This study examines the coupling coordination between digital inclusive finance (DIF) and rural industrial integration development (RIID) in China from 2011 to 2021, using panel data from 282 prefecture-level cities. By employing the coupling coordination model and entropy method, the research analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution and regional disparities of DIF and RIID. Key findings include the following: (1) The coupling coordination degree between DIF and RIID shows a consistent upward trend, transitioning from mild imbalance to primary coordination, though RIID lags behind DIF. (2) Significant regional disparities exist, with an “N-shaped” spatial distribution pattern from south to north, where eastern and northeastern regions exhibit higher coordination levels compared to central and western regions. (3) Regional differences are narrowing, driven primarily by inter-regional disparities, with strong spatial spillover effects observed in “high–high” and “low–low” agglomerations. (4) The overall spatial network tightness and stability have improved, with eastern regions playing a central role in the network, while northeastern and western regions remain relatively marginal. Policy recommendations include expanding DIF applications in rural industries, reducing regional disparities through resource allocation, promoting rural industrial integration in underdeveloped areas, and strengthening regional coordination to facilitate resource flow.
As the earliest geographical unit of human activities, river basins have nurtured civilizations with distinct local characteristics. The ''human-water relationship'' is a key aspect of ''human-environment interaction,'' driving the evolution of urban and rural systems through human adaptation to water. Using Yichang as a case, this paper analyzes population and land use changes to explore the evolution of its ''mountain-water-city'' spatial pattern. Yichang grows incrementally along the river, forming a compact multi-cluster layout. At the same time, influenced by the significant and special event of the Three Gorges Project construction, the city has undergone rapid ''leapfrog'' development. Amid population mobility and river basin management needs, Yichang should use its ''water'' feature to integrate function, scale, and structure, focusing on water protection and utilization to ensure national and energy security. Secondly, amidst the general trend of declining total population and slowing growth, it is necessary to reasonably guide the aggregation and distribution of population within urban spaces based on the resource carrying capacity of each river basin. Finally, Yichang should break linear development inertia, focus on dual city centers, and redirect leading industries from rivers/roads to the eastern industrial city.
Simone Maccaferri, Ana Ruiz-Sierra, Paola Paiano
et al.
The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) is a public-private partnership that supports research and innovation fostering the transition towards a competitive, sustainable, and low-carbon economy in Europe. CBE JU and its projects represent a significant business opportunity for the primary sector, and in particular for farmers. The deployment of circular bio-based innovations can help diversify farmer´s activities and generate new sources of income. Since 2022, about 130 million euros have been made available by CBE JU to develop bio-based solutions with the potential to support sustainable agricultural practices and boost rural economies, and currently 84 entities from the primary sector are participating in the projects. The manuscript aims at critically analysing the major findings associated with primary producers involvement in CBE JU programme and elaborate on the specific actions undertaken to ensure that the primary sector can benefit from being concretely participating to innovative bio-based value chains.
[Objective] This study was aimed to explore the impacts of rainfall characteristics and vegetation cover patterns on slope hillslope runoff and sediment yields in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, and to adapt to the new needs of the prominent contradiction between man and land and the development of rural industries for the optimal utilization of underforest land resources. [Methods] Taking a typical fallow forest in the Three Gorges Reservoir area as the research object, four runoff plots with full-slope herbaceous cover (QF), upper-slope bare ground + lower-slope herbaceous cover (XF), equidistant herbaceous strip cover (TF), and full-slope herbless coverage (WF), were set up to carry out field observation of slope runoff and sand production in 24 erosive rainfall events and to identify the effects of erosive rainfall and vegetation cover patterns on hillslope runoff and sediment yields. [Results] (1) The 24 erosive rainfall events were classified into three categories, including A-type (small rainfall, heavy rainfall intensity, and short duration), B-type (large rainfall, heavy rainfall intensity, and short duration), and C-type (small rainfall, light rainfall intensity, and long duration). A-type was the rain type with the highest occurrence frequency at 45.83%. The cumulative rainfall of B-type was the largest, accounting for 63.44% of the total rainfall. (2) The cumulative runoff depth and cumulative erosion volume of the four vegetation cover patterns generally showed QF < XF < TF < WF; The peak value of runoff depth and erosion volume all occurred in B-type rainfall, which led to an increase in runoff depth of 337.74%~410.32% and an increase in erosion volume of 283.47%~504.58% compared to A-type rainfall. (3) The proportion of runoff depth and erosion amount produced by the WF was 75.75% and 98.51%, while XF and TF accounted for only 12.20% and 1.08%, 7.28% and 0.34%, respectively. Compared with WF, the runoff interception and reduction of XF and TF were 84.18% and 75.85%, and the sediment interception and reduction were 96.99% and 93.30%, respectively. [Conclusion] By comparing the runoff and sediment yields of runoff plots under different vegetation cover patterns, it was found that the modes of upper-slope tillage + lower-slope l herbaceous coverage, strip tillage + contour hedgerow can take into account the functions of water regulation and soil conservation of forest land and ecological planting of understory, which can provide a theoretical basis for ecological restoration and the optimal utilization of understory land resources in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.
Abstract Currently, the functions of rural territories in metropolitan suburbs have been gradually evolved under rapid urbanization since the turn of the new millennium. Meanwhile, the socio-economic morphology and spatial pattern in the rural areas are undergoing dramatic restructuring. This paper takes the Huangshandian village in the suburb of Beijing as a case study area to carry out an empirical study on the process of rural restructuring by adopting the method of participatory rural assessment (PRA) and GIS technology. The results show that since 2000, the Huangshandian village has experienced different industrial transformations from traditional agriculture to the industries of primary processing and eco-tourism. The function of traditional agricultural production is declining gradually, and the industrial production, ecological culture and other multi-functional value of the rural territory have successively appeared. With the evolution and restructuring of socio-economic morphology, there are significant changes in the quantity, structure, and pattern of rural living, production and ecological space accordingly. The mutually reinforced and restrictive relationships among economic restructuring, spatial restructuring, and social restructuring have jointly driven the systematic development of the “natural-ecological-economic-social” systems and the comprehensive promotion of the “production-living-ecology-culture” functions. Based on the analysis of the process of rural restructuring of the Huangshandian village in the aspects of economic restructuring, spatial restructuring, and social restructuring, this paper puts forward some suggestions on land use policy and institutional innovations aiming at optimally allocating the land resources and promoting the rural restructuring in metropolitan suburbs, including accelerating the institutional framework design of rural land transfer, exploring the tourism land management system adapting to the new pattern of rural economy and pushing forward the re-use mechanism of abandoned industrial and mining land.
This paper aims to identify effective mechanisms for government poverty alleviation measures based on the livelihood sustainability of farm households in Southern Shaanxi province, China. The paper utilizes data from 414 farm households, collected through field observations and in-depth interviews in 24 rural communes in Qinba Mountain Area of Shaanxi province, China. Using theoretical research methods and employing the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) framework, this paper analyzes poverty alleviation measures as well as the impact of varied capital availability on sustainable livelihood. The study shows that developing local industries and governmental financial support improve the sustainable livelihood of farmers and eradicate absolute poverty. The findings of this study further indicate that there is a positive correlation between poverty alleviation measures and natural and social capital for sustainable livelihood. The paper provides empirical and quantitative evidence on alleviation of poverty, and the findings will help improve the sustainability of livelihood capability of farming households. This study suggests impactful approaches to stabilizing mechanisms for poverty alleviation in rural areas over the longer term.
Tourism has been seen and adopted as a vital means for achieving rural economic and social revitalization worldwide without harming sustainable development principles. For China, the evaluation of rural tourism competitiveness at the township level is essential for planning and developing the tourism industry as a basic administration and economic unit, but there is not enough research due to the lack of applicable data and systematic methods. Therefore, this study constructed a town-level rural tourism competitiveness evaluation and development mode classification model based on the modified Michael Porter’s Diamond Model using integrated multi-source data. By taking the 1806 township units in Henan Province, China as examples, we conclude four different modes based on the level of the comprehensive score and industrial internal balance (i.e., balanced development mode with multiple advantages, related and supporting industries driving mode, ecological resource-led mode, and rural landscape experience mode). Policy suggestions for the optimization of the rural tourism industry for Henan are discussed based on the results.
Agricultural industries are the foundation of the modernization of agricultural and rural areas in China. National Modern Agricultural Industrial Parks (NMAIPs) provides a considerable nationwide platform for agricultural industries. We take 200 NMAIPs in China as objects. Through spatial analysis, the Herfindahl–Hirschman index, and the SBM-DEA model, we analyzed the development characteristics and regional differences of NMAIPs from the muti-level perspective of national planning, provincial coordination, and county implementation to propose policy recommendations aimed at sustainable and high-quality development. The results are as follows: (1) Regarding geospatial characteristics, NMAIPs are unevenly distributed, with a decreasing gradient from east to west. The direction is east (northward) to west (southward), consistent with the direction of the Hu line. The distribution density shows that the east is dense and the west is sparse. (2) For industrial concentration, the leading industries in NMAIPs tend to be homogenous. The HHI indicates that the homogenization of leading industries is widely represented in each province. The low oligopolistic areas are in the central and eastern regions of China, while the highly oligopolistic locations are in the western and northeastern provinces. (3) In inputs–outputs efficiency, the comprehensive technical efficiency is high but not optimal, while the distribution of values is high in the south and low in the north. Ten provinces are non-effective. According to inputs and outputs, the ineffective contribution of population of townships covered, occupied area and the capital from the collective economy are development barriers, and the high output value of NMAIPs cannot fully drive the employment and income of farmers. Further improvements are needed in terms of both pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency, and adjustments to scale operations should be in response to different returns to scale. Our research results provide policy recommendations for NMAIPs, including the establishment of a multi-level management mechanism, balancing regional development, diversifying and coordinating regional leading industries, and improving the efficiency of utilization factors.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss to what extent and why women's entrepreneurship contributes to rural economic viability and gender equality in an advanced welfare state.Design/methodology/approach The authors use detailed register data to explore men's and women's rural businesses in the most common industries for rural women entrepreneurs in the Swedish welfare state. Based on a literature review, the authors develop hypotheses and analyse how family, business and industry factors influence earnings.Findings Women's rural entrepreneurship is important for rural viability, as women's businesses provide a wide range of services necessary for life in rural areas. Although women's rural businesses are not significantly smaller than those of men, women's income is lower and more sensitive to business and industry variables. Marriage has positive effects for the earnings of men but negative effects for the earnings of women. The authors argue that the results are contingent on the gendering of entrepreneurship and industries, as well as on the local rural gender contracts. For these reasons, the importance of women entrepreneurs for rural viability is not reflected in their own incomes. Hence, women's rural entrepreneurship does not result in (economic) gender equality.Originality/value Entrepreneurship scholars rarely explore women's rural entrepreneurship, and particularly not in the Global North or Western welfare states. Therefore, this empirical study from Sweden provides novel information on how the gender order on the business, industry and family levels influences the income of men and women entrepreneurs differently.
Rural commodification with rural transformation development is a potential research agenda for rural geography. Based on semi-structured interviews in five times fieldwork in Xixinan Village, Huangshan, China, this article examines how the township government as an actor with entrepreneurialism promotes the commodification of place in rural areas and its impact on rural transformation development. It was found that the township government has drawn economic returns from different subjects of tourism entrepreneurs, tourists, and lifestyle immigrants by the efforts of commodifying real estate, creative tourism experience, and nature. Rural transformation development is accompanied by rural commodification, showing rural gentrification, expansion of employment opportunities for women, and the readjustment of the social structure of the family in the demographic structure. Rural tourism and rural creative industries have developed, complementing the single agricultural structure, constituting a mutual intersection and integration among these three industries. Regarding social and cultural values, rural commodification promoted the awareness of place in protecting ancient buildings and indigenous culture, but it also brought a sense of deprivation for community and contested rurality among different groups. The development state of rural transformation is constantly changing, and the new challenges arising from it to the rural revitalization of China, in this case, are also identified. The contribution of this article is to expand the analytical dimension of the commodification of place in rural areas and examine the state entrepreneurism associated with it. It also contributes to improving the understanding of the current development state of rural transformation in China.
Abstract This paper analyses the impact of the poverty alleviation relocation (PAR) program on rural household income and evaluates the heterogeneous income effects of various relocation modes, based on a panel dataset of relocated households from 16 counties in eight Chinese provinces. The results show that participation in the PAR increases the income of both rural and urban resettlers. More specifically, it has a significant positive effect on agricultural and wage income for rural and urban resettlers, respectively. Further analyses show that the income increase for rural resettlers was mainly due to agricultural technology training and that the income increase for town resettlers was attributed to medical security. For the village resettlers, policies should focus on strengthening the development of local industries and training of agricultural technologies. For the urban resettlers, non-agricultural employment and public services in the urban resettlement areas should be promoted.
Mehdi Rahimian, Hossein Zareei, Mandana , Masoudirad,
Planning for the development of low-income villages, on the other hand, technology simplicity, the need for less capital, a shorter period of return on investment and other benefits of small industries, the scale of the agricultural sector, the need to launch such industries has made it more visible than before. However, the path of launching these industries is not always simple and faces various obstacles. Hence, the purpose of this study was to identify and determine the barriers to the establishment of small-scale industries in the agricultural sector. To identify the barriers, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with provincial experts. Analysis of data collected from interviews led to the identification of 41 concepts in the form of 7 macro-categories of barriers. Then, the two-stage Delphi-fuzzy technique was used to reach a group agreement between the experts and to rank the inhibitory factors. According to the results of the Delphi-fuzzy technique, barriers to establishment of the small-scale industries in the agricultural sector in Kakavand district of Delfan city were classified into 5 categories. Financial-credit barriers with an average of 0.442, were the first priority barriers. Also, administrative-political barriers with an average of 0.426, lack of trained manpower and local entrepreneurs with an average of 0.417, lack of participatory, individual, and social spirit of the local community to invest with a total average of 0.407 and weak domestic and foreign investment with the average of 0.397 were in the next ranks. Providing credit, reducing administrative bureaucracy and political barriers, providing education to villagers and strengthening their participation, as well as attracting domestic and foreign investors to set up small-scale agricultural industries are the main research proposals.
Bejoya Das Tumpa, Rubaiya Sondhi, Nazneen Akter
et al.
Fruits belong to an emergent class of food items that serve the human diet with nutritive requirements together with vitamins and minerals that are essential for normal daily life and body functions. The study was conducted to prepare Tamarind drinks by using fully ripen Tamarind fruit. Tamarind fruit was processed into pulp analyzed for their moisture, ash, TSS, pH, acidity, vitamin C, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar and total sugar content. Chemical composition of formulated tamarind drinks, shelf-life and consumer acceptance were investigated. Chemical analysis showed that the Vitamin C content of the tamarind drinks decreased greatly (8.96-5.45 mg/100g) comparatively to other samples during the storage period. Acidity and reducing sugar were increased (0.120-0.144%) and (23.7524.37%) progressively whereas pH and non-reducing sugar were slightly decreased (3.353.25)and (21.0020.44%) respectively. Storage stability of the products was studied for fifty days with ten days intervals and the result showed that all samples were in good condition but after one month a little bit of faded color was found at end of the storage period. The formulation contains a processed pulp of TSS 80 B secured the highest score on sensory evaluation and showed the best acceptance by consumers. This research arises that tamarind fruit can be formulated to as tamarind drinks which increase the value addition of tamarind fruits. [Fundam Appl Agric 2021; 6(2.000): 163-171]
Mehdi Amini, Hossein Kouhestani, Fatemeh Kazemiyeh
Introduction: The most important natural hazard that has been occurred in Iran during recent years is the reduction in the water level of Urmia Lake, which has brought a great deal of economic, social, and environmental issues for its surrounding inhabitants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Urmia Lake drying on the economic, social, and environmental conditions of the rural district of Urmia city. Material and methods: This study is an applied, descriptive-survey research and a causal-comparative method was used. The statistical population of this study was the head of rural households in Urmia city of West Azerbaijan Province (2130 people) located in the southwest of Lake Urmia. The sample size was estimated to be 152 people by Morgan table and divided into rural districts by the appropriate allocation method. In the end, respondents were selected by a simple random sampling method. The research instrument was a questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed based on past research and opinions of experts. To determine the reliability of the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, it was calculated for each of the economic, social, and environmental indicators. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. In addition to descriptive statistics, inferential statistics such as comparative tests were used. Results and discussion: The results of this study showed that the drying of Urmia Lake affected the economic, social, and environmental conditions of the studied villages. It caused an increase in the cost of water supply for agriculture, reduced employment in the agricultural sector in the economic area, increased the hopelessness about the future, reduced the tendency of children to work in the rural environment and agricultural occupation in the social sphere, increased plant diseases, and reduced the level of water in the wells. Also, according to statistical results, the consequences of the lake drying was more for those regions near the coast of the lake and vice versa. Conclusion: In this context, it should also be noted that the overall protection of the environment in the prevention of natural and abnormal accidents is one of the issues that directly affect the safety of human beings. Therefore, identifying key factors and their implications in choosing appropriate solutions to cope with it requires a public effort that can be discussed and investigated abundantly to reduce its destruction rate. It can also be supported by government agencies, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture, by testing the soil of the villages around Urmia Lake, then familiarizing the villagers with cultivating crops with low water requirements and plants resistant to soil salinity, and employment for the villagers in the field of conversion and complementary industries, handicrafts, local food, tourism activities and activities that require little water to improve the livelihood of the villagers living on the margin of Urmia Lake.