Sustainability Of Rural Areas Research Articles

Beyond Urban-Centered Responses: Overcoming Challenges to Build Disaster Resilience and Long-Term Sustainability in Rural Areas

Beyond Urban-Centered Responses: Overcoming Challenges to Build Disaster Resilience and Long-Term Sustainability in Rural Areas

Operational taxonomy of farmers' towards circular bioeconomy in regional level

The concept of the bioeconomy holds great promise for promoting green growth and competitiveness across Europe through the use of renewable biological resources, such as plant and animal biomass, while adhering to the principles of circularity. Despite its introduction by the European Commission in 2015, little effort has been made to define or describe what exactly a circular bioeconomy entails. In the case of Greece in particular, however, the survival of the region of Western Macedonia appears to be highly dependent on sustaining its agricultural activity by incorporating elements related to this crucial sector of the economy. In order for this agricultural transformation to be effective, bio-economic practices relevant to crop production and appropriate alternative management practices must be universally implemented at all levels. To achieve this, it was necessary to collect questionnaires from 412 farmers in the region for analysis purposes, and to classify their responses based on k-means cluster analysis, which later formed these systematic groups: modernists, early adopters and latecomers. Evaluation of these categories revealed a variety of factors, such as age and income, that significantly influenced their attitudes towards adopting bioeconomy farming practices and related circularity principles. Overall, understanding these challenges opens the door for policy decisions aimed at supporting the development of sustainable rural areas.

Research on Environmental Protection of Rural Ecotourism Based on PSR Model

This paper examines the relationship between rural ecotourism development and environmental protection in Province A, utilizing the PSR model and GAs. It employs a detailed evaluation of indicators in the tourism economy and ecological environment modules, using mathematical modeling and weight coefficient calculations to assess the impact of tourism activities. GAs are used to navigate the complex problem space inherent in balancing economic development with ecological sustainability. By analyzing data from 2005 to 2018, the coupling degree between tourism economy and ecological environment gradually increased from 0.1 to 0.6398. The results indicate a strengthening relationship between tourism economy and ecological environment, moving towards good or high-quality coordination. The degree of coupling, as measured by the PSR model, reflects the evolving interaction between rural tourism development and environmental protection. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability in rural areas.

Traditional Village Morphological Characteristics and Driving Mechanism from a Rural Sustainability Perspective: Evidence from Jiangsu Province

Traditional Village Morphological Characteristics and Driving Mechanism from a Rural Sustainability Perspective: Evidence from Jiangsu Province

Factors Influencing Electricity Consumption in Rural Households

Over time, several relationships have been defined between electricity consumption and a region’s social and economic variables, with income as the main factor. This paper uses multiple correspondence analysis to identify the categories of dwellings and, from a graphical point of view (positioning maps), the effects of the different characteristics that influence the electricity consumption of households in rural areas of Cundinamarca, Colombia. In this analysis, the consumption of residential users responded mainly to what they can afford or acquire based on their income, consumption habits, and the characteristics of the technology. Furthermore, this study highlights the implications of these findings for policymakers and energy providers, providing valuable insights for developing targeted strategies to promote energy efficiency and sustainability in rural areas. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of electricity consumption and highlights the importance of tailoring energy-related interventions to the specific socio-economic context of rural communities, in this case in Cundinamarca.

Exploring sustainable development within rural regions in Ghana: A rural web approach

AbstractSustainable development involves multi‐level, multi‐actor and multi‐faceted processes and interrelations for which, ideally, comprehensive theoretical frameworks are required to understand the nature, dynamics and heterogeneity of changes generating greater sustainability in rural areas. Studies have utilised the rural web framework to explain these processes and interactions, but its application is lacking in sub‐Saharan Africa. This study addresses the gap in the literature by using the framework to (1) explore sustainable development indicators and (2) evaluate their socioeconomic determinants based on a questionnaire survey with data collected from 600 rural households in Ghana. Additionally, formal interviews were conducted with 60 participants, comprising village leaders, not‐for‐profit organisations and officers from municipal assemblies. This research shows that endogeneity, novelty production, and sustainability indicators describe rural regions as agriculturally diversified economies. Several factors contribute significantly to agricultural diversification, including social relationships, social groups, market participation, and the presence of migrants. These findings have implications for achieving two of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG 1 (zero poverty) and SDG 2 (zero hunger), as they highlight the benefits of social and economic linkages between rural and urban areas within the context of agricultural production, exchange of resources and the mitigation of accessibility barriers to resources. We suggest that policies seeking to increase agricultural diversification, food security and achieve sustainable rural development should strengthen social relationships and institutional structures, increase market opportunities, assist farmers with organic certifications and bridge the rural–urban development gap.

Assessment of the sustainability of the swine supply chain

Purpose: Among the production chains, the pig farming supply chain stands out. The study aims to identify the level of sustainability in the swine production chain based on the analysis of externalities, considering the criteria of the System of Management and Assessment of Sustainability of Pig Farming. Design/methodology/approach: The case study is carried out at a rural property in the municipality of Herval D’Oeste-Santa Catarina, the research is descriptive with qualitative analysis. For the development of the research, the information about the productive process was identified through interviews, the structured script allowed for identification of about 60 metrics and external indicators of the social, environmental, and economic-financial dimensions. Findings: The economic-financial dimension presented the remuneration of labor and invested capital as positive externalities. The social performance indicators (social interaction, human capital, and environmental practices) showed compliance levels in the model. Based on the analysis, negative externalities were identified in the environmental assessment indicators of water, air/greenhouse effect, and energy, highlighting the need for improvements in the production process and in the management of natural resources. Practical implications: The model contributes to the evaluation of production practices and indicates weaknesses and needs for improvements in the management of the pork supply chain. Social implications: The results demonstrate the importance of assessing sustainability in rural areas, considering it relevant link in the production chain. Originality/value: The analysis highlights the importance of assessing sustainability in supply chains, aiming to correct the negative externalities of the production process of rural activities.

Assessment of climate variability impact on water supply sustainability in rural areas of northern Ethiopia

Assessment of climate variability impact on water supply sustainability in rural areas of northern Ethiopia

Comparing social sustainability assessment indicators and tools for bio-districts: building an analytical framework

Bio-districts are a practical example of a sustainable food system, which uses agroecological principles as tools for rural development. This research aims to understand the role of bio-districts in sustainable development, particularly in relation to social impacts. It does so by developing a framework for assessing social impacts in the context of alternative food systems. To this end, a two-step methodology is adopted. In the first part, a systematic literature review is carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. It presents the state of the art in social impact assessment of bio-districts, identifying the approaches and indicators used to assess social standards, codes of good practice and, more generally, the factors influencing social sustainability in rural areas. In addition, a set of social themes is developed and validated through a content analysis to uncover the trends in the debate on social sustainability in bio-districts. In the second part, promising analytical frameworks and tools from the literature are compared on the basis of how deeply they assess social issues related to bio-districts. Finally, a description of the main steps that should be taken to adapt existing tools and frameworks to the local context is presented. A detailed framework specifically addressing the social impacts of bio-districts was not found in the literature. IDEA, MOTIFS, PG tools, RISE, SAFA guidelines, SOAAN guidelines and S-LCA are considered a suitable starting point for the bio-districts’ analysis, although tailored adjustments are required.

Stakeholder Participation for Nature-Based Solutions: Inspiration for Rural Area’s Sustainability in China

Due to the current pressure of rural modernization and industrialization, rural areas are facing social and environmental challenges such as a lack of cultural identity, low democratic participation, and the destruction of landscape ecology, especially in China, a large and representative developing country. The nature-based solutions (NbS) approach states that achieving the multiple benefits of nature for health and well-being requires wider stakeholder collaboration and integration of nature into the policies. Although many scholars have argued that NbS have a significant positive contribution to sustainability in rural areas, there is still a lack of clear pathways for NbS to guide farmer participation and address environmental issues. This paper first summarizes the theoretical research and practical experience of stakeholder participation for NbS through a systematic review. The literature analysis is mainly conducted from five perspectives: policies, benefits, challenges, methods, and frameworks. Combined with the “farmers as the main body” principle of China’s rural revitalization strategy, this study proposes to (1) stimulate farmers’ awareness of environmental protection; (2) enhance farmers’ participation and sense of ownership; (3) enhance farmers’ ability to take action to improve the ecological environment; and (4) integrate eco-design into their lives, make environmental protection education deeply rooted in people’s hearts, and cultivate green farmers.

Biomethane and Compost Production by Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste: Suggestions for Rural Communities in Southern Italy

The sharp increase in rural tourism brings, on the one side, economic and social benefits among rural communities but, on the other, contributes to environmental challenges, specifically waste generation and natural resource consumption. From the ecological perspective, several pathways have been developed from local and global communities, such as prevention, reuse, recycling and energy recovery. The present research, by considering the need to boost separate collection and valorize organic waste among rural communities, evaluates the performance of a combined anaerobic digestion and composting plant in Southern Italy. The purpose is to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of collecting organic waste in rural areas and recovering it into biomethane, digestate and compost. First, the research develops the material flow analysis of a real, accessible and available anaerobic digestion and composting plant in Southern Italy. Secondly, on the basis of the results obtained, the research calculates the biomethane, digestate and compost potential in Southern Italy, considering the amount of organic waste produced in 14 rural communities identified as the most beautiful villages in Italy. Last, the research compares the advantages and disadvantages of producing biomethane through anaerobic digestion or resorting to community composting in rural areas. It results that the biomethane and compost potential through anaerobic digestion is 423,854 kg and 954,896 kg, respectively, but significant financial investments must be allocated in order to allow the municipalities to enhance the logistics and the separate collection facilities. The research highlights possible strategies under the circular economy lens to boost sustainability in rural areas, focusing on biomethane and compost production and providing policy implications in light of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Environmental and economic sustainability and conservation of natural resources in the context of rural territories

The impact of human activity on the environment is becoming increasingly evident in the modern world. Growing industrialization, the use of natural resources, and environmental pollution lead to serious environmental problems at the global level. In this context, preserving natural resources in rural areas is particularly important. Villages and rural areas, an essential component of society, also play a crucial role in ensuring environmental and economic sustainability. Balanced environmental and economic sustainability in rural areas is a task that requires a comprehensive approach and interaction between different actors, including local authorities, communities, businesses, and civil society organizations. Environmental sustainability involves preserving the diversity of nature, maintaining ecosystems, and using resources rationally without harming the environment. Economic sustainability is the development of agriculture and enterprises that provide vital goods and services while preserving the region's ecological integrity. The study aims to analyze the ecological and economic sustainability of rural areas and provide recommendations on preserving natural resources and ensuring their sustainable development. This article analyzes various aspects of the environmental and economic sustainability of rural areas in Ukraine. The importance of preserving natural resources, the possibility of using new technologies for sustainable agriculture, and the role of communities and the state in achieving these goals are considered. The trends and critical issues are assessed across dimensions like natural resource management, pollution in rural areas, etc., drawing upon data from national statistics, government reports, academic studies, and field surveys. It is determined that it is necessary to implement measures aimed at conserving natural resources to ensure the sustainable development of rural areas. This is achieved by introducing resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies, developing alternative energy sources, promoting environmental culture, and improving the socio-economic situation in rural areas. This is achieved by creating new jobs, developing infrastructure, and providing social services. An essential condition for ensuring the sustainable development of rural areas is an integrated approach that considers all these factors. Rural areas play an essential role in ensuring food security and sustainable development of the country. However, in the process of economic activity in rural areas, significant environmental and economic problems arise that threaten the sustainability of these areas. Particular attention should be focused on integrated approaches that enhance synergies between the economic, environmental, and social spheres rather than individual initiatives. The importance of involving rural residents is emphasized to implement sustainability principles in rural lifestyles and institutions. Keywords: sustainable development, rural areas of Ukraine, theoretical aspects, practical aspects, environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, natural resource conservation, agriculture, communities.

Sustainable Rural Ecological Environments: An Investigation of Agricultural Tourism Integration in Hunan Province, China

Aims: The integration of agriculture and tourism represents a pivotal breakthrough point in realizing rural revitalization. To ensure sustainable development and attain ecological livability, there is a pressing need to investigate the impact mechanism of agricultural tourism integration on rural ecological environments.
 Study Design: This study examines the current state of agricultural tourism integration and ecological livability in Hunan Province, China. The research constructs an influence mechanism to assess the impact of agricultural tourism integration on the rural ecological environment, utilizing empirical data covering the cities and prefectures of Hunan Province from 2015 to 2021.
 Results: Our findings indicate a significant correlation between agricultural tourism integration and the rural ecological environment. However, whether such integration has a positive effect on the environment depends on the availability of scientific and reasonable development plans.
 Conclusion: The results of this research offer critical insight into the impacts of agricultural tourism integration on rural ecological environments. In particular, the data demonstrate the importance of eco-friendly practices and biodiversity conservation when engaging in agricultural tourism integration as a way of promoting ecological sustainability in rural areas. Such evidence is essential to understanding the relation between agricultural tourism integration and rural ecological sustainability.

An Analysis of MGNREGA Scheme in Haryana State

MGNREGA is an employment guarantee programme launched by the central government in 2006. MGNREGA addresses the issues of poverty and lack of sustainability in rural areas. The aim of the present study is to analyse the contribution of MGNREGA in employment generation & assess the financial and physical performance of MGNREGA Haryana state. For the achievement of above objectives, the study employed the secondary data that has been gathered from the various government reports and official websites. The data were analysed through the descriptive statistics like percentage, table and graphs. The results of the study revealed that the scheme covered 22 districts, 143 blocks and 6264-gram panchayats of the state. In Haryana total workers registered under MGNREGA is 22.32 Lakh out of these 9 lakhs are active workers at present. Further, the study found that the person-days of employment showing fluctuating trends while women days out of the total person days are continuously increasing except the year 2020-21under MGNREGA. Average wage rate per day per person in state continuously increases. Thus, MGNREGA is a very effective scheme which increase the employment level in rural areas of Haryana state.

Transverse flux generator design for wind turbine at the rural areas

In this study, transverse flux generator design for micro-wind turbines has been realized. In parallel with the developments in telecommunications in recent years, the use of cell phones and satellite internet has increased. Renewable energy sources are an important candidate to provide energy access and sustainability in rural areas. In this respect, a low-cost, easy-to-build generator that can be produced with 3D printers has been designed. The generator produced has a simple coil and core structure and is a low-cost design. In addition, ANSYS magnetic analyzes were performed together with the 3D solid model of the design. In addition, the core width was optimized and the cogging torque had been improved by 18.29 %.

Technological Mediation of Photovoltaic System to Improve Rural Sustainability in the Background of Resettlement and Consolidation: Evidence from the Rural Community and Villages in China

Settlement structure is the most essential aspect of rural landscapes and habitations in China. The process of merging rural settlements has given rise to tensions in spatial-social structures, posing significant risks to rural sustainability. However, little research has been undertaken to analyze potential resolutions for the challenges of sustainable development in the context. Based on the technological mediation theory, we used participant observation and interviews to investigate the effects of the photovoltaic system on spatial-social structures, governance patterns, and rural sustainability. By focusing on a representative merger project area situated in Shandong Province, our research revealed that the photovoltaic system improved spatial, social, and governance sustainability in rural areas rather than only the environmental aspect. In the spatial dimension, the photovoltaic system reconstructed domestic spaces and activated scenarios conducive to public life. In the social dimension, it fostered the eradication of disparities in identity and facilitated the reintegration of social networks. In the governance dimension, a large-scale governance pattern supported by mutual interest, collective trust, and the integrated system was developed to successfully resolve emerging problems and ultimately promoted the sustainability of the community–village region. The findings highlight the efficacy of employing technological design as a means to resolve resettlement dilemmas, which could shed light on the elimination of conflicts arising from the interplay between urbanization and sustainability of rural areas.

Assessing Challenges of Potable Water Supply, Demand and Enhancing Sustainability

This paper presents the challenges of water supply demand and enhancing water sustainability in rural areas. Data collected from field observation, regional water offices and officials, questionnaires and community responses were conducted. Data from the selected districts of the study area was discussed and analyzed. Two hundred seventeen water supply points (one hundred thirty hand-dug wells, thirty-five rope pumps, forty-eight spring development, and five shallow wells) are constructed in the study area. Among these water points, one hundred ninety-four were functional during the study time, and twenty-three were non-functional. Developed spring and rope pumps account for 22.11% and 16.12% of the total, respectively. In contrast, the hand-dug well and shallow wells as a source of water account for 59.9 % and 2.3%, respectively. The communities in the study area also use rivers and unprotected springs as water sources. This study found that the water supply in the study area is far less adequate for multiple reasons. The rural water supply system fails due to inappropriate design and underestimating population growth while designing water supply by considering only the existing population. The social and economic importance of providing a potable water supply is widely recognized. The study elicited why water supply systems have become inadequate in the area. This study may be helpful to have sufficient information before launching significant investments in rural water supply works.

Human Mobility, Sociolinguistic Diversity, and Social Sustainability in Rural Areas: Insights from Indonesian Transmigrant Communities

A substantial number of studies have been completed with respect to human mobility, linguistic diversity, and social sustainability in the Global North, but very few have been undertaken in relation to the Global South. Mobility, diversity, and sustainability are not recent phenomena, but little, if anything, is understood as regards how human mobility leads to linguistic diversity and social sustainability. This article fills this gap by explaining how the transmigrants of Javanese, Balinese, and Sasak ethnic backgrounds, along with the Bima and Dompu host communities, have established the ethnically and linguistically multi-diverse transmigrant communities of Manggelewa on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Data were collected from the participant ethnographic observations of the communities. The main strategies for data collection included taking notes, collecting documents, distributing questionnaires concerning human mobility, sociolinguistic diversity, and social sustainability, interviewing key informants, and recording conversations. Employing qualitative, quantitative, and ethnographic analyses, the study exhibits the community’s dynamic mobility, sociolinguistic diversity, and social sustainability. The study displays how human mobility leads to sociolinguistic diversity and how the diversity is used as a resource for sustaining a better interethnic relationship. The dimensions of mobility, sociolinguistic diversity, and social sustainability are discussed, and the factors that are essential for symbolic social sustainability are statistically attested.

Towards Viable Eco-Friendly Local Treatment of Blackwater in Sparsely Populated Regions

The maintenance of people’s lifestyle against global climate change, exhaustion of groundwater, depletion of minerals, and water scarcity has instigated the recycling and reuse of water from unlikely sources. This situation has motivated researchers to develop effective technologies for treating wastewater, enabling its reuse. Water security has been ensured in myriad, highly populated regions through large-scale centralized treatment facilities. The development and implementation of small-scale, renewable-energy-based, decentralized, on-site treatment methodologies ensure water sustainability in rural areas, where centralized treatment facilities are impractical for application. This review article focuses on the recently reported low-cost purification techniques for recycling wastewater generated by single and community-based households in sparsely populated areas. Here we propose treatment technologies for efficient waste management that can be easily integrated in the upcoming years to the lavatories built under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), a momentous cleanliness campaign that has been successfully implemented by the Government of India (GOI). Specifically, we suggest an electrochemical (EC) method to treat the supernatant of the Blackwater (BW) to produce purified non-potable water for reuse in diverse purposes. The EC technique does not require external chemicals for treatment and can be powered by sustainable technologies (like solar panels), thus reducing the treatment cost. Subsequently, vermicomposting, microwave, biogas, and phycoremediation methods are considered to treat the solid sludge to produce value-added products such as enriched organic fertilizer for agriculture and biofuel. The above methods also ensure the satisfactory reduction in Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) (>85%) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) (81–91%) and the complete removal of pathogens and other harmful pollutants. Finally, the novel treatment techniques discussed here are not only limited to rural areas of India but can be implemented in any rural area of the world.

СЕЛЬСКАЯ МОЛОДЕЖЬ В УСЛОВИЯХ СОВРЕМЕННОСТИ

The Russian society today is in the conditions of transformation, reorientation in the formation of new relationships, behavioral models and their values. The reform in Russia has led to an economic division according to the degree of people’s power and resources. In recent years, the agricultural sector in the villages of Russia has changed markedly, accompanied by multiple social, economic and demographic problems. The new social structure of the village has its own patterns of behavior. All these changes have led to an imbalance between the urban and rural population and have worsened the quality of life of the rural population. The sustainability of rural areas and the positive effect of the reform in the agricultural sector depend on the adaptation of rural youth.