Well-being Of Rural Residents Research Articles

Challenges and Opportunities of Livelihood Diversification in Ethiopia: A Review Article

Diversifying sources of income has been recognized as a crucial approach to alleviate poverty, mitigate food insecurity, and enhance the overall well-being of rural residents in Ethiopia. This review outlines the key challenges and opportunities associated with livelihood diversification in the country. The study identifies several primary constraints that hinder livelihood diversification, including inadequate infrastructure development, scarcity of arable land, limited access to credit services, gender disparities, and poor rural-urban linkages. However, it also highlights potential avenues for sustainable livelihoods through diversification, such as the promotion of sustainable land management practices, adoption of climate-resilient agricultural strategies, and the provision of training and capacity building programs. To facilitate successful livelihood diversification, the review emphasizes the urgency of investing in infrastructure development and ensuring access to credit services. Moreover, it underscores the importance of promoting gender equality to mitigate the challenges faced by women in diversifying their livelihoods. Encouraging sustainable land management practices, implementing climate-resilient agricultural strategies, and providing comprehensive training and capacity building programs are identified as critical measures to support diversification efforts in Ethiopia effectively. The review offers evidence-based policy recommendations to inform government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders on effective strategies that can enhance livelihood diversification in the country, while also ensuring inclusivity and sustainability. The significance of livelihood diversification within Ethiopia's development agenda cannot be overstated, and it is imperative for stakeholders to act in addressing the identified challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities presented by diversification. By doing so, they can contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development in the country. However, it is essential to note that further research is necessary to explore the efficacy of livelihood diversification strategies in different contexts and identify additional opportunities and challenges that may arise.

Issues of productive employment of rural population of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The goal is an integrated approach characterizing the state of labor resources in agricultural sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan; identifying the main problems and ways to solve them to increase employment and well-being of rural residents. Methods – monographic, economic-statistical, abstract-logical, qualitative and quantitative methods of scientific research. Results – based on application of economic-statistical method, it is noted that provision of personnel to agricultural sector of the republic’s economy is unsatisfactory in terms of both quantitative and qualitative indicators. Foreign experience in supporting labor activity in agriculture has been studied. The issues of implementing state programs for sustainable development of agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan are analyzed. The dynamics of changes in labor force nationwide by gender and age for the period from 2019 to 2023 are presented. The level of wages in agro-industrial production is shown in comparison with other sectors of economy. The authors provide data on shortage of labor reserves at the average and managerial level of agricultural enterprises. Trends in the number of employed people and reasons for the outflow of young personnel from rural areas have been identified. Proposals have been developed to increase the number of people employed in agricultural sector of the republic. Conclusions - scientific results obtained during the study can be used to develop and implement various government programs aimed to increase employment, level and quality of life of rural residents of Kazakhstan. The efficient use of human capital contributes to the growth of labor productivity in rural areas. The expansion of rural employment in modern conditions is associated with development of the real sector of economy and small businesses, industry diversification, use of various types of agribusiness, primarily processing, tourism, service sector, and alternative activities of economic entities.

Eco-tourism and socio-economic development of rural areas

The authors presented a theoretical review of research by foreign scientists on the topic of ecotourism, aimed at clarifying the theoretical aspects of its impact on the economy of rural areas and the social sphere. The goal is to form the author’s vision of the socio-economic impact of agritourism on the sustainability of rural areas. To achieve the goal, methods of dialectical, abstract-logical, comparative and content analysis were used. Results – scientific discussions and exchange of opinions of scientists made it possible to identify the following positive economic features of the development of ecotourism: the formation of the country's GDP, growth in gross added value, increase in foreign exchange earnings, diversification of the rural economy, strengthening of relationships between industries, expansion of markets for local goods and services, modernization of infrastructure, increase employment. Among the social characteristics, one can note the creation of jobs, an increase in the income and well-being of rural residents, the development of social infrastructure and the improvement of rural settlements, improving the quality of labor resources, improving the health of the population of the republic, reconciling the interests of the local community with the interests of the state and business structures, reducing gender inequality, preventing the outflow of people living in rural areas and guaranteeing social stability. In addition, the authors supplemented the effects of rural tourism with an impact on the environment, expressed in changing the situation of villagers, protecting and renewing natural resources and biodiversity, preserving and restoring cultural and historical monuments, observing national traditions, customs, folklore, as well as maintaining traditional forms of economic management. Conclusions – based on the detailed indicators of each component of ecotourism, its impact on the living standard in rural areas is substantiated.

The Impact of Internet Use on the Well-Being of Rural Residents

With the full penetration of the Internet, the Internet has had a great impact on the production and life of rural residents. The article takes a rural residents’ group as its research object to explore the impact mechanism. Leveraging data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2016, we employ a multivariate ordered logit model as an empirical approach to delve into the various dimensions of Internet usage. By examining different facets of Internet utilization, we aim to assess the effects of these distinct uses on the well-being of rural residents. Furthermore, we investigate the mediating role of social capital in understanding the collective well-being of this demographic. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) The utilization of the Internet yields a positive impact on the well-being of rural residents. (2) Social networks exhibit a significant positive influence on the well-being of rural residents; social solidarity demonstrates a significant negative impact on the well-being of rural residents. Additionally, social trust is found to have a significant negative effect on the well-being of rural residents. (3) Regarding mobile phone access, we identify a positive and significant effect on the well-being of rural residents when mediated by social networks and social trust. In contrast, social mutual aid does not exhibit a significant mediating effect. Among the patterns of mobile phone usage, social network and social mutual aid within the realm of social capital emerge as intermediate variables that affect the well-being of rural residents through Internet usage. However, it is worth noting that social trust does not have a significant effect in this regard. These results contribute to our understanding of how Internet usage and social capital interact to shape the well-being of rural communities.

Exploring preference and willingness for rural water pollution control: A choice experiment approach incorporating extended theory of planned behaviour

Rural water pollution control (RWPC) is a crucial issue for developing countries, particularly because of its importance for improving ecosystems, promoting sustainable development, and ultimately contributing to the health and well-being of individuals. This study adopted a choice experiment (CE) to explore farmers' preference and willingness for RWPC and to investigate whether socioeconomic and psychosocial factors can explain differences in farmers’ preferences and values governing RWPC. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and some additional constructs (risk perception, knowledge, moral norms, and subjective norms) were included in an empirical test that predicts stated choices. The Wei River basin, one of the most water-polluted areas in China, was used as the location for our study. From June to July 2022, we collected the questionnaire responses of 427 farmers who live and work in this area. The results suggested that farmers have significant heterogeneity in their preference for RWPC attributes, but the majority highly value improving water quality through water pollution treatment. The inclusion of TPB and additional constructs in our test explained the behaviour of farmers. Those with high scores tended to already perform RWPC and have a willingness to continue to do so. According to the results of a latent class (LC) model, the average willingness to pay (WTP) per farmer for rural water pollution treatment was 254.69 Chinese yuan (CNY) per year. Excluding biodiversity, the average WTP was 241.55 CNY per year. This study provides a new path for developing countries to promote RWPC and improve local rural environments and the well-being of rural residents.

Impact and Analysis of the Renovation Program of Dilapidated Houses in China on Poor Peasant Households’ Life Satisfaction: A Survey of 2617 Peasant Households in Gansu Province

In developing countries, housing difficulties and environmental problems for poor peasants are prominent. In 2008, China began to explore pilot projects for the renovation of dilapidated houses in rural areas and has achieved remarkable results. This paper examines the impact of China's Renovation Program of Dilapidated Houses on the life satisfaction of poor peasant households. Using firsthand survey data of four poverty-stricken counties in Gansu Province and the Propensity Score Matching method, we find that the program significantly improves the poor peasant households' life satisfaction, with a greater impact on non-poverty-stricken villages and general-assurance households. In the mechanism analysis, we find that these positive treatment effects are mainly driven by the increases in wage income and operating income. In addition, we relax the assumption of parallelism and use the Generalized Ordered Logit model to further explore how this impact varies between groups. We show that people with a high level of life satisfaction are more significantly affected by the program. This study provides evidence that a sustainable living environment can improve the overall wellbeing of rural residents.

Assessing the life quality and socio-economic differentiation in rural areas of the Krasnoyarsk Krai

Subject. The article considers the socio-economic development of rural areas and ensuring decent living conditions for the rural population. Objectives. We analyze the indicators of life quality of the rural population of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the socioeconomic development of the region. Methods. The study employs the index method of assessing the quality of life and the level of socio-economic development. Results. Rural areas of most districts of the Krasnoyarsk Territory can be classified as extremely depressed. They are characterized by very low level of income, health services, preschool education, and provision of communal infrastructure facilities. Areas with a special legal status, the Krasnoyarsk agglomeration, and certain areas having large industrial enterprises are characterized by higher values of indicators of well-being and infrastructure development. The strong agricultural production in a separate municipal district is not a determining factor of socio-economic development in the current conditions. Conclusions. It is crucial to develop a regional social standard for the well-being of rural residents. It is necessary to increase the share of budget expenditures for rural areas up to 20–25%, and to adopt a regional interdepartmental program for the development of rural areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Теоретико-методологічне забезпечення економічного розвитку аграрного сектору та сільських територій

The purpose of the article is generalization of the research results of scientists of the National Research Center "Institute of Agrarian Economy" to improve the theoretical foundations of economic development of the agricultural sector and rural areas, as well as the development of economic foundations for the formation of agricultural policy in Ukraine. Research methods. In the process of research, depending on the goals and objectives, a number of general scientific and special methods were used, in particular: theoretical generalization - to substantiate the theoretical and methodological provisions of the economic development of the agricultural sector and rural areas; a complex of general logical methods - as the main methodological toolkit for scientific research; monographic - when defining the essence and implementing a methodological assessment of organizational and economic conditions and the logic of development trends in certain areas of the agricultural sector and rural areas; analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, comparison - in the study and generalization of modern experience and identification of promising priorities for improving the theoretical and methodological support for the economic development of the agricultural sector and rural areas in Ukraine. Research results. A scientifically substantiated analysis of the research results of the National Research Center "Institute of Agrarian Economics" for 2016-2020 with the systematization of developments that form the methodological basis for the implementation of a promising nationally identical model of economic development of the agricultural sector and rural areas, taking into account the priorities of achieving competitiveness and sustainability. Scientific novelty. Fundamentally new foundations and scientific and methodological approaches in priority areas and substantiation of mechanisms for ensuring effective economic development of the agricultural sector of the economy and rural areas in the context of expanding self-government, decentralization of public administration and development of entrepreneurship have been developed. In particular, the theoretical and methodological foundations of substantiating an innovative model for the development of rural areas and the agricultural sector of the economy have been improved; new approaches to increasing the competitive advantages of domestic agri-food products on world markets in the context of global challenges and international integration of Ukraine, proposed a Ukrainian model of agricultural land turnover, a conceptual vision of the development of family farms. Practical significance. The research results are aimed at creating favorable institutional conditions for conducting economic and entrepreneurial activities in rural areas (regulatory and competitive policy of food security, liberalization of access to product markets and production factors) and ensuring the development of the social component of the formation of state policy in the development of rural areas; strengthening of various forms of integration relations of economic entities in rural areas and their adaptation to the requirements of European agrarian and business law; improving property relations, optimizing property relations and increasing the competitiveness of entrepreneurial structures; ensuring the formation of a system of market turnover of agricultural land and its infrastructure; strengthening the income base of the budgets of rural communities. The developed recommendations will help to build up export potential and increase budget revenues, increase the level of consumption of the population, form an economic mechanism for greening agricultural lands; elimination of problem institutions that restrain the increase in the competitiveness of the agrarian sector of the economy and the development of agrarian entrepreneurship; introduction of a scientifically grounded model of fiscal regulation of the development of the agrarian sector of the economy, which will have a positive effect on the well-being of rural residents and provide a resource base for solving social problems. Refs.: 29.

Ресурсная политика во взаимодействии со Стратегией Экономического пояса Шелкового пути

The issues of resource policy, which will predetermine the future growth of industrialization and urbanization, the forward movement of China's market-oriented economy, and the growing involvement in international cooperation, have been studied. Acceleration of the process of socio-economic development largely depends on the state of agricultural sector. It is noted that the country intends to follow the policy of openness based on mutually beneficial partnerships with other States and foreign organizations in order to increase the efficiency of agro-industrial production, increase the income of peasants and increase the competitiveness of Chinese products on the world market, as well as modernization of agriculture. It is shown that solving the problems of agro-industrial complex will remain a priority task. Its innovative reform is envisaged, creating a long-term mechanism for the integration of the city and countryside according to the principle “Industry supports agriculture, the city helps to the countryside”. The countries of Central Asia and the People's Republic of China face a number of tasks aimed to further development of agricultural sector, increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the industry, improve the well-being of rural residents and boost the rural economy, expand sales markets and stimulate exports, and international trade in agricultural products. In this regard, China continues to work on improving the quality and safety of agricultural products, fulfills its obligations as a member of the WTO, increases the production of environmentally friendly agricultural raw materials and food products domestically and abroad, participating in bilateral and multilateral intergovernmental cooperation in agro-industrial sphere. The authors emphasize that the PRC is one of the most important strategic partners of Kazakhstan in view of economy as a whole and specifically on the growth and development of agricultural sector.

Agrarian tourism as a factor in the socio-economic development of rural areas

The entrepreneurial nature of tourism has a positive impact on the development of rural areas through creation of tourism infrastructure and diversification of related and supporting industries. The article presents the results of an online survey of the population of the Krasnodar Territory. The study confirms the hypothesis that the development of agrarian tourism in the Krasnodar Territory is a strategic vector that reduces the percentage of migration of the rural population, has a stimulating effect on rural infrastructure, and it also contributes to creation of added value, the use of innovations, diversification of tourism products, it acts as a kind of guarantor of the fact that the maximum profit will remain in the local economy, which, in turn, will have a beneficial effect on the socio-economic development of rural areas. The development of agricultural tourism will contribute to the revival of folk crafts, culture and identity, the preservation, effective use and development of the potential of the countryside, the solution of socio-economic problems, overcoming the economic, social and spiritual crisis of rural municipalities. Integration of agriculture and tourism will positively affect the competitiveness of rural areas, the well-being of rural residents and the strengthening of the country’s agriculture as a whole.

RURAL TERRITORIES OF KAZAKHSTAN: REALITIES, PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

The study deals with the formation of a model of sustainable and effective development of agriculture and rural areas as the main task of implementing the State agricultural policy. The relevance of the tasks set by the author lies in considering the living conditions in the countryside as an integrated approach to the country's economy in order to diversify the types of activities in rural areas, create new sources of income. The directions representing a new economic paradigm of rural development in Kazakhstan are justified. The ways of implementing a comprehensive policy are shown, which consists in the partnership of public structures, local governments, public organizations and private sector, so that in the future, rural areas will become the most important socioeconomic and ecological subsystem of society. One of the key issues in the development of a model of modernization of the Kazakh countryside - the methodology for assessing the strategy and taken measures are highlighted. It is noted that monitoring of a wide variety of regional situations in rural settlements is of great scientific importance in creating a reliable and objective basis for developing substantiated measures to improve the quality of life of the rural population and determining priorities. The author states that the implementation of the "Auyl - El besigi" program contrib- utes to the development of support and satellite villages, which have the potential to increase the level of life and well-being of rural residents, modernize the social infrastructure of the SNP JSC "Fund for Financial Support of Agriculture" allocated significant amounts to ensure employment of the rural population. The program condition in the funded projects should be startups, proposals for non-agricultural areas of expansion of activities in rural areas.

The Impact of Income Inequality and the Use of Information Media on Happiness

Based on the 2015 China General Society Survey (CGSS 2015), the Order Logit model is used to study the impact of income inequality and the use of information media on the subjective well-being of Chinese residents. The study finds that income inequality significantly reduced residents’ subjective well-being; the use of information media has a significant positive impact on residents’ subjective well-being and cushions the negative impact of income inequality on happiness; compared with rural residents, income inequality has a greater impact on urban residents’ happiness; the use of information media has a more significant impact on the well-being of rural residents, and its buffering effect is also more pronounced among rural residents.

Significant Factors Influencing Rural Residents’ Well-Being with Regard to Electricity Consumption: An Empirical Analysis in China

The electric universal service policy, which has been implemented for many years in China, aims to meet the basic electricity demands of rural residents. Electricity consumption can facilitate the daily life of rural residents, such as lighting and cooking, which are necessary to their well-being. In practice, the well-being of rural residents due to electricity consumption is influenced by many factors. Therefore, to improve the well-being of rural residents, it is quite necessary to identify and optimize the significant factors that make the electric universal service policy play its prescribed role as well as possible. In this paper, the significant factors influencing rural residents’ well-being obtained from electricity consumption were identified and discussed by employing the Ordered Probit model. The results indicate that: (1) there are six significant factors, of which ‘educational level’, ‘health condition’, ‘each person income of a family per month’, and ‘service time of household appliances’ play positive roles in rural residents’ well-being, while ‘average power interruption times’ and ‘monthly electric charges’ have negative impacts; (2) for significant factors with positive roles, ‘educational level’ and ‘health condition’ show larger marginal effects on rural residents’ well-being; and (3) for significant factors with negative impacts, ‘average power interruption times’ has the greatest marginal effect. Finally, policy implications are proposed for improving rural residents’ well-being, which can also contribute to the effective implementation of the electric universal service policy in China.

Climate adversity and resilience: the voice of rural Australia

Over the past decade, Australia has experienced prolonged drought and extensive flooding. It is argued that such events impact more significantly on rural communities than urban. Although there is a body of research investigating the effects of drought on mental and physical health in rural Australia, little research has examined the effects of flood and drought on wellbeing. This article explores the influence of drought and flood on the wellbeing of rural residents in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Forty-six individuals living in four rural communities in NSW were recruited and asked their experience of flood and drought using in-depth semi-structured face to face interviews or focus groups. The study used a grounded hermeneutic approach to contextualise participants' experiences within a rural social and cultural construct. Weather was found to be at the core of rural life, with flood and drought contributing to decreased wellbeing from stress, anxiety, loss and fear. Social connectedness was found to promote resilience in rural communities buffering the effects of flood and drought. Flood and drought have negative impacts on an individual's wellbeing. Although these negative effects were seen to be buffered by individual and community resilience, the long term emotional impact of flood and drought on rural communities needs to be further considered.

Relationships between Social Connectedness and Spirituality and Depression and Perceived Health Status of Rural Residents

Purpose:  A number of factors impact an individual’s health, including the social, economic and physical environments surrounding the individual, as well as their personal characteristics and behaviors (World Health Organization, 2012a; United States Health and Human Services, 2011). Social factors, such as social norms, social support, and social interactions are known to have a strong impact on health, but are often omitted when looking at the overall health of an individual.  Rural residents are vulnerable to poorer health outcomes because they often lack needed resources and have other risk factors for developing adverse physical and mental health outcomes. Lack of social resources in rural areas may lead to social isolation, which may contribute to poorer health outcomes observed in some of these residents. Little is known, however about the relationship of social determinants of health in rural residents and overall health outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between 2 social determinants of health, social connectedness and spirituality, on the level of self-reported depression and perceived health in a rural population.  Sample:  A convenience sample of rural residents in a western Colorado county. Method:  Self-reported survey data collection with hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Findings:  The more socially connected a person felt, the better they perceived themselves as physically and mentally healthy. Additionally, the more socially connected the individual felt the less depressive symptoms they reported.  Spiritual perspective was not found to correlate significantly with either self-reported depression or perceived health.  Conclusion:   We found that social connectedness is an important factor in the overall well-being of rural residents in this small convenience sample. This has significant implications for assessment of the health needs of rural residents and raises awareness of the need to provide opportunities for residents to become more socially active. Keywords:  social connectedness, spiritual perspective, spirituality, depression, health, rural populations, vulnerable populations, social determinants of health.DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v14i2.325 

農村地域住民の幸福度に影響する地域的要因の質的調査による探査

農村地域住民の幸福度に影響する地域的要因の質的調査による探査

Elements of a Paradigm for Rural Development

Rural development specialists seek to explain and anticipate changes in the well-being of rural residents and in the rural environment. Their motivation stems in part from the oppor­ tunities and satisfaction which greater under­ standing of society yields, but they are also interested in policy objectives. In particular, they would like to be able to show the connec­ tion between changes in governmental policies and changes in the well-being of rural resi­ dents and therefore to be able to make policy recommendations. The reality of the work falls well short of this ambitious goal, as Edwards noted. The growth in nonmetropolitan population which became apparent in the mid-1970s after de­ cades of decline surprised most rural devel­ opment specialists. From 1976 to 1982, on the other hand, employment grew less in nonmet­ ropolitan areas than elsewhere, reversing the earlier pattern (Daberkow and Bluestone). This finding suggests that the population turn­ around in rural areas in the late 1960s and early 1970s may have been an aberration. Again, analysts have little basis for judging whether these findings are consistent with the nature of the structure of rural areas before the late 1960s and thus expected or whether the structure has changed and the population and employment shifts should surprise us. Ana­ lysts attempt to explain these phenomena only by offering lists of underlying factors or regressions on descriptive variables (e.g., Beale, Deavers and Brown). Changes such as those noted above are not necessarily unexpected or puzzling. A known, stable structure of relationships among vari­ ables may allow analysts to understand sources of change. Analysts may even be able to anticipate changes based upon relationships