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In rural China, farmers who have been “lifted out of poverty” still at risk of returning to poverty. The sustainable livelihood and risk coping ability of farmers are of great significance for rural development, and social networks have a distinctive effect on livelihood and risk coping ability of farmers. Based on full-coverage survey in a village, this paper adopts the entropy weight method, Social Network Analysis, and aims to build a social network model and reveal the impact of social networks on farmer’s livelihood and risk coping ability. The results show that the farmers’ livelihood capital based on social network has a significant amplification. Furthermore, social relationships can directly affect farmers’ ability to cope with livelihood risks. And, for farmers with higher social, information, human and financial capital, the effectiveness of social networks in enhancing their risk coping capacity is more significant. Overall, it is suggested that more attention should be paid to the positive role of social networks on the livelihood in the future. For rural development, social relationship networks should be continuously enriched and to strengthen its multiplier effect on farmers’ livelihood. And for farmer development, it should take measures to improve the mobilising capacity of social relations. And to amplify the effectiveness of various types of livelihood capital in risk response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the dynamics of urbanization and counterurbanization, rural areas in China face both challenges and opportunities with the government's new-town policy. A comprehensive analysis is essential for developing effective strategies. Characterized by traditional water settlements and high ecological sensitivity, Anxin County, which encompasses 50% of Baiyangdian Lake, was selected as a case study. Anxin County was incorporated into the National New Area in 2017, and it served as an experimental site for green ecological development. This study aims to provide insights into the sustainable spatial planning of Anxin County's settlements by examining their long-term evolution and locational differences, modeling the driving mechanisms, and proposing differentiated spatial planning strategies based on predictive outcomes. Our research findings indicate the folllowing: (1) Anxin County's settlements have expanded significantly in the past, with a notable surge between 1975 and 1996. Initially, semi-waterside settlements experienced the fastest growth before the 1970s, followed by land settlements. (2) Natural and socio-economic factors are modeled as independent variables to explain the evolution of settlement areas. The results indicate a decreasing impact of natural factors and an increasing influence of socio-economic factors over time. Furthermore, the evolution of settlements in water areas is relatively straightforward and random, whereas land settlements are influenced by a complex array of factors. (3) Utilizing the model to predict settlement growth, the study identifies settlements requiring relocation, and it proposes the most suitable relocation targets for them. A total of 23 villages, including Bei Tianzhuang and Cai Putai, are identified for relocation, while villages such as Ma Village, Bian Village, and Liu Lizhuang have strong capacities for accepting in-migrants. The study also offers recommendations for enhancing waterfront landscapes, flexible land use, road network systems, and internal construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the Innovation Demonstration Zone for the National Sustainable Development Agenda is a key initiative for executing the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Zone also plays critical roles in addressing the developmental bottlenecks that China faces and sharing Chinese insights into global sustainable development efforts. On July 15, 2022, the State Council endorsed the Zone’s establishment in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, where it focuses on innovation-led sustainable development in rural areas. Research into the levels, impediments, interdependencies, and evolutionary trends of rural sustainable development is crucial. Therefore, this research aimed to assist in comprehensively assessing developmental challenges and facilitating the harmonious advancement of social, economic, and environmental aspects in rural areas. In pursuit of the three fundamental dimensions of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely development’s drivers, quality, and equity, this study was grounded in China’s national Rural Revitalization Strategy and the demands of sustainable development strategies. It also aligns with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated SDG indicators. Focusing on four key areas, namely production elements, natural elements, social elements, and rural governance, this study developed an evaluation index system for assessing the level of rural sustainable development. It employed a range of analytical models, including the game theory-based combination empowerment method, barrier degree model, coupling degree model, coupling coordination degree model, and gray prediction GM(1,1) model, to analyze the status and evolving trends of rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang City from 2015 to 2022. The key findings were as follows: ① Relative to the baseline year 2015, the sustainable development level in Zaozhuang’s rural areas has shifted toward an improved state overall. ② The primary barrier to achieving rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang is the city’s rural governance system. ③ While the components of rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang are in the early stages of both basic and moderate coordination, an overall enhancement has occurred in their integrative coordination. ④ Between 2023 and 2025, the level of integrative coordination in Zaozhuang is expected to rise steadily. However, reaching a state of advanced coordination will require additional time for development.

Enhancing rural resilience is crucial due to the significant vulnerabilities faced by rural areas, such as weak economic foundations, scarce resources, and deficient infrastructure. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of rural network resilience (RNR) to underscore its importance in understanding the mechanisms and pathways of rural sustainable development. To establish the theoretical foundations of RNR, we trace the evolution of resilience concepts and their applications across disciplines. The proposed analytical framework integrates evaluation methods from network science to assess RNR's structural characteristics and outlines simulation techniques for predicting resilience under various risk scenarios. Furthermore, the paper examines the key influencing factors that shape RNR within complex rural regional systems, exploring the intricate evolutionary mechanisms involved. To bridge existing research gaps, a synergistic development perspective is introduced, emphasizing the interconnected, multi-layered nature of rural networks across societal, economic, and ecological domains. Additionally, a county-level analytical framework tailored for county-level rural resilience analysis is presented to offer strategic guidance for enhancing RNR and driving sustainable rural revitalization. This transdisciplinary synthesis propels RNR as an emerging field with significant policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability has become an extensive concern in biological and social research. As for urban–rural development, narrowing the disparities between urban and rural areas and leading to urban–rural integration is a tendency of urban–rural development worldwide and an inevitable way to create a sustainable human society. China is in a critical stage of significant challenges and opportunities with a scale and pace unique in history. Although some studies have begun to focus on sustainable urban and rural development, they have often neglected to assess issues related to rural areas. China has undergone the adjustment of rural structure and development policies, and the sustainable development of rural areas should be given enough attention. This study constructs a system of indicators related to rural public resources, aiming to assess whether there are distributional inequalities in spatial allocation. The calculations show that: (1) China's rural public resources allocation coefficient is stable at 0.2 to 0.3 at the national level. (2) Even under policy support, a significant decline rate change still occurs. (3) Western education resources are allocated relatively compared with eastern provinces, but resources are rarely in medical and social security. China has implemented a firm macro-control policy regarding resource allocation in rural areas. Furthermore, the government should continue to increase investment in human resources and public facilities to adjust regional differences. This paper analyzes the allocation structure of rural resources based on China's new policy theory. It has opened a new path in sustainable rural development governance and public resource allocation to provide constructive suggestions for sustainable rural development in China and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural settlements serve as the fundamental spatial unit in rural geography research and play a significant role in regional system research on human‒land relations. With the accelerated advances in urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural modernization, the flow of urban and rural development factors has greatly changed the social and economic forms of rural areas, further seriously restricting the sustainable development of rural economies and societies. The spatial patterns of rural settlements serve as tangible reflections of rural living and the evolution of settlement structures, directly influencing the sustainable development of rural areas and the construction of rural human settlements. Despite the increasing number of relevant studies, a comprehensive review of the field’s dynamic evolution, research frontiers, and future development trajectories remains incomplete. On the basis of the Web of Science core database, this study used CiteSpace 6.2 R4 and VOS Viewer 1.6 software to perform a full systematic review of the literature on rural settlement spatial morphology from 2000 to 2024. The goal was to determine the current state of the research, where researchers are most active, and what major ideas and trends can be expected in the field of rural settlement spatial patterns. The results indicate that (1) the spatial patterns of rural settlements are a popular topic, integrating different disciplines and covering various themes, with close regional cooperation and a growing number of publications. At the national level, China, the United States, and France lead in research output and influence in this field. (2) The main research hotspots in the field include rural residential areas, spatial organization, land use, driving mechanisms, and regional systems, all of which are related to rural sustainable development. (3) Future research trends will likely focus on the response of rural settlement spatial patterns to new urbanization processes and social contexts. The findings provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of research hotspots, aiding researchers in related fields in quickly grasping the research frontiers and summaries.

Under the dynamics of urbanization and counterurbanization, rural areas in China face both challenges and opportunities with the government’s new-town policy. A comprehensive analysis is essential for developing effective strategies. Characterized by traditional water settlements and high ecological sensitivity, Anxin County, which encompasses 50% of Baiyangdian Lake, was selected as a case study. Anxin County was incorporated into the National New Area in 2017, and it served as an experimental site for green ecological development. This study aims to provide insights into the sustainable spatial planning of Anxin County’s settlements by examining their long-term evolution and locational differences, modeling the driving mechanisms, and proposing differentiated spatial planning strategies based on predictive outcomes. Our research findings indicate the folllowing: (1) Anxin County’s settlements have expanded significantly in the past, with a notable surge between 1975 and 1996. Initially, semi-waterside settlements experienced the fastest growth before the 1970s, followed by land settlements. (2) Natural and socio-economic factors are modeled as independent variables to explain the evolution of settlement areas. The results indicate a decreasing impact of natural factors and an increasing influence of socio-economic factors over time. Furthermore, the evolution of settlements in water areas is relatively straightforward and random, whereas land settlements are influenced by a complex array of factors. (3) Utilizing the model to predict settlement growth, the study identifies settlements requiring relocation, and it proposes the most suitable relocation targets for them. A total of 23 villages, including Bei Tianzhuang and Cai Putai, are identified for relocation, while villages such as Ma Village, Bian Village, and Liu Lizhuang have strong capacities for accepting in-migrants. The study also offers recommendations for enhancing waterfront landscapes, flexible land use, road network systems, and internal construction.

Traditional agricultural landscapes are heavily exposed to change due to their relatively low agricultural productivity. However, they represent cultural values of great importance in maintaining the resilience of the environment and society. Although their cultural potential is important for sustainable development, it is still insufficiently recognized. The article fills this gap by examining old farmstead buildings as a distinguishing element of the agricultural landscape. The study was conducted in Poland in the area of farm settlements in Kashubia. A spatial database and archival maps were used for comparison of the spatial distribution and the number of farmsteads and buildings in 1937 and 2020. The types of settlements in the selected area of research were recorded and classified. The results obtained from the study may support the spatial planning and local management of agricultural areas for the purpose of preserving rural identity and economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The development of rural areas usually has a positive impact on the urban-rural integration. This study explores an innovative approach to stimulate rural development by proposing qualified villages as central villages that can provide basic urban services for their residents and residents of neighboring villages. This approach can contribute to overcoming the various problems that rural areas faced at the social, economic, and environmental levels. It seeks to achieve spatial sustainability of rural areas, representing a new approach by integrating urban development methods to revitalize rural villages. The study analyzed 15 villages in Abbasiya District of AL Kufa City in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. Based on the GIS techniques and the analysis of urban service indicators (village population, percentage of urban building materials used in villages, distance between village and health centers, distance between village and main roads, nature of economic activity, distance between village and educational institutions, distance between village and drinking water sources, number of communication towers, and distance between village and urban administrative center), this study proposed that Abu Gharb and Albu Ghraib can served as central villages in Abbasiya District in the future. This study establishes a new rural spatial structure to achieve rural sustainable development, improves the development status of rural areas, and provides a theoretical basis for the government and relevant institutions to use urban service indicators achieving rural sustainable development and formulating relevant development policies in Abbasiya District.

Geographical Indications (G.I.s) mean a particular product belonging to a specific Geographical Environment, having a specific traditional knowledge which separates it from similar looking products. Certification is beneficial to both the producer as it can ensure him a premium price and the consumer as it generates the willingness to pay higher on quality assurance.GI also facilitates rural sustainable development as its uniqueness generates conservation of the resources in the concerned community. Bibliometric analysis is the scientific analysis of all the academic work done pertaining to a certain topic under study. It streamlines all the work done in a specific field and is also helpful in highlighting the areas where to focus for research. The main objective of this paper is to study the trend of development of the topic through the analysis of the entire academic work done. Data for the period from 2001 to 2021 was collected from web of science database and analyzed by using R package and VOS viewer software. Overall, 194 research papers were shortlisted. GI certification prevents commercial fraud, it ensures Bio-diversity conservation. Academic contribution has been maximum in the year 2019. Most relevant sources were Sustainability, British food journal. Among the most relevant keywords, frequency of words like Geographical Indications, quality, terroir, food, governance, certification, etc were on the higher side. Europe and USA dominate in certifications and contributions to GI Tagging followed by some developing countries like India, Mexico, Brazil. This study holds great relevance to people from all dimensions of life. There is a need to increase research in this area. The study will suggest several new dimensions to research which will be very much beneficial for the academicians, policy makers and particularly the rural community.

Introduction: Planning for proper waste management and attention to its harmful effects on the environment in any country is one of the most important and necessary principles to provide long-term benefits and move towards sustainable development. The overall purpose of this study was to analyze the barriers to rural waste management in the central part of Urmia. In order to get a comprehensive understanding of the obstacles, problems and limitations that have caused the unfavorable management of rural waste in the studied area. Material and methods: The research was applied in terms of purpose and data were collected in the field. The statistical population of the study included all villagers in the central part of Urmia city, in which rural waste management was performed (N = 136). The questionnaire was the main research tool that was designed using content review and interviews with experts and faculty members of the university. To evaluate its reliability, 30 questionnaires were completed and the Cronbach's alpha value was 0.91, which indicated the acceptable reliability of the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and exploratory factor analysis technique. Results and discussion: The results of factor analysis showed that rural waste management barriers in six groups of educational-cultural barriers (variance dimension 18.13), health-environmental (variance dimension 18.06), knowledge (variance dimension 12.53), environmental (variance dimension 10.96), disposal management (variance dimension 10.24) and equipment (variance dimension 6.92) were classified as 76.84% of the total variance changes related to rural waste management barriers in the study area. In prioritizing the items of educational-cultural obstacles, the absence of the required culture regarding less consumption was the first rank. In terms of health-environmental obstacles, leaving and disposing of waste by villagers in the nearest place (on roads, along rivers, on the side of roads, etc.) and the occurrence of parasitic diseases for the villagers, was the first rank. In terms of knowledge barriers, lack of awareness and low knowledge of the villagers regarding the economic value of reusing agricultural residues was the first rank. In the disposal management factor, the lack of a separation plan at the source and as a result mixing wet, dry and special waste together was the first rank. Regarding the environmental factor, the presence of verminous insects and rodents and their increase at certain times of the year at the disposal site and roads until the time of garbage collection, was ranked first and finally among the factor factors. equipment, lack and lack of conversion industries for reuse of waste and agricultural residues, took the first place. Conclusion: Empowering people through awareness, information and education using appropriate tools in the field of waste management can be helpful and practical. Coherent and purposeful management for waste management and success in improving environmental issues in the study area requires specific methods and strategic plans. Therefore, it is necessary to take the necessary planning and measures in this regard. It is also recommended to use the participation of people and NGOs to separate at the source and to organize informal activities of collection and recycling of materials in recycling programs, while it is necessary for municipalities, organizations and affiliated bodies. Assist the government in providing the facilities and equipment needed for rural waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an analysis of rural sustainability in the Poles of Territorial and Rural Equilibrium (PETR) in Occitania, France, using the Rural Sustainability Index (RSI) as a statistical inference tool. It was constructed based on the dimensions of sustainable development: Social, Economic, Environmental, and Institutional. The methodology used in this research is quali-quantítatíve, bibliographical, and documental, based on secondary data provided by the French government. The results revealed that by the year 2022, half of the productive communities had a positive performance and half had to optimize efforts towards sustainability, with the best overall performances occurring in the Environmental, Social, and Institutional dimensions, with the Economic dimension showing the greatest potential for improvement. The RSI presents itself as a relevant tool to support the formulation of public policies for rural development, as it allows for reliable comparability between locations, regardless of their economic or population size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic and social transition toward modernization is characterized by a massive outflow of rural labor, which raises problems such as rural job–housing separation and rural decline. Few studies have used rural labor employment microdata to quantitatively analyze the degree of separation between housing and jobs in different types of villages, especially in ecologically fragile mountainous and hilly regions. This article is based on a 2021 survey of 6181 rural households in 158 villages of Chongqing, a mountainous and hilly region of China, and divides villages into city edge, suburban, and outer suburban villages. In this study, the separation degree of housing–jobs (SDHJ) measurement model was created in order to explore the degree of separation between rural jobs and housing in terms of space–time dimension separation in these areas, and the different job–housing separation characteristics under different village types were distinguished. The results show the following. (1) The county's rural SDHJ has a clear regional differentiation law, and the degrees of separation between housing and jobs in all counties are in the following order: main urban area < northeast of Chongqing < southeast of Chongqing. The degree of separation between housing and jobs presents a spatial pattern of "medium–low perimeter high, local prominence" according to both the degree of temporal separation and the degree of spatial separation. (2) The degrees of separation between housing and jobs in various village types are in the following order: urban fringe villages < suburban villages < outer suburban villages. The distance effect was verified. The SDHJ is typically low in urban fringe villages and moderate in suburban villages, with distinct geographical disparities in labor distribution. The SDHJ is typically higher in the outer suburban villages, where laborers choose long-term long-distance employment. (3) This study proposes some countermeasures that could reduce the SDHJ for different types of villages. The findings have important policy implications for China's mountainous rural development and serve as a model for other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid application of digital technology in rural areas has been carried out worldwide, but academic research on the theme of digital villages is still in its infancy. The academia is still unclear about the construction content, theoretical framework and realization path of the digital village construction. Against this background, this paper studies how villages can transform into digital villages and achieve a sustainable development. Firstly, this paper builds a digital village technology architecture system from four levels: infrastructure system, village brain, application support system and application service system. The system points out the specific construction content from the technical point of view, and provides scientific guidance for construction activities. Secondly, with the help of digital empowerment theory, the theoretical framework of the digital village construction to promote a sustainable rural development, is constructed from five fields: industry, ecology, culture, service and governance. Finally, the theoretical framework is verified through five Chinese cases, and two characteristics of a digital village construction are summarized to provide reference and guidance for digital village practice activities. The digital village construction should use data, digital technology and digital platform as the base, attract multiple subjects to participate and form symbiotic relationships, and achieve a rural sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass carbon is a highly aromatic carbonaceous solid obtained by thermochemical reaction of biomass raw materials. It is frequently used in the research and application of soil properties and states improvement. Biomass carbon has abundant porous structure, high specific surface area and surface functional groups. After being applied to the soil, it has a significant impact on manipulating the physichemical properties of the soil, enhancing the microbial environment and remediating soil pollutants, which is conducive to the resource utilization of agricultural wastes and the long-term preservation of the environment. Based on 328 moderately to highly relevant literatures on biomass carbon and rural soil property improvement since 2010, this paper reviewed the contemporary research progress of biomass carbon application in soil property improvements utilizing the concept of sustainable development. In order to provide beneficial illumination for the complete implementation of biomass carbon in improving rural soil properties, this paper primarily evaluated the principle as well as mechanism of promoting sustainable soil properties. It tends to prospect the application and development aspirations of biomass carbon in soil ecological restoration, crop growth, development.

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Peasants are producers and the direct stakeholders of rural environmental problems, and also the core subject of the comprehensive rural ecological improvement. However, in the current mode of rural environmental governance, the government takes the dominant role, with low participation of peasants. Based on the representative micro-survey data of China, and from the perspective of the psychosocial effects of the peasants’ self-identification, this research made use of instrumental variables and generalized structural equation mode (GSEM) to explore the reason behand this phenomenon. The research shows that, first, at present Chinese peasants have a low degree of self-identification, and self-identification has a remarkable and positive stimulating effect on the participation of peasants in rural ecological improvement; second, heterogeneity analysis shows that self-identification is a stronger incentive for peasant groups with female offspring and rural families with relatively higher incomes in the participation of rural environmental improvement, and is a less remarkable incentive for rural families with relatively low incomes; and third, the mediation model results indicate that social fairness and social capital are important mediating paths with which self-identification influences the participation of peasants in rural environmental improvement, and the exertion of the stimulating effect of self-identification on the participation in rural environmental improvement is inseparable from the coordination and integration of the perception effect of peasants as the behavioral subject in terms of social fairness, and is still more inseparable from the support of corresponding social capital. What we’ve discovered means that the enhancement of self-identification of peasants by strengthening the construction of public cultural services and cultural guidance in rural area is the crucial element to motivate the peasants to participate in rural environmental improvement so as to realize sustainable rural development.

An indicator system is constructed and applied for comprehensive measurement of rural vulnerability in China's counties. Through the selection of five representative transects we explore regional differences in, and driving forces of, China's rural vulnerability. The results show that (1) The rural vulnerability of counties in China is generally within the threshold range of low to medium, and exhibits obvious spatial differences. Along the "Bole-Taipei Line", there is a spatial pattern of north-south differentiation. Villages in the northeast part of the counties have low vulnerability, while those in the southwest are relatively vulnerable (2) External environmental phenomena are the leading factors that induce rural vulnerability. Specifically, the rural ecological subsystem composed of ecological exposure, ecological sensitivity, and ecological adaptation is the principal determinant of rural vulnerability. The rural economic subsystem composed of economic exposure, economic sensitivity, and economic adaptation is also a core determinant of rural vulnerability. The social subsystem composed of social exposure, social sensitivity, and social adaptation is also an important determinant of rural vulnerability. (3) According to the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, different regions should seek to reduce regional embeddedness and path dependence. We should strengthen the prediction and monitoring of sources of disturbance in rural areas, and scientifically control the sensitivity of the system itself. Then the adaptive capacity of the rural system can be improved pursuant of promoting sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic and social transition toward modernization is characterized by a massive outflow of rural labor, which raises problems such as rural job–housing separation and rural decline. Few studies have used rural labor employment microdata to quantitatively analyze the degree of separation between housing and jobs in different types of villages, especially in ecologically fragile mountainous and hilly regions. This article is based on a 2021 survey of 6181 rural households in 158 villages of Chongqing, a mountainous and hilly region of China, and divides villages into city edge, suburban, and outer suburban villages. In this study, the separation degree of housing–jobs (SDHJ) measurement model was created in order to explore the degree of separation between rural jobs and housing in terms of space–time dimension separation in these areas, and the different job–housing separation characteristics under different village types were distinguished. The results show the following. (1) The county’s rural SDHJ has a clear regional differentiation law, and the degrees of separation between housing and jobs in all counties are in the following order: main urban area < northeast of Chongqing < southeast of Chongqing. The degree of separation between housing and jobs presents a spatial pattern of “medium–low perimeter high, local prominence” according to both the degree of temporal separation and the degree of spatial separation. (2) The degrees of separation between housing and jobs in various village types are in the following order: urban fringe villages < suburban villages < outer suburban villages. The distance effect was verified. The SDHJ is typically low in urban fringe villages and moderate in suburban villages, with distinct geographical disparities in labor distribution. The SDHJ is typically higher in the outer suburban villages, where laborers choose long-term long-distance employment. (3) This study proposes some countermeasures that could reduce the SDHJ for different types of villages. The findings have important policy implications for China’s mountainous rural development and serve as a model for other developing countries.

Realizing the ecological value of rural areas through industrial development is an indispensable pathway of global rural sustainable development. However, it is still unclear how to choose efficient rural industrial development modes (RIDMs) for ecological value realization in rural areas due to the lack of quantitative measures. In this study, a quantitative measurement is proposed to identify the RIDMs and evaluate their capability of realizing the ecological value in 2, 090 counties of China. The results show that the modernization of planting industry and integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries are the two most prevalent RIDMs in rural China, while the integration of agriculture and tourism and ecological tourism are the two most ecologically efficient RIDMs. Besides, the ecological value of rural China (63.11 trillion yuan) is much higher than its economic value produced (50.43 trillion yuan) in 2020, and their spatial distributions are mismatched. The western region of rural China has an enormous ecological value but create a low economic output. Our findings highlight the importance of realizing the vast ecological value of rural areas through effective RIDMs to promote the rural sustainable development in China and other developing countries. • A quantitative method is proposed to identify the rural industrial development modes (RIDMs) in China. • Modernization of planting industry and integration of three industries are the two most prevalent RIDMs in China. • Integration of agriculture and tourism and ecological tourism are the two most ecologically efficient RIDMs in China. • The ecological value of rural China is much higher than its economic value, and their spatial distributions are mismatched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of this research is descriptive-analytic and the data of this research have been collected through a library and field study (questionnaire). The statistical population of the study is the rural population of Ardabil city with a population of 74536 people. To calculate the sample size of this society, Cochran formula was used and the family size criterion was used to determine the sample size of the villages and the sample size was estimated to be 358. The face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the professors of Mohaghegh Ardebili University and Tabriz University. Also, using Cronbach's alpha, the reliability of questions in the cultural traditions section was 0.79 and in the sustainable livelihoods section of 0.78, which can be said that the questions presented have an acceptable reliability coefficient. The data were analyzed using Spss 21 software. Pearson correlation test and regression were used. Results showed that there is a positive and significant correlation with coefficient of 0.63 between cultural traits variable and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. Also, the beta coefficient showed that 0.63 percent of cultural trends predict the changes in the sustainable livelihoods of villagers.

Purpose- In addition to preservation of and getting religious and legal rights of the government and people, one of the most important goals of ownership and consolidation of national and government domains is to keep and develop renewable natural resources and to allocate them for development of agricultural and productive activities. The ultimate goal of the legislator, has been movement towards comprehensive agricultural self-sufficiency, deprivation reduction, and development in villages. The present study aims at investigating the effect of national land resource allocation on rural sustainable development. As a result, the rural districts of Northern and Southern Bar’an, as a part of the central province of Isfahan, were selected. Design/methodology/approach- The present study is applied in terms of aims, descriptive-analytical in terms of research method, and survey study in terms of data collection. Data collection was performed through library and field studies. The population of the research consisted of farmers of five villages of the Northern Bar’an rural district and five villages of the Southern Bar’an rural district and 30 experts. A sample 260 farmers were selected using Cochran formula. Findings- The results indicated that the effectiveness of the allocation of national and government lands on the dimensions of rural sustainable development is at a moderate level. It shows poor efficiency of allocation of national and public land resources. Research limitations / implications- Problems like farmers' reluctance to cooperate and questionnaire distribution were among the challenges faced in this research. Originality/value: Given the importance of the studied region in production and agricultural, the findings of the present study can be regarded a big step in exploiting the potentiality of this region to determine strategies for sustainable rural development.

Purpose- The importance of non-governmental organizations in underdeveloped or developing countries such as Iran is more than anything due to the ability of such organizations in advancing culture in the most basic sectors of society. The purpose of this research is to analyze the role of non-governmental organizations in Golestan province in achieving sustainable rural development. Design/methodology/approach- This research is descriptive-correlative. The experts of consulting firms of Golestan province constituted the statistical population (n=706) of whom 249 were selected as the sample using stratified random sampling method. The validity of the research instrument was evaluated by faculty members and experts. The pre-test and questionnaire validation were conducted by giving the questionnaires to 30 subjects other than the statistical sample. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.88 was calculated for the reliability coefficient. Finding- According to the results, collective performance of tasks, the use of information and communication technology in providing services, the promotion of skills in producers and beneficiaries of the agricultural sector, improvement of agricultural knowledge in producers and beneficiaries, agricultural technical-vocational training, teaching of management skills and administration of entrepreneurial business along with group dynamics were the major roles of non-governmental organizations in achieving sustainable rural development. The results showed that the communicative and economic knowledge factor and economy with a specific value of 6.86 had the highest power in explaining variables, followed by the educational-promotional factor with a specific value of 6.38 and the social-facilitating factor with a specific value of 5.97. In total, about 65.2% of the total variance was explained. Practical implications- In order to achieve sustainable rural development, it is suggested that non-governmental organizations play their roles in raising income and improving the living standards of farmers, accessing resources and facilities for providing services, diversifying agricultural and agricultural activities, reducing costs and establishing contact with farmers. It also promotes the level of knowledge and skills of producers and beneficiaries in the agricultural sector.

Renewable energy systems (RES) have a vital role in a country’s rural and comprehensive development programs. Renewable resources for the generation of electricity (e.g., wind, solar, geothermal, etc.) are typically most abundant and practical resources for development in rural areas. Such green development plans create an opportunity for rural electric utilities that are at a geographical advantage for investment in these projects. Renewable energy systems represent the most environment friendly and cost-effective means of providing electricity to those living in rural communities or regions in developing countries. However, providing energy for rural areas considering the geographical desperation, various different climate conditions, demographic variation, economic crises, etc. requires substantial time and facilities. Governmental energy supply strategies and dependency on fossil fuels has slowed the process of renewable energy system developments. However, environmental pollution caused by fossil fuels,electricity production and the high associated maintenance costs of the distribution grid has always been problematic in rural areas. These issues have led countries to shift toward clean energy strategies. However, this has been relatively slow and in many countries the proportion of the rural population supplied with electricity remains low and the proportion supplied with electricity from renewable energy systems is even lower. There are technical, social, cultural, institutional, geographical and economic barriers to the deployment of renewable energy systems and, thus, to their ability to contribute to the long term development of rural clean energy. This paper aims to analyze barriers and suggests promising approaches for overcoming them toward a sustainable development in Iran. To understand the causes of this barriers, first a literatures review on rural renewable energy development programs in developing countries is under taken. Second, findings from a survey on the expertise’s knowledge state of renewable energy development in rural areas of Iran have been used to define optimal development solutions and comments to overcome technical, economic, social and political barriers. A questionnaire was sent to one hundred and ten experts. Which thirty-eight of them responded, including 17 experts in the field of energy and 14 experts from the field of urban planning and development, and Seven experts from responsible agencies. Eighteen of the above-mentioned were university faculties and twenty-three of them had a Ph.D. It should be noted that the number of distributed questionnaires was based on the ratio of the number of questions to each subject field. Results show that in Iran, about two third of barriers are related to economical (37%) and political (29%) issues. These results are in line with developing countries such as Pakistan. However, in developed countries such as Austria despite the supportive policies, policy issues are still counted as main renewable energy development barriers. The present study has tried to examine the renewable energy development strategies by assessing the barriers to clean energy in rural areas and recognizing development capacities in the country, which could lead to priorities such as the allocation of clean energy subsidies, long-term and short-term loans, educational and cultural development in this field and engaging relevant organizations such as, policy makers, consumers, NGOs and media. Certainly, rural environments in terms of energy demand and consumption intensity, geographical dispersion and different economic conditions are different than urban environments. For this reason, policies, programs and public mechanisms should be based on statistical knowledge and understanding the capacities. Also, due to the importance of energy economy, on a larger scale, the level of access to energy and its relationship with the income level of individuals, should also be studied in comparison to urban conditions and rural areas of other countries.

Purpose- Ineffectiveness and unsustainability of classic approaches to respond to socioeconomic challenges in rural areas is one of the biggest barriers to sustainable development and achieving its goals. Hence, modern tourism as a new strategy has been able to be effective in the evolution of sustainable development in rural areas. Such that today emergence of postmodern tourism has made the tourists be more willing to use cultural attractions and unique experiences in tourism destinations, and the big entertaining places are not attractive to them anymore. On the other hand, rural areas have constantly faced difficulties in attracting tourists because of poverty and economic problems; therefore, creative tourism has been presented as an appropriate approach in developing rural tourism, since it does not need huge investments and uses the existing cultural and natural aspects. Therefore, the present study aims at investigating the role of creative tourism in rural sustainable development and ranking the sample villages according creative tourism components. Design/methodology/approach- The present study is an applied study with regard to function and is a descriptive-analytic study with regard to its nature. We used field and library methods based on observation and questionnaire for data collection. Validity of the questionnaire items was confirmed by experts and using Cronbach alpha formula (0.856). The statistic population includes the households of six historic-cultural villages in northwest of Iran; 313 household heads were randomly selected using the Cochran formula. Statistical tests such as one sample t-test, multi-variate linear regression, and Kruskal–Wallis test were used for data analysis. Findings- The results indicated that the mean values are higher than 3 for all the components of creative tourism except risk taking which is 2.99; the components are also significant at 0.01 level indicating desirable conditions of the target villages with regard to creative tourism. Investigation of regression fitness model indicated that 0.83 of the positive effect of tourism on rural sustainable development is due to creativity in tourism. Also, according to beta values, among the five components of creative tourism, participation (0.286) and and risk taking (0.181) were the most and least effective factors in rural sustainable development through tourism, respectively. The results of Kruskal–Wallis test indicated that Kandovan (65.257) was at the first rank and Varkaneh (41.71) was at the sixth rank with regard to creative tourism and the consequent sustainable development.

To implement local policies that promote rural sustainable development, this study constructed an evaluation index system for “agricultural production-farmer life-rural ecology” in county villages, taking Shandong Province as an example, and analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of this rural system and the coupling coordination relationship between each subsystem using spatial analysis, an analytic hierarchy process, and a coupling model. The study also divided the development functional areas of the rural regional system in Shandong Province and suggested some decisions by which to optimize rural sustainable development. The research results showed that there was an obvious northeast-southwest regional differentiation in the “agricultural production-farmer life-rural ecology” system in Shandong Province. Of these rural subsystems, 75.82% were still in the coupled running-in phase; the rural sustainability and coordination of these needed to be further strengthened. There were six types of functional zones：low-coordinated and sustainable development, medium-coordinated and low-sustainable development, low-coordinated and medium-sustainable development, medium coordinated and sustainable development, high-coordinated and medium-sustainable development, and high-level coordinated and sustainable development zones. The functional areas of Shandong Province in which the “agricultural production-farmer life-rural ecology ” system being developed was dominated by low- and medium-coordinated development zones that accounted for 72.6% of the total area. The functional areas of the “agricultural production-farmer life-rural ecology” system in the different zones should take measures based on local conditions and classifications. Low-level development zones such as the southwestern plain agricultural areas, in Shandong Province, should adjust their industrial structure and transformation thereof to increase the proportion of the secondary and tertiary industries. The medium development zones such as the Jiaodong Peninsula in Shandong Province should focus mainly on industrial agglomeration and technological innovation to build industrial brands. The high-level development zones in the northern areas of Shandong Provinces should focus on scientific development and construction of demonstration projects to develop mature rural development models. The rural “agricultural production-farmer life-rural ecology” system is based on a coupling coordination mechanism, and classifies the county′s rural development functional zones on a scientific basis. This has important implications for the implementation of the county ′s rural revitalization strategy in Shandong Province and the promotion of rural coordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the perspective of sustainable development and based on literature review, this paper introduces modified Delphi and Decision Making and Trial Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to explore the critical factors of sustainable development in rural areas and their correlation. Through literature review and modified Delphi analysis, nine key factors of rural sustainable development are first identified, namely industrial activation, working environment, living conditions, infrastructure, public involvement, rural culture, government-related departments, educational resources, and health and welfare. DEMATEL is then adopted to determine the classification of the aforementioned factors, in which four (government-related departments, public involvement, infrastructure, and educational resources) are classified in the cause group and five (health and welfare, living conditions, rural culture, working environment, and industrial activation) are classified in the effect group. According to the centrality and relation of these factors, the causal network diagram is finally drawn before making practical suggestions based on the overall results, with a view to providing a reference for decision-makers in their follow-up rural sustainable development planning.

Copyright of Revista Didasc@lia: Didáctica y Educación is the property of Universitaria de Las Tunas, Centro de Estudios de Didactica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study is conducted in ethnic plateau of Deqin County of Yunnan Province, China, to understand the multidimensional poverty status using the Alkire–Foster Method with contextualized indicators linked to the dimensions of Education, Health, Living Conditions, Assets, and Social Relations. Using data gathered from 647 households in eight townships, the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) is calculated. Generally, Assets and Living Conditions are the two dimensions lacking in most households. This research takes the perception of the household into account, and compares the MPI results with the household self-assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountainous rural areas such as those in southwest China are developing rapidly. This requires scientific understanding and a framework for assessing the sustainability of the built environment that is suitable to such areas. At present, no such framework exists. This lack of assessment options has contributed to the unsustainable development of these areas, which has caused a series of environmental, social, and economic problems. This article analyzes existing assessment frameworks, reviews the theory on sustainable rural development as it applies to rural southwest China, and proposes a new assessment framework that is more suitable to this region and others like it. This framework is based on a sustainable development model for rural areas that emphasizes endogenous development; addresses the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability; and takes the natural and social conditions of mountainous rural areas into account. Our study tested its applicability to rural southwest China and its sensitivity to local conditions and found them to be better than those of existing assessment frameworks.

Objective: Since 2004, the author has worked in the cities of the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua in innovation and entrepreneurship. The message is innovation and the Stanford D School Design Thinking Model. In 2016, an invitation was received to work in the autonomous region of the Northern Caribbean Coast. This would be an opportunity to try the methodologies at the base of the economic pyramid in a remote rural location. Research Design & Methods: This is a case study, taking the innovation work started in the United States and continued in Universities in Nicaragua to a very rural area with the guidance and support of UNICAM. UNICAM is the Universidad en el Campo, or, the University of the Country, an innovation in education. The goal is to take University-level education to the rural communities. The town is at the entrance to the RAAN, the developing northern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. The challenges were many in this rural community! Who would attend? Where would it be held? What would be a relevant theme for this community? What activities would help participants through a workshop on innovation? This was not the typical academic group of faculty and students that the authors work with. Findings: The results showed that in this case study, you could take the theory and methodology directly to a rural population who did not have the advantages of a world-class education. They used the methodology of Design Thinking effectively. Contribution & Value Added: The contribution here is opening the minds of the academic community that perhaps the goal should be to take applied education to the students wherever, and not expect the students to come to the cloistered halls of academia.

The objective of this paper is to contribute to the discussion of new policy options for less-favoured areas by presenting two case studies concerning rural communities from Romania and Austria and their pathways towards sustainable development in regions with so-called natural handicaps. First, we briefly introduced the less favoured areas in Romania and Austria, with their constraints and characteristics. Secondly, we focused on the local development strategies of two less-favoured communities from these countries. Finally, we drew conclusions, serving as policy recommendations for actions targeting the development of less-favoured rural areas.

The aim of this study was to design a TOWS strategic model for rural tourism development (Agrotourism, ecotourism) in the Savadkooh and north Savadkooh Counties of Mazandaran Province. This study was a descriptive and analytical survey which through literature review of previous studies and analytical results come from experts and researchers responses in the field of rural tourism, Agrotourism, has prioritized each internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats) factors and Provided TOWS strategies. The population of the research was a group of scientific and management experts (=20 experts) with expertise in the field of rural tourism and rural development which selected by purposeful and available sampling technique. The questionnaire was distributed among experts through AHP technique and Saaty's 9-point likert scale. Finally, 16 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. SWOT- AHP technique was used to analyze data and all calculations has been done by Super Decisions software, version 6.2 and Excel software. The results showed that in the criteria evaluation section, strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats were ranked first to fourth priority respectively. In formulating strategies using TOWS model due to uncontrolled external factors, tried to focus more on internal control factors. The most important strategies of TOWS model for the rural tourism development based on the general priorities and overall weight were as: Maxi-Maxi (SO), Mini - Maxi (WO), Maxi - Mini (ST), and Mini - Mini (WT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Organizações Rurais & Agroindustriais is the property of Organizacoes Rurais & Agroindustriais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, terms sustainability has been becoming a main study field of too many interdisciplinary sciences. Also, it included suitability theory framework on which every planning designed by taking sustainable development should offer a multidimensional image from the study area. Meanwhile, social sustainability serves as one of the sustainable development components along with qualitative aspects which are evaluated by some concepts like human life and welfare feeling in an ambient. The present study deals with social sustainability level and prioritizes them in three rural centers of the Zidasht basin through six indices (Demographic Index, Literacy Index, Poverty Index, Nutrition Index and Food Security, Index Justice and Equality, Ownership Index) and 18 variables. TOPSIS, as one of the multicriteria decision-making method, was used to prioritize social sustainability. In order to assign weights to corresponding criteria, 20 expertise were used. The result showed that Kalanak has the highest priority with the respective value of 0.7456, followed by Zidasht (0.6003) and Sangbon (0.2303). So that, findings from field studies and observation are in line with these results. Therefore, usage of TOPSIS is suggested in other study areas to prioritize social sustainability. Keywords: prioritization, social sustainable, TOPSIS method, Zidasht basin, rural sustainable development

The critical global environmental situation is promoting the creation of management instruments that stimulate the conservation of the natural capital and the ecosystem services that it provides. On the other hand, Argentina has historical deficiencies in rural policies that generate serious environmental impacts due to poor management and /or pressure from international markets and also serious social problems (emigration, urban poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, insecurity, etc.). Since it is urgent to establish policies to avoid these problems, the objective of this work is to present instruments for ecosystem conservation that the Government (at a national, provincial and particularly county level) could use to promote sustainable rural development and good agricultural practices of agroecological basis, especially focusing on the Pampas region. These instruments have real impact when integrated into programs together with social, educational and land planning tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, terms sustainability has been becoming a main study field of too many interdisciplinary sciences. Also, it included suitability theory framework on which every planning designed by taking sustainable development should offer a multidimensional image from the study area. Meanwhile, social sustainability serves as one of the sustainable development components along with qualitative aspects which are evaluated by some concepts like human life and welfare feeling in an ambient. The present study deals with social sustainability level and prioritizes them in three rural centers of the Zidasht basin through six indices (Demographic Index, Literacy Index, Poverty Index, Nutrition Index and Food Security, Index Justice and Equality, Ownership Index) and 18 variables. TOPSIS, as one of the multicriteria decision-making method, was used to prioritize social sustainability. In order to assign weights to corresponding criteria, 20 expertise were used. The result showed that Kalanak has the highest priority with the respective value of 0.7456, followed by Zidasht (0.6003) and Sangbon (0.2303). So that, findings from field studies and observation are in line with these results. Therefore, usage of TOPSIS is suggested in other study areas to prioritize social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended abstract1- Introduction Geomorphotourism has become an increasingly important and widely discussed sub-sector of the global tourism industry, and despite debate over its definition, it is now broadly accepted that geotourism entails three main criteria. Firstly, geotourism should involve a nature-based element in which its attractions are primarily based in the natural environment and geomorphic features. Secondly, there should be an element of education, learning or appreciation between the geotourist and the attraction. Finally, geotourism should appear to be Environmentally and socio-culturally sustainable, in a way which ‘enhances the natural and cultural resource base of the destination and promotes the viability of the operation’. Geomorphotourism considering the geomorphic landforms of region causes sustainable development in the region. In this research based on geomorphic landforms and springs of Kalat Mountain have been investigated the correlation between these features to analysis geomorphotourism potential of studied area.2- Methodology2-1- Study AreaThe studied area located in Khorasan Razavi, with 3500 km2 area. According to the location of this area in the folded mountain of Kopeh-dagh unit, natural features and geomorphologic landforms of this region including erosional phenomena, karst features have been caused the high geotourism potential for the studied area. The studied region located in 36 25 to 37 19 latitudes and 59 18 to 60 29 longitudes. Figure 1 shows the location of studied area. Fig. 1: the studied areas location From geology view, in higher than 1500 m, the Jurassic formation of lime stone and dolomite are raised. In levels of lower than 1500 m, have been formed the Paleogene sediments, sandstone, shale and gypsum. 2-2- MethodologyThis research has been done in three steps including geology and springs mapping, land units map preparing, classification and analyzing. To reach the purposes, geology and topography maps, aerial photos, multi-spectral imagery and RS/GIS software were used. To determine geomorphotourism locations, GPS and field operation were applied. The statistical analysis has been done for correlation and regression testing. 3- Results and DiscussionThe correlation of each geological formation by Pearson test showed that there is a strong and significant correlation (R2=0.8). The analysis indicated that spring density of Shorijeh, Sanganeh, Tirgan and Mozdooran is high. Also the highest discharge concentration is in relation to Tirgan and Mozdooran geology units. Areas with slopes greater than 15% have high potential to emergence geomorphic attractions which cover 66% of south and south west of Kalat region. Based on the findings, southern regions of Kalat Mountain have high potential of geomorphotourism comparison to north regions which located hill geomorphic type. Limestone and dolomite facies of Mozdoran geologic unit include most geomorphic attractions which back to sensitivity degree of this unit to erosion process. Karst and lime stone features have high geomorphotourism potential in the studied area.Ecotourism planning in the study area can be a suitable way to reach sustainable development goals in the region which improve social-economic conditions of the settlements.ReferencesAhmadi, H., Feiznia, S. (1999). Quaternary Formations (Principles and applications), University of Tehran Press, first editionAhrari, M., Shahrokhi, Zh. (2008). Geotourism in Chabahar, Magazine of Iran geology data, 17 (67): 46-53Behniafar, A. (2009). Geomorphic Properties of Akhlamad Karst in northern Binaloud Mountains, J. of Geography and Development, 14: 121-140Eshghi, A., Servati, M.R. (2003). Potential Parameters of Water Pollutions in Kardeh Basin, J. of Geography and Development, 2: 149-170Eshghi, A., Servati, M.R. (2004). Geomorphological Properties of Kars Landscape of Kardeh Basin, J. of Geographical Research, 48: 1-15Han, B. Beckmann, M (2003). The entrepreneurship factor in sustainable tourism development, Maya Lordkipanidze, Vol.14: 102-125 Kadivar, A, Saghaei, M. (2006). Tourism Management in Akhlamad Tourism Places, J. of Geographical Research, 83: 111-134Kamyabi, S. (2008). Assessment of Geotourism Attractions in National Park of Kavir, Semnan, 4th Conf of Geology and EnvironmentKarami, F. (2007). Geotourism Potentials in Kandovan Development, J. of Geographical Space, 20: 115-129Khadivi, Sh. (2006). Geotourism Atlas of Ardabil Province, Iran Geological Data Network, pp. 61Mikaeili. A. (2000). Tourism Planning Based on Ecological Concepts, J. of Geographical Researches (Tehran), 39: 21-28Newsome, D. dowling, R (2006). Geo-tourism; sustainability, impacts and management, Oxford, Great Britain, Pp: 260NGO (National Geographical Organization), Topography Map 1:250000, Sheets of NJ40-16, NJ40-12, NJ41-13Rezvani, A. (2002). Role of Ecotourism in Environment Conservation, J. of Environment Studies, 31: 115-122Servati, M, Ghasemi, A. (2008). Geotourism Strategies in Fars Province, J. of Geographical Space, 24: 23-50 Servati. M, Kazzazi, A. (2006). Geotourism and Planning Opportunities in Hamadan Province, J. of Geographical Space, 16: 1-37Shemshad, M. (2008). Role of Geological Features in Ecotourism Development, 4th Conf of Geology and Environment, Tehran.Thomas, R. Pigozzi, B. and Sambrook, R (2005). Tourist Carrying Capacity Measures: Crowding Syndrome in the Caribbean, The Professional Geographer, Vol.57, No.1: 13-20 Zomorrodian, M.J. (2003). An Approach to Springs and Lakes of Mashhad Considering Ecotourism, J. of Geography and Development, 2: 73-94

Rural economy has an important role in rural sustainabledevelopment in every region or country. However, therural economy in Iran is too much depending on agricultureand development of other rural economy in particular nonfarmactivities, has been neglected by Iranian rural communities.Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the role ofnon-farm business on rural sustainable development in SanandajTownship. This study was a type of surveying research andemployed both questionnaire and interview tools. A four-partquestionnaire (with 48 questions) was developed in order tocollect data from the respondents. Likert-type responses withfive scales were used to assess different sections of the questionnaires.The questionnaires’ reliability was tested by Cronbach’sAlpha technique and it was 76% (α= 0.76). A numberof 279 families, 181 families with and 98 without non-farmbusiness were selected randomly in 2011. Results of the studyshowed that non-farm business can contribute to employmentgrowth, income generating, and prevent seasonal and permanentmigration from rural areas. Based on the results, non-farmbusiness and non-farm industries need to be strongly investedby financial facilities through rural cooperatives and unions.Additionally, encouraging rural participation is essential innon-farms and industrial activities.