated plants. Emphasizing preservation of traditional diets and rural innovation, this research supports the integration of wild leafy vegetables into contemporary nutrition strategies.

Development Strategy of Rural Revitalization from the Perspective of Social Innovation: A Case Study of Jiyingweigong in Xiamen

Rural revitalization, as one of Chinas important development strategies, has attracted widespread attention in recent years. The Jiyingweigong project in Gangtou Village, Xiamen, takes public welfare as its core, creating a micro-ecosystem where public welfare and business interact, successfully activating the overall development of Gangtou Village. Based on the theory of social innovation design, this study summarizes the research path of social innovation design driving sustainable development of rural revitalization through the combing and summarizing of classic rural innovation cases. By applying the method of social innovation design, this study deeply analyzes the development strategy and effect of Gangtou Village. Social innovation design thinking, as one of the engines driving social change, plays a key role in rural revitalization. It is concluded that social innovation design, as a concept of transformative innovation, can systematically and reasonably address economic, cultural, ecological, and other issues in rural areas in both theory and practice, helping local areas to obtain sustainable endogenous power.

Kurdistan Rural Information System Platform, as a New Rural Innovation Paradigm: Local Decision-Makers Perspective

Background: This study aimed to achieve objectives through SWOT analysis and focus group discussion, identifying internal and external factors through the local decision-makers in Kurdistan Region, to explore the way to describe and analyze Kurdistan Rural information System Platform (KRISP). Problems with information in rural areas still exist in the Kurdistan region administration. The aim of this study is an attempt to develop a digital platform that will help rural communities realize their full potential and contribute to a resilient and successful digital future. The primary objectives of this project are how to design and implement an agricultural information system to collect rural data from various areas by various farmers and make it available online so that future users may eventually search for and obtain the essential data. The first category is concerned with knowledge sharing, information exchange, self-improvement, and self-improvement for grassroots extension practitioners. The study made use of qualitative data, with fixed questions. for the analysis. The achievement of primary data was also collected using a FGD’s implemented in Sulaimani governorates. The period of data collection from different study areas starting from June 2023 to September 2023 and were used in this study to collect qualitative data from a variety of government sectors (decision-makers) from various organizations were included in group discussions and gatherings to address the issues highlighted in this study.

New cash cropping in the Black Volta river valley: Banana production, rural innovation, and social entrepreneurship in the Ghana–Burkina Faso border region

AbstractDuring the mid‐1990s, a banana river irrigation farm that was launched in Southwestern Burkina Faso by a returning emigrant refugee spread throughout the region as far as neighboring Ghana. With relative abundant fertile, arable farmland in Ghana, easy access to input and modest capital mobilization by a few Ghanaian University lecturers to clear farmland and construct ridges and lay pipes for irrigation, a new cash crop production was set in motion. This paper analyzes the implication of this innovative rural agricultural intensification in the Ghana side of the border by shifting the angle of analysis away from narratives of transnational African agricultural commercialization driven by foreign corporations to instead focus on the role played by the local elite. The paper demonstrates that the viability of this irrigated farming can be attributed to imported banana crop variety, local rural producers' entrepreneurial zest, and enhanced existing cross‐border ties and commercial opportunities made possible by the construction of a strategic regional highway linking the farm sites with large urban and market centers in Burkina Faso.

A Study on Rural Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Strategies of College Students in the Context of Shared Prosperity

Rural entrepreneurship serves as a concrete manifestation of college students' active engagement in youth-building actions. Vigorously fostering a group of ambitious, dedicated, adaptable, and sustainable rural talents is not only a crucial initiative for advancing "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" but also an effective pathway for promoting the growth and success of university students, enabling them to realize their life values. Additionally, it provides substantial support for the achievement of shared prosperity. Therefore, while meeting the developmental needs of college students, attracting young individuals to actively participate in rural practices and transitioning from being "attracted" to "settling down" is an essential strategy for alleviating employment pressures and addressing the weaknesses in rural development. This study analyzes the challenges and influencing factors in the rural entrepreneurial journey of college students, delving into the behavioral logic and implementation pathways that lead to their engagement. It also proposes corresponding strategies for enhancing the "coupling degree" between college students and rural development, providing recommendations for the latter part of the discourse on college students' rural entrepreneurship. Rural areas should enhance their service capabilities, collaboratively empower and consolidate resources, and strive to provide efficient and high-quality service support for college students engaged in rural innovation and entrepreneurship. A comprehensive support system for college student rural entrepreneurship, consisting of a tripartite collaboration among the government, universities, and rural communities, and encompassing educational guidance, policy support, financial assistance, and service guarantees, should be constructed. This multi-faceted approach will foster a positive atmosphere encouraging college students to actively participate in rural innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives.

Innovation and rural context: An exploratory case study of a small rural enterprise from the Czech Republic

This study identifies i) factors that encourage small rural enterprises to innovate and ii) obstacles to introducing innovation. Using a case study of a rural business in the Czech Republic, the paper reveals that although rural businesses may experience innovation barriers, such as inadequate human resources and volatile market conditions, they can innovate, respond quickly and effectively to emerging market circumstances and turn threats into opportunities for growth. Importantly, many of the challenges and opportunities for innovation interplay with each other, with some obstacles becoming a foundation of creative and innovative solutions that help to develop a sustainable, modern and efficient enterprise. We highlight that the innovation of rural enterprises can be an outcome of pull and push factors that influence both product innovation and business innovation processes. Pull factors represent incentives and opportunities to stimulate rural innovation. Push factors, on the other hand, necessitate change and create pressures that must be addressed to ensure business longevity. The paper also shows that successful innovation is not free from agency, with the strategic vision and innovation outlook of business owners being a significant driver of innovation practices. Finally, our study shows that the innovation of rural enterprises depends on local, regional, national and international connections, and goes beyond rural areas, with a ‘think local and act global’ approach helping to harness opportunities in wider markets.

How export performance is mediated by innovation, owner characteristics, and location

We investigate how innovation affects rural nonfarm exports, and thus the U.S. trade deficit. Previous European studies indicate a positive link between R&D expenditures, patented innovation, and exports, but no comparable U.S. firm-level research exists. Using data from the Longitudinal Firm Trade Transactions Database and Annual Business Survey, we examine the relationship between innovation and exports for the United States. Employing a two-stage selection model to address endogeneity concerns, our findings suggest a significant connection between innovation and export. The study contributes to understanding the pivotal role of rural nonfarm exports and highlights policy implications for both trade and rural innovation.

A Study on the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pathways of College Students under the Strategy of Rural Revitalization in China

From the perspective of rural revitalization, this paper discusses the significance of college students' participation in rural innovation and entrepreneurship, the problems encountered and the solution path. College students' participation in rural innovation and entrepreneurship can provide professional knowledge and technical support for rural modernization, while bringing growth points to the rural economy and promoting the narrowing of the urban-rural gap. Problems encountered in the process of college students' innovation and entrepreneurship are analyzed, including insufficient education and backward concepts. Paths to solve the problems are put forward, including suggestions for building more college rural entrepreneurship courses, promoting urban-rural integration construction, and utilizing information technology development. The article comprehensively analyzes the significance, problems and solution paths of college students' participation in rural innovation and entrepreneurship, which provides useful reference for college students' innovation and entrepreneurship.

Research on the Construction of Rural Innovation Industry Ecosystems from the Perspective of Value Co-Creation Theory

Research on the Construction of Rural Innovation Industry Ecosystems from the Perspective of Value Co-Creation Theory

ENABLING INNOVATION IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

To ensure sustainable development, there is a limit to the extent of urbanization. Thus, rural development is an essential strategy that many nations must work on to ensure optimal economic, environmental, and social outcomes at a country level. However, rural development in itself is challenging because rural communities typically have limited resources and capabilities to address common livelihood challenges, let alone take on new economic roles. Hence, as part of rural revitalization strategies, innovation plays a critical role. A wide range of technologies can facilitate innovation in rural development, including the internet and new agricultural technologies. In addition, new mindsets and shifts in values, such as the changing trends of work and consumerism, can create opportunities for rural areas to adopt innovation and develop new growth engines. However, it should be noted that the nature of innovation in rural and urban settings are different. In rural regions, growth could be enabled through more specific types of innovations, including frugal innovation, inclusive innovation, and social innovation. To enable these forms of innovations in rural areas, this paper proposes a three-dimensional process model that includes pro-social technological innovation policy, rural innovation governance, and dynamic networks that close the gap between rural and urban innovation systems. Examples from China, such as the development of Tengtou Village and Taobao Villages serve to demonstrate these concepts. Overall, the discussions in the paper suggest that to enable innovation in rural development, it is necessary to foster closer interactions between rural and urban innovation ecosystems for the former to leverage the latter’s technologies, networks, and resources.

Rural sustainable development: A case study of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone in China

Sustainable development is the central theme of modern global development. With the arrival of the urban era, the vulnerability and instability of rural areas have significantly increased, and rural sustainable development faces serious challenges. To address these issues, the study took the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone in China under the National Sustainable Development Agenda as a case, combined with 2016–2020 economic and social and land use data, and applied Granger causality test method to explore the theoretical and practical pathways of “innovation-driven rural sustainable development”. The results showed that rural sustainable development and economic sustainability displayed a trend of synergistic change, with “explosive” growth from 2018 to 2020. The social sustainability steadily increased from 2016 to 2020. Ecological and spatial sustainability continuously declined during the study period. Moreover, the rural innovation capacity of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone displayed rapid growth during 2016–2020. Although the rural innovation capacity of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone has rapidly improved, it has a weak driving effect on rural sustainable development and economic sustainability. There are two primary challenges that must be overcome to ensure the rural sustainable development of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone. The first challenge is the imbalance among the multi-dimensional relationships in the process of rural sustainable development, and the second challenge is the weakening of rural innovation capacity to drive rural sustainable development. To overcome these challenges, this study proposed a systematic pathway for rural sustainable development in the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone from multi-dimensions, such as policy actions, technologies, projects, and institutional guarantees, and formed a universal and representative “Zaozhuang model”. This study expands the theoretical foundation of rural sustainable development and provides theoretical and practical support for innovation-driven rural sustainable development.

Agricultural specialization activates the industry chain: Implications for rural entrepreneurship in China

AbstractAs one of the means of specialization, agricultural outsourcing is regarded as a breakthrough point for agricultural efficiency improvement and rural economic growth by many developing countries. From the perspective of the interest linkage across the entire agricultural industry chain, the potential entrepreneurial effects of agricultural outsourcing have rarely been discussed. The study innovatively treats a Chinese policy as a quasi‐natural experiment, uses cutting‐edge econometric methods to make rigorous causal inferences, and addresses the difficulty of quantifying agricultural outsourcing. We find that agricultural outsourcing significantly increases rural entrepreneurship activity, with an increase of 9.1% of the rural population working for rural private enterprises and rural self‐employed businesses. From the perspective of heterogeneity, the entrepreneurial effect of agricultural outsourcing is more impressive in nonmajor grain‐producing areas. In addition, agricultural outsourcing mainly promotes opportunistic entrepreneurship. Influencing mechanisms include industrial chain extension, off‐farm employment and credit access. Accordingly, we suggest that policymakers take agricultural outsourcing as a starting point to promote rural innovation and entrepreneurship to complete industrial upgrading and transformation. [EconLit Citations: D13, L26, Q16].

Role of Networks of Rural Innovation in Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals: A Quadruple Helix Case Study

Tackling rural development challenges is essential for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The quadruple helix approach, encompassing academia, the government, industry, and the community, is crucial for promoting neo-endogenous rural development and sustainability through effective interventions. This paper utilizes a case study methodology and qualitative approaches, such as observation, discussions, and semi-structured interviews, to provide an overview of a quadruple helix rural revitalization program focused on sustainable rural development. The findings showed the following: (1) the quadruple helix collaborations initiated among the stakeholders are essential for promoting collaborative research, enhancing relevance, and stimulating neo-endogenous growth; (2) the program’s focus on agricultural science and technology, entrepreneurship, and tourism offers a holistic approach to sustainable rural development, representing a departure from a sectoral focus on agriculture and the move towards a comprehensive understanding of rural innovation, where agricultural production is incorporated as one activity among many; (3) the multidisciplinary approach of the program has facilitated the advancement of a total of 11 out of the 17 SDGs. The study suggests implications for practice, emphasizing the importance of context-specific and multidisciplinary approaches to address sustainability challenges that are not bounded by discipline.

School districts as constrained leaders in the WoW Bus rural early childhood outreach collaborative

ABSTRACT Rural communities are challenged to provide early childhood education and care due to low population density, sometimes lengthy or complex travel, and fluctuations in seasonal activity. Opportunities exist for stable partners, like schools, to anchor early childhood supports. Collaborative planning theory is used to explore a provincial capacity-building initiative (Success by 6) that provided local funding for a two-year rural early childhood outreach project, the WoW Bus project. The analysis shows that while community partners were enthusiastic and there was consistent family engagement, there were also tensions between collaboration and hierarchical responsibilities that ultimately undermined project sustainability. The collaborative planning theory lens, applied here to a social planning initiative, helped elucidate the need for legitimating accountability for outreach and diverse engagement. In sum, while schools provide an under-explored opportunity to anchor rural innovation in early childhood supports, a shift in funder accountabilities is needed.

Rural Innovation Stronger Economies (USDA)

Federal Grants & ContractsVolume 47, Issue 6 p. 8-8 Grants Alerts Rural Innovation Stronger Economies (USDA) First published: 14 February 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/fgc.32878Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume47, Issue616 February 2023Pages 8-8 RelatedInformation

A Study on the Narrative Space of Rural Short Video: A Case Study of Rural Short Video in Tiktok Platform

Currently, with the implementation of rural revitalization strategy, the development of rural short video has also ushered in a new opportunity, short videos are becoming a new direction for rural innovation and farmers' entrepreneurship. In the past, due to the digital divide and imperfect rural network construction, farmers rarely expressed themselves through the network, and society also lacked attention to farmers and even stereotyped them. On the one hand, with the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy and the policy support given by the short video platform for rural self-media, farmers have recovered their original missing right to speak and started to express themselves through the media. In their videos, we can see real rural scenes and farmers' real lives. On the other hand, many farmers sell agricultural products through short video platforms, which drives economic income and promotes a virtuous circle of rural revitalization. This essay explores the narrative space of rural short videos from the narrative study, camera space, sound space and editing space of rural short videos in TikTok platform as an example, and finds out the reasons why rural short videos can follow the trend of the times in order to promote better development of rural short videos.

A collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to knowledge-based rural development: 25 years of the PSDR program in France

The uneven rural development and the investigation of the place of rural areas in the modern knowledge-based economy raise an important question. How can we foster knowledge emergence and dissemination in peripheral areas that are often considered less innovative due to their remoteness and weak technological creativity? This paper aims to present the contributions of the French PSDR program to rural knowledge creation and dissemination in France based on a comprehensive and synthetic analysis of its participatory research projects. We identify five key components of the knowledge-related PSDR approaches which have significantly contributed to rural innovation in France linked to (1) the governance of agricultural lands, (2) the territorial attractiveness and well-being, (3) the agroecological transition in the territories, (4) the territorialized food systems, as well as (5) the bioeconomy and circular economy. We emphasize the need to combine technological, organizational, and territorial innovation and involve local partners in the design and elaboration of research programs. Rural areas can thus produce new knowledge beneficial to local communities and transferable to other sectors or territories. Finally, we suggest a comprehensive territorial vision for knowledge-based rural development and discuss the importance of a national multidisciplinary and participatory research program.

Evaluation Model of Rural Environmental Sustainable Development Capability Under the Background of Rural Revitalization

Sustainable development cannot be achieved in a society with substantial inequalities in development between rural and urban regions. Sustainability in terms of environmental and human well-being can be attained by applying ecological livability. Agriculture, rural areas, and farmers are crucial for developing countries and their populations. Literature on rural innovation is becoming more neglected as the need for rural regeneration develops. This paper suggests structural equation modeling based on sustainable rural development (SEM-SRD) to build an SRD index system with a universal value based on the interplay between ecological livability and SRD. There are two aspects to sustainable rural development (SRD): ecological sustainability and living sustainability in rural areas. Any country can use a comprehensive quantitative tool to assess its SRD status using the SRD index method. When it comes to environmental sustainability and garbage disposal, the former is green, and the latter is social. With the SRD index method, any nation can utilize a comprehensive quantitative tool to evaluate its SRD status. New perspectives for achieving rural revitalization, antipoverty, and global sustainable development can be gained through the rural innovation system suggested in this paper, which directly adds to the literature in this field. Research shows that agricultural eco-efficiency is substantially greater than rural economic growth, which has a considerable impact on overall rural development, as shown by the findings. For a long time, there has been a huge disparity in the economic growth of different regions of the country. The efficiency of rural development continues to increase with time. The experimental result of the suggested method enhances the inadequate management of RES development, rural development ratio, stability ratio, productivity ratio, and loss of growth in the rural area. Rural areas play an important role in the sustainable development of global society, and therefore, their preservation is necessary.