Poornima Meegammana, Niranjan Meegammana, Chathurika Jayalath
et al.
Girls remain underrepresented in computing, and rural contexts often compound barriers of access, language, and gender norms. Prior work in computing education highlights that confidence and belonging can shape participation, yet most evidence comes from well-resourced, English-dominant settings. Less is known about how locally grounded pathways can build programming self-efficacy and broaden career interest for adolescent girls. We addressed this gap by delivering a curriculum that began with digital foundations and unplugged problem-solving, then progressed to block-based programming activities, supported by parent awareness and teacher training in gender-responsive practices. Pre and post-surveys showed a reliable increase in programming self-efficacy, and career aspirations shifted toward technology. Complementary qualitative data indicate that mastery experiences, peer collaboration, and the creation of personal projects were key drivers of confidence, suggesting design priorities for scalable, locally relevant programmes in low-resource communities that can shift perceptions of who belongs in computing.
ABSTRACT Alternanthera pungens Kunth is considered to be less invasive compared to its exotic congener A. philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. However, in recent 10 years, it has spread rapidly in Yunnan Province, China. To better understand the species' invasion and distribution, we simulated the potential distribution of A. pungens in China using a MaxEnt model under the current climate scenario and several future climate scenarios, with varying emissions and time frames. The model achieved excellent prediction performance, with A. pungens having an area under the curve value and true skill statistics value of 0.979 and 0.910, respectively. Temperature seasonality and mean temperature of coldest quarter were the greatest predictive environmental variables, with a cumulative contribution of more than 85.3% and a cumulative permutation importance of more than 89.8%. The suitable geographic region of A. pungens is concentrated in southern China. Under the current climate scenarios, projected areas ranked as highly and moderately suitable for A. pungens accounted for 0.31% and 1.03% of the Chinese mainland area, respectively. Under future climate scenarios, the suitable areas for A. pungens in China will expand northwards, with a maximum projected growth rate of 41.4% in the 2070s. This study was the first to show that A. pungens is predicted to expand its range in China in the future. Early warning and monitoring of A. pungens should be pursued, with greater vigilance in southern China to prevent its further spread and invasion.
Poornima Meegammana, Hussel Suriyaarachchi, Paul Denny
et al.
In today's digital world, computing education offers critical opportunities, yet systemic inequities exclude under-represented communities, especially in rural, under-resourced regions. Early engagement is vital for building interest in computing careers and achieving equitable participation. Recent work has shown that the use of sensor-enabled tools and block-based programming can improve engagement and self-efficacy for students from under-represented groups, but these findings lack replication in diverse, resource-constrained settings. This study addresses this gap by implementing sensor-based programming workshops with rural students in Sri Lanka. Replicating methods from the literature, we conduct a between-group study (sensor vs. non-sensor) using Scratch and real-time environmental sensors. We found that students in both groups reported significantly higher confidence in programming in Scratch after the workshop. In addition, average changes in both self-efficacy and outcome expectancy were higher in the experimental (sensor) group than in the control (non-sensor) group, mirroring trends observed in the original study being replicated. We also found that using the sensors helped to enhance creativity and inspired some students to express an interest in information and communications technology (ICT) careers, supporting the value of such hands-on activities in building programming confidence among under-represented groups.
Under the global background of developing urban-rural travel patterns, traditional urban-rural public transport systems are generally faced with the serious challenges of passenger loss and operating deficit, leading to a reduction in the bus frequency and service reliability. In order to break the vicious circle of demand decline-supply shrinkage, passenger-freight shared mobility (PFSM), an innovative operation mode, can achieve synergies between urban-rural logistics and public transport services by integrating public transit network resources and vehicle spare capacity. However, PFSM has changed the operating characteristics of urban-rural bus systems, posing some new challenges. To expand the relevant theory and find the solutions to those challenges, this study proposes an economy-efficiency-low-carbon -oriented resource reconfiguration strategy by formulating the collaborative bilevel optimization of multi-type bus scheduling and dynamic vehicle capacity allocation for urban-rural bus routes. The improved jellyfish search algorithm is developed to solve the premature convergence problem of the traditional algorithms in solving a high-dimensional hybrid discrete-continuous optimization. The results of a case of two urban-rural bus lines in Shanxi Province, China, indicate that the proposed scheme can improve operating revenue by 328.45% and reduce freight carbon emissions by 19.12 tons/year within the increase of 19.46% in average passenger travel time. The sensitivity analysis explicates key parameters selected for PFSM in terms of economic, efficiency and environmental dimensions. The proposed method provides some novel insights and solutions for the sustainable development of urban-rural public transport systems and the last kilometer problem of rural logistics, with significant values of both economic growth and environmental carbon reduction.
Using 2.6 billion geolocated social-media posts (2014-2022) and a fine-tuned generative language model, we construct county-level indicators of life satisfaction and happiness for the United States. We document an apparent rural-urban paradox: rural counties express higher life satisfaction while urban counties exhibit greater happiness. We reconcile this by treating the two as distinct layers of subjective well-being, evaluative vs. hedonic, showing that each maps differently onto place, politics, and time. Republican-leaning areas appear more satisfied in evaluative terms, but partisan gaps in happiness largely flatten outside major metros, indicating context-dependent political effects. Temporal shocks dominate the hedonic layer: happiness falls sharply during 2020-2022, whereas life satisfaction moves more modestly. These patterns are robust across logistic and OLS specifications and align with well-being theory. Interpreted as associations for the population of social-media posts, the results show that large-scale, language-based indicators can resolve conflicting findings about the rural-urban divide by distinguishing the type of well-being expressed, offering a transparent, reproducible complement to traditional surveys.
Peter J. S. Fleming, Peter J. S. Fleming, Benjamin L. Allen
et al.
The socio-ecological roles and status of free-roaming dogs (Canis familiaris) in Australian urban, peri-urban and other environments are complex. We review and synthesise those complexities and identify knowledge deficits and impediments to adoption of best-practice management of free-roaming dogs. Briefly, perceptions of the roles and impacts of free-roaming dogs in Australia are affected by their status as native, introduced and culturally significant animals, the situations in which they occur and the other species, including humans, with which they interact. Their negative, neutral and positive impacts often occur contemporaneously making free-roaming dogs a ‘wicked’ problem. We propose and evaluate a One Health-based solution using an environmental psychology perspective in a strategic adaptive management framework. This includes: a typology of free-roaming dogs that assists in the situational definition of animal and public health and welfare issues; identification of some human dimensions affecting management of free-roaming dogs; identification of discipline specialities that require inclusion in an effective One Health approach; audience segmentation, and; priorities for research and policy development to encourage adoption of best-practice management for each occurrence of free-roaming dog impacts.
Abstract Purpose The advancement of technology has given rise to various ways of processing information and learning. Some of the challenges that hinder the adoption of information communication technologies in teaching include limited resources, infrastructure, and lack of support from the governing bodies of schools. This study aimed to investigate the learning methods used in rural secondary schools in the Vhembe district of Limpopo Province in South Africa. Methodology A positivist paradigm was adopted in which a quantitative research approach was employed. Survey research was followed with the use of questionnaires as a data collection instrument. The target population was 156 teachers in four secondary schools in the Vhembe district of Limpopo Province in South Africa. Multistage sampling, which involves two sampling stages using cluster sampling and simple random sampling, was used. The data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and the results were presented in simple tables, frequency, and charts. Findings The findings show that secondary schools require adequate learning and teaching resources to improve student performance. The findings further indicated that learners could benefit more by improving their reading fluency, improving digital literacy skills, grasping proper pronunciation and tone, and reducing distractions while learning. Recommendations The study recommends that the establishment of audio-assisted learning materials should be considered as a method that could help learners improve their performance. Schools should appeal to nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, individuals, and industries to assist in supplementing and substituting obsolete learning materials and aids.
Aulia Putri Salsabila, Gunawan Prayitno, Agus Dwi Wicaksono
et al.
This study examines how <i>Batik Ciprat</i> functions as a vehicle for inclusive creative tourism in Karangpatihan Village, Indonesia, whereby individuals with intellectual disabilities contribute to a socially impactful rural tourism model. Grounded in social capital theory, we analyse how trust, social networks, and inclusive norms enable empowerment and help establish a distinctive, inclusion-oriented tourism identity. Using a qualitatively led mixed-methods (sequential exploratory) design with partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), we identify key pathways through which art-based entrepreneurship supports village branding and visitor engagement. Our findings indicate that when social innovation is embedded in cultural tourism, it catalyses local pride, participation, and quality of life gains. The study contributes to debates on inclusive/accessible tourism, demonstrating that creative industries can act as engines of equitable, community-based development in rural settings.
Promoting coordinated urban–rural development represents a key policy initiative by the Chinese government to advance rural revitalization and promote common prosperity. As a central component of China’s land management system, the Urban–Rural Construction Land Linkage Policy aims at dismantling the historical urban–rural division while fostering balanced regional growth. This research analyzes panel data spanning 2010–2022 across 294 prefecture-level cities, utilizing a multi-phase difference-in-differences (DID) approach to evaluate the policy’s effectiveness in reducing urban–rural income disparities. Empirical findings reveal that the policy implementation has substantially narrowed the income gap between urban and rural populations. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the policy’s impact is more pronounced in China’s eastern regions. Mechanism analysis reveals that the policy narrows the income gap through two primary pathways: first, by promoting urbanization through facilitating rural-to-urban population transfer and optimizing urban spatial layout. Second, by driving industrial structure optimization through intensive land use that advances agricultural scale and modernization, while improved land resource allocation boosts secondary and tertiary industries. These findings offer empirical support and policy insights for refining urban–rural land management strategies and advancing integrated development.
Introduction
Medicinal plants, as a group of plants originating from natural resources and possessing therapeutic properties, play a remarkable role in health, employment, and economic development of the human being. The cultivation of medicinal plants has garnered significant attention in recent years in the Mazandaran Province, particularly in rain-fed farmlands. These cultivations could generate considerable added value within the sustainable agriculture framework, increase farmers' income, and, as a result, mitigate rural-to-urban migration. Nevertheless, despite efforts to develop these cultivations, various challenges still exist in their sustainable development pathway.
Materials and Methods
This study aimed to identify the development pattern of medicinal plant' cultivation in the rain-fed farmlands of Mazandaran Province. To do so, the grounded theory was employed for data analysis. The study population comprised 16 experts, specialists, and pioneering farmers who were actively working in the medicinal plants' field of Mazandaran province and were selected through a purposive sampling method. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using MAXQDAV24.4.1 software. A three-stage conventional content analysis process, including open, axial, and selective coding, was utilized to recognize the relationships between components and factors that influenced the development of these cultivations. According to the findings, five main components influencing the development of medicinal plant cultivation were detected in the rain-fed farmlands of Mazandaran Province.
Results and Discussion
The first and most important detected component was "the causal conditions' component", which included the following subcategories: the role of medicinal plants’ cultivation in employment, added value, the improvement of agricultural economics in the rain-fed farmlands, production management and expansion of processing companies active in the medicinal plants’ value chain, and finally focusing on cultivation of sustainable, industrial, and high-demand medicinal species. Farmers require accurate information and technical support for the successful cultivation of medicinal plants, which should be provided by governmental and private institutions. The second obtained component was named the contextual conditions' component", which was primarily attributed to the following subcategories: market challenges, ecological and environmental capacities of the rain-fed farmlands used for medicinal plants' cultivation, climatic capacities, suitable lands of the province, and weaknesses in processing and supplementary industries. Mazandaran Province has extraordinary potential for cultivating various medicinal plants because of its climatic diversity and suitable soils. Furthermore, noticeable market opportunities for medicinal plants, especially in the pharmaceutical and food industries, would motivate farmers to grow larger amounts of them on their farms. The third component was called "intervening conditions, which was predominantly attributed to the following subcategories: selecting compatible plant species with the region's ecosystem, the necessity of farmers' financial and institutional support, difficulties in trading medicinal plants, and eventually structural and planning challenges. The lack of advanced processing industries and weaknesses in the marketing of medicinal plants are among the distinguished bottlenecks preventing farmers from exploiting these plants. The fourth component was determined as the strategies' component", which included the following subcategories: empowering farmers, education and extension of sustainable cultivation, utilizing mechanization in agriculture, providing financial facilities, supporting farmers through guaranteed purchases, and modelling and showcasing medicinal plant cultivation in the model sites and pilot projects. The use of modern agricultural techniques and continuous training of farmers can reinforce the cultivation of medicinal plants. Furthermore, financial support and improved access to financial resources, particularly for small- and medium-sized farmers, are indispensable. The fifth component was identified as "the consequences' component", which referred to the following subcategories: improving sustainable employment, utilizing specialized human resources, and developing the economic situation of rural communities. Developing medicinal plant cultivation could lead to employment generation in various sectors, including the production, processing, and marketing of medicinal plants, and could improve farmers' livelihoods and reduce their migration rates.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, a comprehensive and multifaceted approach is necessary for the sustainable development of medicinal plant cultivation in the rain-fed farmlands of Mazandaran Province. In addition, strengthening infrastructure and processing industries, financial support, and required facilities should be considered by both the government and private sectors. Developing stable markets through guaranteed purchases and establishing strong supply chains can effectively reduce production risks. Education and extension of sustainable agriculture, and adoption of modern technologies are also crucial factors that are compulsory for the success of these cultivations. Ultimately, considering the favorable ecological conditions and existing potential of Mazandaran Province, the development of medicinal plant cultivation can be regarded as a suitable solution for the economic and social development of this province.
Distributed learning and inference algorithms have become indispensable for IoT systems, offering benefits such as workload alleviation, data privacy preservation, and reduced latency. This paper introduces an innovative approach that utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a coverage extension relay for IoT environmental monitoring in rural areas. Our method integrates a split learning (SL) strategy between edge devices, a UAV and a server to enhance adaptability and performance of inference mechanisms. By employing UAVs as a relay and by incorporating SL, we address connectivity and resource constraints for applications of learning in IoT in remote settings. Our system model accounts for diverse channel conditions to determine the most suitable transmission strategy for optimal system behaviour. Through simulation analysis, the proposed approach demonstrates its robustness and adaptability, even excelling under adverse channel conditions. Integrating UAV relaying and the SL paradigm offers significant flexibility to the server, enabling adaptive strategies that consider various trade-offs beyond simply minimizing overall inference quality.
Zoe Kahn, Meyebinesso Farida Carelle Pere, Emily Aiken
et al.
Passively collected "big" data sources are increasingly used to inform critical development policy decisions in low- and middle-income countries. While prior work highlights how such approaches may reveal sensitive information, enable surveillance, and centralize power, less is known about the corresponding privacy concerns, hopes, and fears of the people directly impacted by these policies -- people sometimes referred to as experiential experts. To understand the perspectives of experiential experts, we conducted semi-structured interviews with people living in rural villages in Togo shortly after an entirely digital cash transfer program was launched that used machine learning and mobile phone metadata to determine program eligibility. This paper documents participants' privacy concerns surrounding the introduction of big data approaches in development policy. We find that the privacy concerns of our experiential experts differ from those raised by privacy and development domain experts. To facilitate a more robust and constructive account of privacy, we discuss implications for policies and designs that take seriously the privacy concerns raised by both experiential experts and domain experts.
[Objective] As a coupling and coordination pathway within complex social-ecological networks spanning energy, economic, environmental, and societal domains, energy transition presents important opportunities and challenges in reshaping urban-rural relationships. Currently, China’s energy landscape is undergoing a period of rapid transition to modern and clean energy system. These transitions may profoundly influence the differences in energy access and affordability between rural and urban areas. Therefore, investigating the potential impacts of energy transition on urban-rural inequality and their mechanism has great significance for promoting the coordinated development between urban and rural areas. [Methods] Based on available data from 2005 to 2020, this study tentatively developed an analytical framework to explore macro-level energy transition dynamics and potential linkages to urban-rural energy equity disparities over time. By applying the structural equation modeling technique, we further investigated the multidimensional influence pathways relating energy transition to urban-rural equity indicators nationally. [Results] (1) During 2005-2020, China made substantive progress in transitioning its energy systems, but disparities in energy affordability, accessibility, and sustainability between urban and rural areas continued to be considerable. Energy equity between urban and rural regions remains a significant challenge. (2) The direct effects of energy transition on urban-rural energy equity exacerbated urban-rural inequality, while the indirect impacts from improved energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption formed a masking effect that collectively promoted energy equity between urban and rural areas. (3) As energy transition progresses, the overall positive impact of energy transition on energy equity between urban and rural areas has significantly increased. For example, technological innovation within the energy sector played a pivotal role in advancing urban-rural energy equity, and the development of new energy industries in northern China has notably fostered urban-rural coordinated development. [Conclusion] Energy transition presents a critical opportunity for developing an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable urban-rural energy system. It is recommended to enhance infrastructure planning, strengthen technological innovation, and promote the development of new energy industries to advance energy equity across China’s urban and rural areas.
Extended Abstract
Background: Despite possessing unique natural and economic potentials, the coastal villages of Sari and Miandoroud counties face numerous challenges, such as youth migration, declining employment, environmental degradation, and inefficiencies in utilizing local resources. These issues have led to reduced economic and social sustainability in these areas, emphasizing the urgent need for innovative and sustainable approaches to their development. In this context, sustainable rural entrepreneurship emerges as an effective strategy, playing a pivotal role in addressing these challenges. Sustainable entrepreneurship can serve as a driving force for transformation and progress by creating job opportunities, increasing income, enhancing public participation, activating social capital, and optimizing the use of human resources. Particularly, leveraging local potentials, such as coastal tourism and marine-related industries in these regions, offers a unique opportunity for economic and social transformation. Therefore, designing and presenting innovative and localized models for sustainable entrepreneurial development in these areas are of significant importance. This study aims to design a model for sustainable rural entrepreneurship development in the coastal areas of Sari and Miandoroud, addressing the specific needs of these regions while contributing to positive changes toward economic and social sustainability.
Methods: Since this research aims to identify the components of a sustainable rural entrepreneurship model and configure these components while determining their levels of influence, it is of a "survey" type in terms of data collection. It is also classified as "non-experimental" in terms of the level of control and supervision. The research approach is a mixed "qualitative-quantitative" method, conducted in 2024. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. In the first phase, a deep understanding of the issue was achieved through a systematic literature review. To localize the model according to the context and limitations of the community, components were then identified and categorized using expert opinions in the fields of entrepreneurship and rural business through purposeful sampling and the snowball technique. In the second phase, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) and MICMAC analysis were used to design the intended model and establish relationships between the model dimensions. The statistical population in the quantitative section included experts, entrepreneurs, and business owners from 14 coastal villages of Sari and Miandorud, with a total of 60 individuals selected through snowball sampling. MAXQDA version 10 was used for content analysis, SPSSv23 for descriptive statistics, and Excel for ISM.
Results: Fifteen influencing factors were identified in the sustainable development of rural entrepreneurship in coastal villages. Among these, individual and personality traits, marketing and commerce, and policy and legal facilitation had the highest frequency of initial codes. The ISM findings revealed that regional natural capacities and social and participatory capacities served as fundamental pillars for entrepreneurship development in coastal rural areas. These components were placed at the fifth level of the ISM model, indicating their strategic and foundational significance. Neglecting these factors could render other efforts for entrepreneurship development ineffective. Variables such as policy and legal facilitation, government support, and prevailing cultural values were identified at the fourth level. The third level included six interconnected variables: financial facilities and credits, communication and associations, the macroeconomic environment, physical infrastructure, education and extension services, and management and planning. Finally, variables such as access to technology and industries, individual and professional traits, environmental conservation, and marketing and commerce were placed at the second and first levels. The MICMAC analysis showed that most variables were in the dependent and linkage category due to their high dependence and influence in the region.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the sustainable development of rural entrepreneurship in the coastal villages of Sari and Miandorud counties is strongly influenced by the natural, social, and participatory capacities of these areas. As fundamental pillars of entrepreneurial development, these factors occupy the highest level in the ISM model. Their strategic importance highlights that without the provision and enhancement of these capacities, the development of other dimensions of entrepreneurship will face serious challenges. Based on the study findings, sustainable entrepreneurial development in coastal rural areas generally requires comprehensive planning and attention to the natural and social capacities of these regions. To leverage these capacities, policymakers are recommended to focus on strengthening social and economic infrastructure, such as transportation, access to modern technologies, and the development of communication networks. On the other hand, individual and professional factors, such as the personality traits of entrepreneurs and their specialized skills, play a significant role in facilitating forces at the executive level. To achieve sustainable entrepreneurial development in these areas, it is suggested to implement programs aimed at enhancing natural and social capacities, such as environmental resource conservation and increasing social interactions. Establishing marketing cooperatives, developing marketing and management skills, improving physical and transportation infrastructure, and optimizing the use of coastal tourism capacities are among the actions that can empower rural residents and contribute to the sustainable development of these regions. Additionally, access to advanced technologies, government support policies, and regulatory facilitation can pave the way for greater utilization of local resources and sustainable economic growth.
This study investigates the sustainability level of small industries that have persevered for up to three generations in rural areas of Indonesia, addressing the significant issue of high failure rates among small industries. Utilizing the Triple Bottom Line framework, this study examined the economic, social, and environmental performance of four small industries that have thrived for multiple generations in Indonesia. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and secondary company data. Thematic analysis principles using N-Vivo 12 software were applied to analyze qualitative data, while the RAP 2016 software version R was used for assessing the sustainability index and status. The research findings revealed that the sustainability status of small industries that survived for up to three generations in rural areas was predominantly unsustainable. Economic performance exhibited variability, some falling into the less sustainable category, while social and environmental performances were deemed moderately sustainable. The practical implications of the findings are as follows: the level of competition, government policy, and market access are the most sensitive factors that should be considered to improve economic performance. Meanwhile, small industries must maintain and enhance their social and environmental performance to ensure stability. In addition, the theoretical implication of this finding suggests that the concept of “sustainability” cannot solely be represented by the company’s longevity. Long-lasting small industries may not necessarily be economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable.
Vagner Figueredo de Santana, Raquel Zarattini Chebabi, David Millen
Agriculture is impacted by multiple variables such as weather, soil, crop, stocks, socioeconomic context, cultural aspects, supply and demand, just to name a few. Hence, understanding this domain and identifying challenges faced by stakeholders is hard to scale due to its highly localized nature. This work builds upon six months of field research and presents challenges and opportunities for stakeholders acting in the rural credit ecosystem in Brazil, highlighting how small farmers struggle to access higher values in credit. This study combined two methods for understanding challenges and opportunities in rural credit ecosystem in Brazil: (1) a study that took place in a community of farmers in Brazil and it was based on participatory observations of their work processes and interactions of 20 informants (bank employees and farmers); (2) design thinking workshops with teams from 3 banks, counting on 15-20 participants each. The results show that key user experience challenges are tightly connected to the heterogeneity of farmer profiles and contexts of use involving technology available, domain skills, level of education, and connectivity, among others. In addition to presenting data collected from interaction with informants and experiences resulting from active participant observation, we discuss a holistic view of how recommender systems could be used to promote better bank-farmer interactions, improve farmer experience in the whole process, and promote equitable access to loans beyond microcredit.
Billy S. Javier, Leo P. Paliuanan, James Karl A. Agpalza
et al.
The COVID19 pandemic has challenged universities and organizations to devise mechanisms to uplift the well-being and welfare of people and communities. In response, the design and development of an integrated package of technologies, MangngalApp -- A web-based portal and mobile responsive application for rural development served as an opportunity. It showcases different packets of technologies that were outputs of R&D in the field of fisheries and aqua-culture, innovations that were IP-protected, and technologies that harness locally available resources for post-harvest development and aiding in sustaining growth and development in the communities. This paper focused on the usability and acceptability of the MangngalApp implementing a descriptive research design using the Technology Acceptance Model or TAM and ISO 25010 software quality standards. Constrained by government health restrictions due to COVID-19, a Google form-based questionnaire was forwarded to consented participants via an email with the attached consent and evaluation form. Results revealed that the MangngalApp was found to be very acceptable and usable, and compliant to ISO 25010 software quality characteristics to the higher extent. From the results, it is concluded that the developed MangngalApp will be a usable and responsive technology that aids to rural development especially among target users: fishers, gatherers, processors, traders, and farmers. Considering compatibility and usefulness, the MangngalApp is expected to provide greater social development in the community.