Rural Mountain Areas Research Articles

The Challenges and Opportunities to Formulate and Integrate an Effective ICT Policy at Mountainous Rural Schools of Gilgit-Baltistan

The study, through the lens of school principals’ views, investigates the challenges and opportunities to formulate an information and communications technology (ICT) policy in order to integrate it in teaching and learning practices at the schools of mountainous rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). This quantitative research approach focuses on three different educational systems (Regional, National, and International), as a source of data collection, which operate in GB, Pakistan. To collect the required data, questionnaires with principals and policy document reviews were used. Applying SPSS, the data were analyzed. The results show that both groups (male and female) strongly agree to formulate a policy on ICT in order to integrate it in teaching and learning to improve at the school level. The results also show that the school heads face a number of challenges (e.g., lack of infrastructure, finance, Internet, technical staff, time, awareness, and training facilities, etc.) in the formulation of ICT policy and its integration in teaching and learning. The results revealed that the majority of the schools have an absence of ICT policy instead of having competent principals in those schools. Therefore, the research recommends that the school level ICT policy should be developed and integrated in teaching and learning practices to create an environment of powerful learning at schools, in order to fulfill the needs and demands of the 21st century education.

Location and economic resilience in rubber farming communities in southwest China

PurposeIn rural areas, geographic location is key to market access and labor mobility of farm households. This paper aims to investigate the opportunities and constraints of smallholder rubber farmers in southwest China to adjust to the changes in economic and institutional conditions, namely the declining rubber prices, emerging land rental markets and growing off-farm job opportunities.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical basis is a dataset of some 600 rubber farmers in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, collected in March 2015. The study uses instrumental variable and recursive bivariate probit models to account for possible endogeneity and selection bias.FindingsWith rubber prices in decline, the elevation of rubber plantations is an essential factor for the costs of access to the local factor markets and influences farm households' possibilities to adopt coping strategies. Notably, we find a U-shape type of relationship between the location and renting-out land due to the decline in rubber profitability. Rubber producers in low elevations are better bestowed with access to local markets. Households in high elevations, where rubber planting came in later, can shift to new crops like tea. However, the economic resilience of farmers in middle elevations is low due to their higher adjustment costs.Originality/valueThe paper provides a constructive basis for designing more location-specific development policies and can help avoid the past often ineffective blanket measures. Its implications have significant relevance for areas with similar conditions, for example, the remote, ethnic minority–dominated and mountainous rural areas in China.

Spatial-temporal Variations and the Regulators of Nitrate Status in Shallow Groundwater of the Typical Mountainous Agricultural Watershed in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River

Shallow groundwater is the main drinking water supply for the mountainous area in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, while its quality is often degraded by nitrate (NO3--N) pollution due to intensive agricultural production activities. In the present study, we selected a mountainous agricultural watershed in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to investigate the land use, management, and hydrogeological conditions, aiming to clarify the spatial-temporal variations in NO3--N concentration of shallow groundwater, thereby exploring the key regulators. The results showed that the NO3--N concentrations of the groundwater ranged from 0.40 to 12.51 mg ·L-1in the study area, and the exceeding ratio was nearly 30%. On an average, NO3--N concentrations for the wet season were higher than that for the dry season, indicating great variations in NO3--N concentration across different seasons. In addition, the spatial variations of NO3--N concentration in groundwater were also significant among different sub-catchment, which was mainly due to variations in the groundwater table depth and land uses. Furthermore, the significant correlations between the NO3--N concentrations and concentrations of Cl-, NH4+-N, DOC, and SO42- in the shallow groundwater were also explored in this study, suggesting that the NO3--N concentrations were likely to depend on the chemical factors of the shallow groundwater in the study area. Overall, our current study highlights that the characterization of spatial-temporal variations of NO3--N status in shallow groundwater and illustration of key regulators are essential to mitigate NO3--N pollution and prevent quality degradation of shallow groundwater in mountainous rural areas of the upper Yangtze River watershed.

Labor migration and the decoupling of the crop-livestock system in a rural mountainous area: Evidence from Chongqing, China

Massive out-migration of rural labor force brings both challenges and opportunities to crop-livestock integrated production system (crop-livestock system) in smallholder economy. Compared with previous researches that have paid major attention to the effect of labor migration on either crop production or livestock husbandry, this study considers the mediating role of crop production in predicting the effect of labor migration on livestock raising. Our econometric estimation based on a 2012 survey of 974 rural households in Chongqing, a mountainous region of China, showed the following. (1) The massive migration of rural labor force had led to significant increase in farmland abandonment and considerable changes in the pattern of livestock raising. (2) The livestock raising number per household began to differentiate, with the livestock system separating from the traditional crop-livestock system and becoming a specialized business. (3) In terms of the pathways through which rural labor migration exerts impact on livestock raising number, though the increased opportunity costs of rural labor greatly reduced farmers’ willingness to raise livestock, the decoupling of the crop-livestock system partly alleviated the declining trend in the livestock raising number because of the availability of household labor force freed from cropping via farmland abandonment. These findings have important policy implications for rural development and agricultural restructuring in mountainous areas of China, and provide references for other developing countries.

Mobile Phone in the Lives of Young People of Rural Mountainous Areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities

This research aims to investigate the impact of mobile phones in the lives of youths of mountainous rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). A total of 272 (133 male and 139 female) respondents of ages between 16 and 25 years participated in this study. To analyze the demographic data such as age, gender, district, the descriptive statistics (mean, SD and percentage) and inferential statistics such as independent sample t-test were used. The regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between independent and dependent variables such as mobile phone features (M = 3.66, SD = 1.15); a mobile phone as a tool for socio-economic impact (M = 3.80, SD = 1.20); as a fashion symbol (M = 1.29, SD = 0.11) and a tool for safety (M = 3.91, SD = 1.06). The findings show that 97% (M = 1.026 SD = 0.159) of youths from GB own a mobile phone (47% male and 48% female). The findings also verify that a mobile phone is beneficial to its users in the fields of economic, education, safety, and security. However, using a mobile phone as status symbol could have a negative impact on the lives of youths. This study recommends that the government should develop effective and efficient policy for mobile phone usage and users should also be aware of the blessings and risks associated with using a mobile phone in their lives.

Folk name and lore of birds from the Sundanese of West Java, Indonesia: An ethno-ornithological survey

Abstract. Mulyanto D, Iskandar J, Madani A, Gunawan R, Partasasmita R. 2020. Folk name and lore of birds from the Sundanese of West Java, Indonesia: An ethno-ornithological survey. Biodiversitas 21: 4384-4395. Since last time, research on birds in West Java had been undertaken by ornithologists. The ethnoornithology research, however, has been rarely employed. The study aims were to account for vernacular or folk names, folk classification, and folkloric birds based on case of the mountain people of Keratasari, West Java, Indonesia. The method in this study was qualitative with the ethnoornithological approach. The field data were collected by focus group discussion and deep interviews with informants of 12 groups of independent village people of four villages of Kertasari sub-district. The naming of collected data was by systematic elicitation of names from pictorial representations of birds and organized here to facilitate analysis of various aspects of folk taxonomy about the scientific one. Folklore about birds that were collected in natural contexts is also included to indicate the birds' role and their names in symbolic processes that exceed the limits of literal reference. The result of the study showed that it was recorded 222 bird species, representing 170 vernacular names, 93 of them were recorded by Koningsberger (1901-1909). The taxonomic and folkloric mode of knowledge in this paper presents that birds play important roles in villagers' lives of Sundanese people, particularly in the study area. Generally, birds have been an important role in socio-cultural aspects, including in folklore of Sundanese people who reside in rural mountain areas of West Java.

Socioeconomic impact of COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence from rural mountain community in Pakistan

This study examines the trend of the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic in Pakistan and to explore the community perception of the socioeconomic impact of COVID‐19 pandemic in a rural mountain area of Pakistan. An online survey was conducted through snowball sampling technique and total 367 people participated in the survey. The results of the study show that COVID‐19 cases spiked amid ease of lockdown in the country and the spread of novel coronavirus pandemic has significant socioeconomic impact on the lives of mountain communities in Gilgit‐Baltistan. Financial uncertainty, decrease in income, fear of job loss, and food insecurity are some major challenges that mountain communities face due to outbreak of coronavirus in the region. The results further show that lack of community cooperation with government agencies, lack of awareness about the severity of coronavirus, and insufficient COVID‐19 testing kits are the major factors that caused the spread of coronavirus cases. This study suggests that the short‐, medium‐, and long‐term policies are required to mitigate the consequences of this pandemic and to revitalize the mountain economy of Gilgit‐Baltistan, and in this regard, this study provides baseline information for policy‐makers and practitioners to devise such demanding policies.

Agritourism Activity—A “Smart Chance” for Mountain Rural Environment’s Sustainability

The debates regarding sustaining the rural world by improving the quality of life are numerous; one of the proposals being agritourism activity. This activity can be a “smart chance” for the sustainability of the mountain rural environment, because it has a multiplier effect on some important parts of economic and social life of the community. For instance, it can be an ally of agriculture, ensuring a diversification alternative for farms, an alternative for local guesthouses to capitalize their own local products, while ensuring the opportunity to obtain additional/complementary income, a possibility of adjusting the depopulation phenomenon and the abandonment of old houses and lands, at the same time offering a pleasant activity/alternative, especially for young people. In this context, the purpose followed in the paper is oriented through the transposition of agritourism activity into a “smart chance” for ensuring rural mountain sustainability. Being simultaneously an innovative and diversifying alternative, it is an actual one that starts from the study of two areas which are similar in terms of tourist potential. However, the approach is a different one, especially regarding the combination of agricultural resources with those specific to the rural way of life, and it also follows a different degree of development. Our scientific approach aims to present some aspects from the two areas, to achieve a general image of tourism potential, to identify how the agritourism activity is seen by those directly involved in its implementation, to point out some aspects due to which agritourism activity can be considered as a “smart chance” while bringing multiple benefits, and to ensure the sustainability of rural mountain areas by playing a vital role in the transition towards a more sustainable future.

Sustainable tourism development in rural and marginal areas and opportunities for female entrepreneurship: lessons from an exploratory study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of female entrepreneurs in the development of sustainable tourism in marginal rural mountain areas. This role is studied with reference to two focal points: female entrepreneurs’ involvement in the creation and management of tourism/hospitality services characterized by elements of authenticity, experientiality and innovation (Focus 1) and their willingness to create or participate in local stakeholder networks (Focus 2). Design/methodology/approach Exploratory research was conducted in mountain areas where tourism development is still marginal. In depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 11 businesswomen in Trentino (Italy), who agreed to take part in this study. Findings Female entrepreneurs play a very important role in the development of sustainable mountain tourism. Elements of authenticity, experientiality and innovation are shown to be characteristic of female entrepreneurship, as is women’s propensity to create and foster local stakeholder networks (directly or indirectly) linked to their own businesses. Research limitations/implications In the light of the exploratory nature of this study, a small convenience sample was used. Originality/value This research highlights specific features of female entrepreneurship related to the sustainable development of marginal rural areas and contributes to the academic debate on the topic. This topic is under-researched with regard to developed countries.

Research on the configuration and operation strategy of hybrid energy storage system of PV-ESS micro-grid in mountainous rural areas

The problem of power supply safety in mountainous rural areas always caused by the weakness and undercapacity of rural distribution network, the increasing seasonal electric load and amounts of renewable energy generation connecting to the grid. To meet villagers’ demand in life and development during the upgrading period of distribution network, this work advances a PV-ESS micro-grid system with a hybrid energy storage system and contributes a configuration and operation strategy of hybrid energy storage system by analysing the characteristics of energy storage types and application scenarios of fixed and mobile energy storage. Take a village in Anhui province, China as an example, the proposed hybrid energy storage system has been demonstrated its rationality and economic practicability in rural mountainous areas.

Karakter Bentuk Hunian Suku Rejang Di Daerah Rawan Gempa (Studi Kasus: Desa Gunung Alam, Kabupaten Lebong)

<p class="Abstract"><em>The knowledge of building housing by the Rejang </em><em>clan</em><em> in Gunung Alam Village by trial and error using local materials as well as a simple way of reflecting the uniqueness of the form of shelter in the Rejang clan community residing in mountainous rural areas. The focus of this research is to identify the relationship between the form of shelter and the realization of anticipation of occupancy as its role as adaptive shelter in earthquake prone areas. This research is a qualitative descriptive study describing the form of occupancy of the Rejang Clan by exploring the configuration of the building and its structural system to understand the form of occupancy of the Rejang Clan as an adaptive building in earthquake prone areas. The adaptability of the Rejang clan as a shelter in earthquake-prone areas has been implemented through the form of houses on stilts which have a ratio of widths and lengths of buildings 1: 2 with symmetrical and simple spatial arrangements. Ratio of balanced heights in each structure. However, the use of nails has been found in homes and the addition of space that forms a new mass behind the original mass of housing with brick material becomes a risk in the event of an earthquake in the future. Even so, the Rejang Clan occupancy in Gunung Alam Village is still strong to be inhabited by the Rejang Clan and is adaptive in responding to earthquake shocks.</em><em></em></p>

Determination of Trace Elements in Aerosols at a Rural Mountainous Area and a Local City of Eastern Shikoku Region, Japan.

A simple digestion method for a mixed cellulose membrane filter in order to analyze trace elements in aerosols was examined. The determination of Cu, Fe and Ni in the certified reference materials of China loess (CJ-1) could be conducted using the digestion method. Trace elements in aerosols smaller than 10 μm size collected at Tokushima City and near mountain areas for each season were determined as a water-soluble fraction and all components by the digestion method. Back trajectory analysis implied that the contribution from the Asian continent was larger in the winter and spring than the summer. Systematic changes in the trace element compositions for each season were not observed, except for Fe, Th and U. Water-soluble components in aerosols at Tokushima City showed higher concentrations of all trace elements than those of the mountain areas. For aerosols in Tokushima City and near to the mountain areas, As, Bi, Cd, Cu and Pb were mainly derived from anthropogenic sources, whereas Ba, Co, Cs, Ga, Mn, Rb, Sr, Th, U and V were derived from natural crustal sources. The origin of Pb and Cd was considered based on the Pb/Cd ratio.

Mobile Phone Technologies in Coping with the Challenges and Opportunities of CPEC by the Youth of Rural Mountainous Areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

The study aims to explore the access of mobile phone, emerging technologies, and use of the mobile phone by the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Pakistan, for learning and safety and security purposes. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. The descriptive statistics was employed to test the research model. Among the 300 distributed sample size, 272 participants responded back including 133 male and 139 female students of Karakoram International University (KIU) from eight districts of GB as research participants for data collection. Only 1 male and 6 females responded that they do not have their own mobile phone, comprising of 90.6% response rate. The results show that 97% of students of rural mountainous areas own a mobile phone. The study contributes valuable findings about the access and positive use of mobile phones for learning and safety and security purposes. The result also shows that the youth of GB have enough skills of mobile phone technologies to cope with the future challenges of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by taking advantages of China Pakistan Information Corridor (CPIC is a fiber optics cable laid down from the China border to Islamabad Pakistan for the purpose of providing the fast internet facility including 5G). This is the baseline survey and future study will be based on this survey.

Trust and Other Historical Proxies of Social Capital: Do They Matter in Promoting Social Entrepreneurship in Greek Rural Areas?

The aim of the research is to discuss methodological issues that could be learned from the use of historical terms such as trust and social capital in a rural area. We hope to gain knowledge from discussing these old concepts in a new setting; a mountainous rural area in Greece. The basic hypothesis lies in the fact that social capital can be detected through trustworthy relationships, which, in turn, can nourish social entrepreneurship. The research sought to disclose the dynamics in the area that will then help to form a policy proposal for promoting Social Economy in rural areas.

Tracing the Origin of Groundwater Nitrate in an Area Affected by Acid Rain Using Dual Isotopic Composition of Nitrate

Acid rain with a relatively high concentration of ammonium and nitrate can accelerate rock weathering. However, its impact on groundwater nitrate is uncertain. This study evaluated the dual isotopic composition of nitrate (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-) from precipitation to groundwater in a rural mountainous area affected by acid rain. The average concentration for NH4+ is 1.25 mg/L and NO3- is 2.59 mg/L of acid rain. Groundwater NO3- concentrations ranged from <0.05 to 11.8 mg/L (baseline), and NH4+ concentrations ranged from 0.06 to 0.28 mg/L. The results show that groundwater δ18O-NO3- values (-4.7‰ to +4.2‰) were lower than the values of rainfall δ18O-NO3- (+24.9‰ to +67.3‰), suggesting that rainfall NO3- contributes little to groundwater NO3-. Groundwater δ15N-NO3- values (+0.1‰ to +7.5‰) were higher than the values of δ15N-NO3- derived from the nitrification of rainfall NH4+ (less than -4.7‰ in the study area), suggesting that nitrification of rainfall NH4+ also contributes little to groundwater NO3-. This implies that rainfall NO3- and NH4+ have been utilized. The dual isotopic composition of nitrate shows that baseline groundwater NO3- is derived mainly from nitrification of soil nitrogen. The denitrification process is limited in the groundwater system. This study shows that the rainfall NO3- and NH4+ contribute little to groundwater NO3-, improving the understanding of the nitrogen cycle in areas with a high concentration of NH4+ and NO3- in rainfall.

Pseudo-Static Analysis on the Shifting-Girder Process of the Novel Rail-Cable-Shifting-Girder Technique for the Long Span Suspension Bridge

The rail-cable-shifting-girder (RCSG) technique is a new erecting method for the main girders of the long span suspension bridge in rural mountain areas with poor transportation and no navigable rivers for carrying large components. The pseudo-static analysis of the shifting-girder process for this girder erecting technique is performed. The global mechanical model of the double-layer cable system in the shifting-girder process is established, by analytically modeling the main-cable, rail cable, and slings according to cable’s basic assumptions. Based on the flexible cable theory, the main-cable segments are simulated as segmental catenary elements, the slings are considered as straight cable elements, the rail-cable segment that the shifting-girder trolley is moving on is simulated as multiple straight cable elements and other rail-cable segments are considered as single straight cable elements. The solving program is developed to obtain the pseudo-static responses including the forces and deflections of the shifting-girder system undergoing girder loads. Meanwhile, a global indoor reduced-scale model of shifting-girder system is designed to validate the presented theoretical results, by taking the Aizhai suspension bridge as engineering background. The results from the presented theoretical method match well with the measured experimental results of the indoor model test. The forces and deflections of the main-cable, rail-cable, and slings for the 21 working cases of erecting girder segments exhibit some specific distribution regularities. The presented theoretical method is able to correctly and effectively solve the pseudo-static responses of the RCSG system undergoing girder loads for the long span suspension bridge adopting the construction method of the RCSG technique.

Problems and Challenges in Sustaining Rural Land Resources

The discussion in this paper brings up issues on how the land resources utilization is done mainly as a respond to socioeconomic development instead of achieving sustainability. Delanggu sub-district of Klaten Regency and Kledung sub-district of Temanggung Regency were chosen as the study areas. We collected data and information by conducting Focus Group Discussion in each study area with relevant stakeholders and analysed the issues further using SWOT and problem analysis approach. The result showed that even though land use change is a common issue shared by both study areas, the drivers as well as the approaches taken by the community and stakeholders from each sub-district are different. Kledung sub-district as a rural mountain area appears more sustainable in term of land resource utilization than urbanized Delanggu sub-district which is a plain area. The findings call more challenges for future adaptive approaches to answer the notion of sustainable agriculture in rural area.

IDENTIFICATION OF BASIC HEALTH INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN SWAT RURAL AREAS (A WAY TOWARD VEBH MODEL IMPLEMENTATION)


 
 Common diseases mostly occur due to lack of basic health information and knowledge to public at large. Therefore, basic health information and knowledge is very much important to reduce the outbreaks of different diseases especially in rural communities which is possible through proper education. Education is a natural and an inborn part of any community or society. High quality and healthy volunteers can be generated in a society by right education with full support of any kind of facility.The objective of this paper is to gather and identify information and knowledge about basic health from students and teachers. In this paper, first we study current basic health (information & knowledge) situation of teachers and students in high schools of District Swat (70% mountain rural areas and 30% urban areas), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. Secondly, find out the willingness of high school teachers and students for basic health information and knowledge using information communication technology (ICT) i.e. through a proposed “Virtual Education for Basic Health (VEBH)” model at high school level. For this purpose a pilot research survey was conducted in seven tehsils of district Swat which contained 119 high schools, including 77 male high schools and 42 female high schools.The respondents are willing to learn basic health information and knowledge through virtual and commented that it will be better for rural mountainous areas of Swat especially for female health. VEBH model will make the students aware about common diseases and ensure future healthy society.
 
 

Spatiotemporal variations in cropland abandonment in the Guizhou–Guangxi karst mountain area, China

Abstract Since 2000, vast areas of cropland in the rural mountain areas of China have been abandoned for reasons including labor loss and rapid urbanization, although the spatiotemporal patterns and causes of abandoned cropland (ACL) are not fully understood. We investigated changes in cropland abandonment in the Guizhou–Guangxi karst mountain area (GGKMA). We used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer normalized difference vegetation index in conjunction with phenology metrics to obtain the land-use trajectory from 2001 to 2015, and then mapped the extent of cropland abandonment based on this land-use trajectory and local crop rotation cycle. We found that 10.45% (2.24 × 104 km2) of cropland in the GGKMA has been abandoned since 2001. In three sub-periods (2001–2005, 2005–2010, and 2011–2015), the overall trend showed an initial increase and then a slight decrease in the cropland abandonment rate (CAR) of 11.55%, 19.29%, and 17.17%, respectively. We explored the effects of environmental and socioeconomic factors on differences in the CAR by applying a multi-level model approach. About 26% and 16% of the variances in CAR were explained at the county and small watershed levels. At the small watershed level, spatiotemporal changes in CAR were primarily influenced by farming and soil conditions, while the severity of soil hydraulic erosion was a key factor in determining the distribution of CAR. Rural depopulation, the decline of agricultural activity, and low levels of education had significant positive effects on the increasing CAR, while the “feminization” of agriculture had the opposite effect on CAR at the county level. The results of this study implied that the spatial variation of abandonment may be influenced by environmental constraints, while socio-economic changes were the direct cause of the temporal trend of abandonment. Government should encourage farmers to increase the vegetation cover rather than continually undertake unsustainable agricultural activities in the areas with steep slopes and eroded soil, as well as strive to reduce the production costs associated with scattered plots, poor agricultural infrastructure, and the rising opportunity cost of labor. This could include conducting land consolidation and transfer, and providing agricultural subsidies.

Achieving water security in rural Indian Himalayas: A participatory account of challenges and potential solutions.

The complex and diverse factors that influence water security in the Indian Himalayan Region were examined using problem and solution tree (PAST) mapping together with a field study. Five PASTs, each constructed by a different group of stakeholders, namely the state government, the local government, researchers, development agencies, and the local community, were analysed to obtain a holistic and multi-sectoral understanding of water security in the region, and the analysis was supplemented with field data. The systematic study helped in (1) identifying many factors - climatic, geographical, cultural, and socio-economic - that influence water security, (2) assessing their impacts on mountain livelihoods, and (3) documenting thirty-two potential interventions in the form of adaptations (e.g. springshed management programme) and coping strategies (e.g. buying water from informal water markets) to strengthen water security. These strategies followed three main themes namely conserving water resources, improving rural livelihood and sustainable infrastructure development and risk management. The study also helped in building a shared sense of understanding, purpose, and action between the diverse groups of stakeholders. The study suggests that ensuring water security in rural mountain areas requires holistic and multi-sectoral policies, which should be developed by including all actors in the network of stakeholders; that local conditions be given utmost importance in the policy planning cycle (e.g. focus on springs in mountains); and that cultural landscape and local identities be closely examined to reduce the inequalities in access to resources.