Sustainable Rural Economy Research Articles

Sustainable rural economy and food security: An integrated approach to the circular agricultural model

The lack of resources and increasing damage are major obstacles to sustainable economic progress. Conventional farming methods, known for their energy consumption and resulting pollution, need changes. This study focuses on agriculture, an approach inspired by natural ecological cycles that aim to promote sustainable development in rural areas through efficient resource reuse. The connection between agriculture and rural economies, along with strategies for their combined advancement, is an area that requires more exploration and thorough empirical analysis. The research involves an energy analysis methodology tailored for use in regions to assess the benefits and environmental impacts of implementing circular agriculture for sustainable rural economic growth. A multi-objective decision-making approach using TOPSIS is employed to enhance agricultural policy formulation and decision-making processes. The study concludes by developing a model that considers production, processing, recycling, and socioeconomic aspects to delve into the development of circular agriculture within rural communities and propose relevant strategies. The uniqueness of this research lies in its combination of agriculture and the coordinated advancement of rural economies, which offers a fresh viewpoint and approach to sustainable farming methods and robust rural economic development. The results contribute to the circular agriculture literature body and provide practical guidance for policymakers and farmers.

Impact of Digital Financial Inclusion on Rural Revitalization in Tanzania

Technology has changed the financial industry through digitization, pushing financial services to be included. A sustainable rural economy has been developed due to the expansion of digital financial inclusion, which also significantly contributes to the revitalization of rural communities. This paper analyzes the theoretical connotations and mechanisms related to the study of the impact of digital inclusive of finance on rural revitalization in Tanzania; it empirically investigates the relationship between digital inclusive finance and rural revival by combining data at a national level in Tanzania. This study shows that digital inclusive finance can effectively promote the development of rural revitalization. By employing a time series model to measure the relationship between the digital inclusion of finance and rural revitalization. However, due limitations such as data unavailability of most years due to the nature of the context being new in Tanzania and Africa as well; this paper highly recommends the development of rural digital infrastructure, enhancing the digitalization of inclusive finance with the aid of digital technologies, expanding the breadth and depth of digital inclusive finance services in rural areas, especially in economically underdeveloped regions, to promote the comprehensive and high-quality development of rural areas effectively.

Development of Large-Scale Farming Based on Explainable Machine Learning for a Sustainable Rural Economy: The Case of Cyber Risk Analysis to Prevent Costly Data Breaches

ABSTRACT Risk management is essential to every organization’s management plan. It is the strategy by which organizations handle the risks involved with their actions to profit or avoid making decisions that will cost them financially in each activity. Identifying and mitigating potential digital threats and developing and implementing procedures to significantly reduce the likelihood of an organization being targeted by cyberattacks are at the core of effective risk management. This is especially true regarding the risks associated with an organization’s digital footprint. A particularly significant threat to reputation, but also at the same time indirect and direct costs, is the data breach that occurs when a security incident occurs about the data for which the organization is responsible, which results in a violation of confidentiality, availability, or the integrity of the data it manages. On the other hand, the rapid development of technology has transformed the agricultural industry, allowing for large-scale farming based on machine learning and other advanced tools. However, this transformation also exposes farms to cyber risks that can lead to costly data breaches. In this study, we propose a framework for incorporating explainable machine learning (exML) techniques into large-scale farming to enhance cyber risk analysis, mitigate cyber threats, and foster a sustainable rural economy. Specifically, given that an organization needs to implement the appropriate technical and organizational measures to avoid possible data breaches, this work presents an analytical stochastic modeling of risk with a multi-criteria objective function of low complexity, a factor in an incentive system, to model investment value and cost balancing. The motivation behind the proposed method is to improve cybersecurity, protect data and reputation, foster a sustainable rural economy, leverage explainable machine learning, and adapt to the changing technological landscape. By addressing these motivations, the method aims to provide a comprehensive and effective approach to cyber risk analysis in large-scale farming.

Risk, Vulnerability, and Resilience in Agriculture and Their Impact on Sustainable Rural Economy Development: A Case Study of Greece

Promoting rural development is essential for the general economic transformation of people, hence requiring great attention from different government systems. This study assessed the risk, vulnerability, and resilience of agriculture, as well as its impact on sustainable rural economy development, using Greece as the case study. The study employed a quantitative research approach based on a cross-sectional survey design. A survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 304 Greek farmers. The results show that, although farmers are no longer at risk of being short of food and clothing in Greece, they still face different challenges associated with climate change or low productivity, and this can greatly affect yields if not given great attention. The study showed that increasing farmers’ resilience and the efficacy of risk response are both essential tactics to use in order to effectively combat threats to the residential environment. However, the results show that vulnerability in agriculture has a significant negative influence on rural development. This research demonstrates how the development of a new, beautiful nation must involve improvements to and a guarantee of the safety of farmers’ rural living environments, in order to reduce the impacts of risk and vulnerability, as well as strengthen the nation’s resilience. The results show that, in rural governance, the general preservation of living conditions is not only one of farmers’ top priorities, but is also a crucial factor in enhancing their ability to deal with risks, and is the only route to real rural development. Governments should design their social protection programs to enhance agricultural production, safeguard the lives of the most vulnerable populations, strengthen their resilience, and achieve the broadest possible rural transformation.

Unlocking Wild Edible Fruits of Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hot Spot, Arunachal Pradesh, India, to Support Food Security and Sustainable Rural Livelihood

Forests inhabit a large number of trees, shrubs, climbers, non-timber forest products and a number of wild edible fruits. These wild edible fruits are an indispensable constituent of human life and rich in vitamins, minerals, fibres, antioxidants, alkaloids, and phenolics. Many of them are good source of medicines. The present study was undertaken to document wild edible fruits of Arunachal Pradesh, India, and their socioeconomic importance in the sustainable rural economy. The study revealed that altogether 50 wild edible fruits belonging to 31 families are used against a number of ailments. They have a number of uses in the socioeconomic life of rural people such as constructional timbers, firewood, charcoal, fodder, fish poisoning, dyes, oils, etc. Although these fruits play an important role in the life of tribal people, these valuable species have been vanishing at a very fast rate. Therefore, promoting their sustainable use and increasing their abundance in different landscapes through the agroforestry system must immediately be undertaken. The claimed therapeutic values are to be critically studied and dynamic conservation of associated indigenous knowledge among local tribal communities should be carried out through policy interventions, implementation of farmer’s rights, and generation of awareness among the local people. Policy makers should immediately undertake strategic plans for both in situ and ex situ conservation of wild edible fruits that have ethno-medicinal values. In addition, the orally transmitted therapeutic values of wild edible fruits should be urgently documented to safeguard these valuable species from further extinction.

Analysis of the spatial allocation of resources for a sustainable rural economy: A wide-areal coordination approach

Analysis of the spatial allocation of resources for a sustainable rural economy: A wide-areal coordination approach

The Potential Impact of COVID-19 on the Asian Rural Economy: A Study Based on Asian Countries

In the aftermath of the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which has adversely affected rural economies across Asia, challenges of unprecedented proportions have now arisen as a result. Currently, it is pertinent to look in depth and critically at the impact of the pandemic on rural economies now. However, most previous studies ignore the above-mentioned research gap. This is especially critical to marginalized populations living on limited resources, small landowners, and migrant workers who earn low wages in an economy where fewer resources are available. There is also imperative to identify solutions that would enable member states to quickly reconstruct the rural economy sector in a sustainable way. Hence, to explore the effect of COVID-19 on the rural economies of the Asia region, we adopt a qualitative research approach. Based on this technique, our findings suggest that one of the solutions to increasing the resilience of the rural economy is the automation of the rural economy in a sustainable manner. Particularly, our findings indicate that the adoption of a sustainable and inclusive approach to automating the rural economy can enhance efficiency and speed at each stage of the supply chain. Moreover, our findings suggest that it is possible to take many measures to maximize the contribution of sustainable rural economy automation efforts. These can contribute to the recovery and resilience of the rural economy sector. Based on the above findings we provide theoretical and practical implications.

Membangun Perekonomian Desa Berkelanjutan Melalui Manajemen Kinerja Berbasis Community Empowerment

ABSTRACT : The village is the basic social basis of a country's order, therefore empowering rural communities is very important to support a sustainable economy, performance management through empowerment is the main key in overcoming human resource problems such as poverty, unemployment and social inequality. This study uses qualitative analysis methods, the research data was obtained from literature and field studies in Samirono Getasan Village, Semarang Regency by looking for competent sources, sources of government and private institutions that support and are relevant. Data analysis was performed with a descriptive approach that outlined the facts along with the data obtained at the study site. The results of this study prove that performance management based on community potential empowerment has a significant role in building a sustainable rural economy.

Lessons of pandemic: the return to a sustainable rural economy

Lessons of pandemic: the return to a sustainable rural economy

Effects of non-farm activities on the economy of rural communities in Enugu State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT There is no doubt, an ongoing shift in the economic mainstream of rural areas from farm to non-farm activities. This study explored the effects of non-farm activities on the economy of rural communities in Enugu State, Nigeria. The data for this study were acquired using questionnaire survey, administrative maps and literature. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean variables and analyis of variance (ANOVA). The findings show that increase in household income and rural economic diversification were the most felt positive effects while the loss of plant and land degradation were found to be the most critical negative effects of non-farm activities on the rural communities in the study area. Generally, the influence of the negative effects on households were poorly ranked when compared with the benefits of non-farm activities in the study area. From the results of the ANOVA, it was concluded that there is a significant difference in the positive effect enjoyed by all the communities. However, the benefits were locational dependent. This study, therefore, suggests that the achievement of a sustainable rural economy in Enugu state should be centered on making deliberate policies to improve non-farm activities since it complements the household’s agricultural income.

Public willingness to pay and participate in domestic waste management in rural areas of China

Broad and sustainable public willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to participate (WTPP) are the basis of successful domestic waste management. Using questionnaires and statistical methods, we investigated the public WTP (73.72%), the public WTPP including willingness to use collection facilities (90.61%), to sort waste (78.70%), to deliver waste (93.28%) and to dispose waste (69.28%), the public willingness to work as a cleaner (62.50%), and their influential socioeconomic factors in rural areas of China, in order to provide more effective and practical policies for the waste management. Results indicated that men and wealthy subjects had greater WTP than women and poor subjects. Demonstration projects and public awareness of waste treatment necessity had significantly positive effects on WTP and WTPP. Villagers who received propaganda were more WTP and WTPP. Perception of environmental pollution could significantly enhance WTP without considering other factors. The older subjects had weaker WTPP compared with the youngest subjects based on single factor logistic regression. Education had a significant positive effect on and high correlation with WTP and WTPP, respectively. Public WTP and willingness to deliver waste decreased exponentially with increases in service fee and delivery distance, respectively. Public willingness to work as a cleaner exhibited logarithmic growth as expected wages increased. In the future, it will be necessary to take effective measures for rural waste management, such as providing demonstration programs, enhancing public awareness of waste treatment necessity, considering influences of service fees, delivery distance and expected wages, and developing sustainable rural economy to increase residents’ incomes.

Can smallholder avocado production reduce poverty and improve food security through internal markets? The case of Giheta, Burundi

ABSTRACTThe role of agriculture in rural development is widely documented in literature. Many analysts regard agriculture, specifically small-scale agriculture, as an effective instrument for poverty reduction and food security, particularly in rural communities of developing countries where large numbers of poor people are concentrated. However whether the focus of such production should be on export crops or for domestic food security remains an issue for debate. Using the avocado industry in Giheta-Burundi, this paper argues that some emerging tree crops such as avocados present enormous opportunities to income generation and food security for small-scale farmers. This paper suggests that small-scale avocado farming presents the economic, market and health potentiality to contribute to a viable and sustainable rural economy through internal markets thereby reducing levels of poverty and malnutrition in this area. From a policy perspective, the paper suggests that the avocado sector needs to be supported by both the private and public sectors, irrespective of whether the crop is consumed, traded domestically or exported. Increasing the capacity of avocado production and trade will then enable small-scale farmers and vendors to gain greater income from this sector.

Durable Rural Development Through the 2014 - 2020 National Rural Development Program

Abstract Rural Development Policy is a priority for the E.U., as half of the Union’s population lives in rural areas. This policy is focused on society’s durable development, under all its aspects: economic, social, cultural, and so on. The challenges which rural areas of member states face must be addressed, while at the same time applying European norms and standards for rural development. After Romania became a part of the E.U., rural areas here were supported through several national rural development programs, so as to create a durable and sustainable rural economy. Major changes are required to achieve this kind of development, such as replacing old agricultural structures, modernizing the village, while at the same time maintaining cultural and local identity. Rural areas in Romania are often affected by natural disasters. During the last 17 years, national rural development programs implied contracts worth billions of Euros. For instance, through the 2020 NRDP, a budget of 9.5 billion Euros was allocated, 8.1 billion Euros coming from E.U. funding and 1.34 billion Euros as national cofinancing. At the moment, Romania’s absorption degree for the 2020 NRDP is of 20% and is expected to surpass 50% by 2020. Another regional program includes the concept of Spatial Development - Romania - 2025. Spatial planning supports the avoidance of rural dispersion. The betterment of infrastructure is supported, such as access roads, expanding base utilities, consolidated works to prevent flooding or landslides, and so on.

Alternative Spatial Structure for Sustainable Rural Economy

In developed countries with declining population growth, sustainable rural economic growth is a problematic issue that is made more difficult by severe international cost-saving competition. Well-organized spatial and economic systems may play a key role in solving this specific problem. These systems can be achieved by spatial reorganization and agglomeration economies in less congested rural areas. However, rural areas typically have lower levels of social welfare partly as a result of the limited variety of goods and services, which further reduces centripetal forces on population and economic activity. Accordingly, in rural areas, it may be important to organize a spatial structure that sustains the distribution of a variety of goods and services in insufficient economies of scale and scope by coordinating a common local central place as an interregional spatial framework. This article examines a location model for forming an intermediate hierarchical center to maintain both efficiency and equity for economic agents in rural areas.

The Emerging Role of the Peasant Economy at the End of the Industrial Age: Insights from Albania

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014), by 2050 the world society will need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 40-70 percent compared to 2010, and reach the end goal of net zero emissions before 2100. At the same time, the global food system is now responsible for up to one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (Gilbert, 2012). This means that, given the present conditions in terms of climate, demography and technology, the world society should be capable of progressing, not regressing, toward a sustainable rural economy before 2050, relying on a per capita availability of arable land, not matching the current world population distribution, which is around 0.20 hectares at present. On this premise, the present article claims that peasant agriculture oriented to family livelihood will be a key sector in the next wave of economic development. Therefore, in order to support this statement, the Albanian agriculture case study will be considered. This is because the case of Albania is a distinctive case in Europe of peasant agriculture, it being structurally oriented to family auto-consumption and local food markets. Referring to a rural economy based on peasant agriculture as a modern one seems to be a paradox. Nevertheless, climate change is pushing the ontological shift towards an agro-ecological paradigm in which an ecologically driven conception of value addressing societal reproduction rather than capital accumulation is emerging (McMichael, 2012). Thus, the present article aims to describe the role of peasant agriculture in economic development under the constraint of climate change, applying this topic to the empirical case of Albania.

The conditions of security in sustainable rural economics

This work aims to map the potentials of safe rural economy. This topic cannot be separated from the processes of globalization and localization, affecting each other, whose positive and negative effects have been focussed on, especially in terms of the protection of security and sustainability or their damaging. In Hungary, sustainable rural economy cannot be achieved only by the rural economy’s systematic stabilization but its present structure and the security system, accompanying the process, also needs to undergo some drastic changes. Sustainable rural economy means a modern economy that aims to keep the rural inhabitants while increases the wealth of the whole society. The legal security of the sustainable local economy is guaranteed by the state in Hungary. The security of the rural areas is provided by the police as an armed force, the auxiliary police, the public place supervision, the local agricultural rangers, the environment wardens, and by the fish- and game-keepers. The Police Act allows cooperation with the further organizations of the society to preserve public order, and to protect property and prevent and detect crimes. The purpose of my thesis is to present security as one of the most important factors to improve the rural areas. I also aim to map the possibilities of improving security (such as cooperation, naming the resources assisting strategic tenders and participation in rural development programs).

System Dynamics to Sustainable Water Resources Management in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer Under Water Supply Uncertainty1

Abstract: Water supply uncertainty continues to threaten the reliability of regional water resources in the western United States. Climate variability and water dispute potentials induce water managers to develop proactive adaptive management strategies to mitigate future hydroclimate impacts. The Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer in the state of Idaho is also facing these challenges in the sense that population growth and economic development strongly depend on reliable water resources from underground storage. Drought and subsequent water conflict often drive scientific research and political agendas because water resources availability and aquifer management for a sustainable rural economy are of great interest. In this study, a system dynamics approach is applied to address dynamically complex problems with management of the aquifer and associated surface‐water and groundwater interactions. Recharge and discharge dynamics within the aquifer system are coded in an environmental modeling framework to identify long‐term behavior of aquifer responses to uncertain future hydrological variability. The research shows that the system dynamics approach is a promising modeling tool to develop sustainable water resources planning and management in a collaborative decision‐making framework and also to provide useful insights and alternative opportunities for operational management, policy support, and participatory strategic planning to mitigate future hydroclimate impacts in human dimensions.

Exploring entrepreneurial skills and competencies in farm tourism

Diversification to farm tourism is increasingly seen as a viable development strategy to promote a more diverse and sustainable rural economy and to counter declining farm incomes. However, the dynamics of the modern farm tourism business and the entrepreneurial and competitive skills farmers require in making the transition from agriculture to a diversified enterprise remains limited. This article explores the range of skills and competencies that farmers in the North West of England identify as important when adopting a diversification strategy to farm tourism. The findings indicate that, whilst a range of managerial skills are valued by farmers, they lack many of the additional business and entrepreneurial competencies required for success. The article acknowledges the need to generate consensus on the requisite skill-set that farm tourism operators require.

Exploring Agritourism Entrepreneurship in the UK

Farm-based recreation or agritourism is increasingly seen as a diversification strategy to promote a more diverse and sustainable rural economy and to protect farming incomes against market fluctuation. Thus, farmers are increasingly being recognised as entrepreneurial, needing to develop new skills and capabilities to remain competitive. However, few studies have addressed the role of entrepreneurship within the context of the diversified farm tourism business. This paper examines the range of skills and competencies that farmers in the north-west of England identify as important for successful diversification and explores the extent to which these competencies are evident. The findings indicate that although farmers are increasingly turning to agritourism as a means to generate additional income, they lack many of the fundamental business competencies required for success. This has implications for rural development policies and signals the need to address these skill deficiencies through farm advisory processes and via more effective training of and support for agritourism providers.

Home‐based business sectors in the rural economy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to challenge calls for a monolithic rural home‐based business (HBB) sector and instead propose meaningful sub‐sectors of HBB that fit within contemporary rural economic development theory. This informs business support and policy objectives.Design/methodology/approachSurvey analysis of rural microbusinesses in the North East of England compares home‐based and other rural microbusinesses to illustrate their defining characteristics. Case study interviews are then used to test theory development and provide greater understanding about the motivations and aspirations of HBB owners.FindingsThe research demonstrates that the rural HBB sector is not homogenous. For some, the home is the business, for others it is a convenient location and for others it is not the place of work, simply the registered business address. This has significant implications for the needs of each type of business and their prospects for growth.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper introduces the concept of sub‐sectors of HBBs but more detailed survey work can establish whether these are fully inclusive. With a changing economic climate, further research might also examine the resilience of these businesses in recession and their ability to react to growth opportunities in a period of upturn.Originality/valueAs an emergent area of study in the fields of small business and rural economy, HBBs are potential vehicles for both social and economic development. With large numbers of HBBs in rural areas, this paper illustrates the need to understand both their potential and their limitations in order to maximise their contribution to vibrant and sustainable rural economy.