Search Results (1,022)

Recent studies in the Romanian Western Carpathians have revealed increasing socio-demographic fragility in rural areas and small towns, driven by depopulation, population aging, and declining living standards. These trends stem from the legacy of forced collectivization and industrialization (1950–1990) and the post-1990 transition, which triggered extensive out-migration and the erosion of local socio-economic structures. This study examines the fragility of human communities in the Trascău Mountains in order to evaluate spatial, demographic, and economic recovery dynamics and to assess settlement vulnerability as a major obstacle to sustainable regional development. Fragility was measured using indicators of population density and change, age structure, accessibility, and socio-demographic dynamics, based on comparative data for the interval of 1977–2021. These variables were integrated into a composite development index (Id), derived from twelve indicators covering demography, economy, infrastructure, and living standards, enabling the hierarchical classification of settlements by degree of vulnerability. The methodological framework combines empirical and analytical methods, statistical, cartographic, bibliographic, and field-based analyses within evolutionary, structural–functional, and typological perspectives. The results identify the main drivers of decline, quantify their impacts, and outline development prospects and policy directions for reducing territorial disparities. Overall, fragile settlements emerge as critical pressure points that undermine sustainability, intensify regional instability, and increase risks related to migration and social cohesion. Full article

Pear cultivation in Greece, with an annual production of approximately 81,000 tonnes, constitutes a significant segment of the national fruit industry, particularly in Northern regions such as Macedonia and Thessaly. Despite ranking 8th in the EU in terms of pear production, Greece’s cultivated area is slightly declining, and adoption of smart agriculture technologies (SAT) remains limited. In this context, the present study investigates the preferences, patterns, and barriers of SAT adoption within the Greek pear sector, aiming to lay the groundwork for more effective digital transformation in the agri-food domain. Using a structured interview-based survey, data were collected from 30 pear growers, revealing critical insights into the technological landscape of the sector. A central challenge that emerged was the insufficient internet connectivity in rural farming areas, highlighting the urgent need for improved digital infrastructure to support SAT deployment. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of targeted education and awareness programs to bridge the digital knowledge gap among pear farmers. An especially notable finding concerns the role of the chosen tree training system in influencing SAT uptake: more than 50% of adopters utilize the palmette training system, suggesting a strong correlation between orchard design and technological readiness. Among the SAT categories, Data Analytics and Farm Management Software were the most widely adopted, a trend partly driven by attractive governmental subsidies of €30 per hectare. Importantly, all respondents who had implemented SAT (100%) reported a measurable increase in farm income, reinforcing the technologies’ impact on productivity and profitability. Foremost among the challenges encountered is the deficit in technical knowledge and training. In conclusion, this study offers a comprehensive overview of Greek pear producers’ perceptions, challenges, and emerging opportunities related to smart agriculture. Full article

Rural areas are currently facing a deepening “social-ecological divide,” where the fragmentation of natural, economic, and cultural data—often trapped in “data silos”—hinders effective systemic governance. To bridge this gap, in this study, the Rural Landscape Information Model (RLIM), an integrative framework designed to reconfigure rural connections through data fusion, process coordination, and performance feedback, is proposed. We validate the framework’s effectiveness through a comparative analysis of two distinct rural archetypes in China: the innovation-driven Yu Village and the heritage-conservation-oriented Hani Terraces. Our results reveal that digital technologies drive distinct empowerment pathways moderated by regional contexts: (1) In the data domain, heterogeneous resources were successfully integrated into the framework in both cases (achieving a Monitoring Coverage > 80%), yet served divergent strategic ends—comprehensive territorial management in Yu Village versus precision heritage monitoring in the Hani Terraces. (2) In the process domain, digital platforms restructured social interactions differently. Yu Village achieved high individual participation (Participation Rate ≈ 0.85) via mobile governance apps, whereas the Hani Terraces relied on cooperative-mediated engagement to bridge the digital divide for elderly farmers. (3) In the performance domain, the interventions yielded contrasting but positive economic-ecological outcomes. Yu Village realized a 25% growth in tourism revenue through “industrial transformation” (Ecology+), while the Hani Terraces achieved a 12% value enhancement by stabilizing traditional agricultural ecosystems (Culture+). This study contributes a verifiable theoretical model and a set of operational tools, demonstrating that digital technologies are not merely instrumental add-ons but catalysts for fostering resilient, collaborative, and context-specific rural socio-ecological systems, ultimately offering scalable governance strategies for sustainable rural revitalization in the digital era. Full article

Integrated urban–rural development is an inevitable requirement of regional development. Developing green industries based on rural ecological resources are important approaches to promoting urban–rural integration. The National Key Ecological Function Zones (NKEFZ) policy focuses on safeguarding national ecological security. However, whether the resulting ecological improvements can, through the realization of ecological value, provide momentum for urban–rural integration remains unclear in existing research. This study uses a sample of 284 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2023, treating the establishment of NKEFZ as a quasi-natural experiment. First, the study constructs a “Driving-constraining” bidirectional theoretical framework, and then uses the entropy weight method to measure the level of urban–rural integration, which is selected by 18 sub-indicators from the populational, spatial, and economic dimensions. Finally, a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) model is constructed to test the impact of NKEFZ on urban–rural integration, and the transmission mechanisms and heterogeneity are explored. The results indicate the following: (1) Following the implementation of the NKEFZ policy, it shows an overall inhibitory trend on urban–rural integration, consequently slowing the progress of urban–rural integration. The inhibitory effects are particularly pronounced in spatial and economic integration dimensions, and these results are robust. (2) Constrained industrial upgrading and increased fiscal pressure on local governments are the main mechanisms behind the slowed urban–rural integration. (3) Due to differences in policy coverage and the heterogeneous characteristics of city locations, the negative effects of the policy are more pronounced in cities with a high proportion of key ecological function counties, as well as in prefecture-level cities in central and western regions. Based on these findings, it is suggested to promote high-quality urban–rural integration in eco-priority areas through pathways such as developing ecological industries, improving the ecological compensation system, and clarifying central–local collaborative governance. Full article

Poultry farming ranks among the most rapidly expanding sectors of global agriculture, significantly contributing to food availability, improved dietary quality, and economic stability in rural areas. The sector’s efficiency stems from short production cycles and the ability to convert agricultural by-products into high-quality protein, energy, and essential nutrients. Despite these benefits, the growing scale of poultry production raises serious environmental concerns, including intensive use of land and water, high feed demand, and impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, soil nutrient balance, and water quality. This study examines the poultry industry in the Republic of Moldova, where it forms a crucial component of the agricultural economy. Drawing on recent statistical data and scientific literature, the article reviews production dynamics, farm structures, and technological adoption, offering a comprehensive overview of the sector’s current state. The findings highlight both the sector’s essential role in strengthening food security and rural livelihoods and its susceptibility to resource limitations and environmental pressures. The analysis emphasizes the importance of implementing precision livestock farming technologies, improving biosecurity, and promoting environmentally sustainable practices as key strategies for long-term sector resilience. These insights aim to support policymakers and stakeholders in developing effective strategies to ensure a competitive and sustainable poultry industry in Moldova. Full article

With the steady of new-type urbanization, the urban–rural income gap has become an increasingly prominent issue in China. Nevertheless, limited attention has been paid to the spatial relationships among new-type urbanization, industrial structure upgrading, and farmers’ income in Northeast China. Taking Northeast China as the research area, this study constructs a multidimensional evaluation index for new-type urbanization and employs data panels spanning 34 regional areas spanning the years from 2012 to 2023. The Statistical Durbin Model is used to examine both the direct and spatial spillover effects of new-type urbanization on farmers’ income, while the mediating role of industrial structure upgrading is further explored. The empirical findings indicate that: (1) cities with relatively higher farmers’ income levels and more advanced new-type urbanization are mainly concentrated in Liaoning Province; (2) new-type urbanization significantly contributes to the growth of farmers’ income; (3) new-type urbanization exerts positive spatial spillover effects on farmers’ income in surrounding regions; (4) industrial structure upgrading serves as an important transmission channel through which new-type urbanization enhances farmers’ income; and (5) among the control variables, fiscal support for agriculture and the degree of agricultural economic growth exerts large beneficial influence on farmers’ income. These results provide empirical and theoretical support for promoting new-type urbanization as an effective approach to narrowing the urban–rural income gap and increasing farmers’ earnings. Accordingly, policy efforts should focus on accelerating the advancement of new-type urbanization in Northeast China, strengthening infrastructure development and the provision of public services, optimising industrial structures to enhance employment absorption capacity, expanding farmers’ income sources, and fostering coordinated and sustainable urban–rural development across the region. Full article

With the rapid development of the digital economy, digital technologies have become a key driver of rural revitalization. To systematically analyze the enabling mechanisms of digital technology for rural revitalization, this study utilizes panel data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning 2014–2023. It measures digital technology levels through the number of digital economy-related invention patents granted annually, constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system for rural revitalization, and employs fixed-effects models, mediation models, and spatial Durbin models to explore the direct impact, indirect effects, and spatial effects of digital technology on rural revitalization. The findings reveal that the following: (1) Digital technology significantly empowers the rural revitalization strategy, effectively promoting the comprehensive and sustainable development of the economic, social, and cultural sectors in rural areas. (2) Digital technology exerts partial mediating effects through cultural industry development and higher education advancement, thereby indirectly supporting sustainable rural revitalization. (3) At the spatial level, digital technology exhibits a significant positive spatial spillover effect on rural revitalization overall. Further regional analysis reveals positive spatial spillover effects in the eastern and central regions, whereas the western and northeastern areas exhibit negative spatial spillover. The study concludes that optimizing the spatial layout and promoting coordinated development of digital technologies across areas should be tailored to local conditions. Strengthening cultural industries and educational systems is essential to fully harness the enabling potential of digital technologies for rural revitalization and to construct a rural revitalization path characterized by regional coordination and multidimensional sustainability across the economy, society, and environment. Full article

Rapid urbanization has intensified resource and population agglomeration while exacerbating urban-rural disparities. To address the long-standing dual structure, China advocates urban-rural integrated development (URID) to achieve common prosperity. However, the long-term evolutionary patterns and explanatory mechanisms of URID remain insufficiently explored, particularly at the county (district)-level in western China. This study constructed an entropy-weighted TOPSIS evaluation system combined with kernel density estimation and an optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD) model to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution and explanatory mechanisms of URID in 26 counties (districts) of the Xi’an metropolitan area from 2010 to 2022. The results showed that: (1) URID levels increased steadily over the study period, forming a pronounced core-periphery gradient with faster improvement in national URID pilot counties. (2) Factor associations evolved from being dominated by a few dimensions to multidimensional coupling. Socioeconomic and geographical factors remained dominant and relatively stable, demographic influences were clearly stage specific, and the interaction between forest coverage and economic variables weakened over time. (3) Enhancing regional transport accessibility, optimizing land use efficiency, and fostering positive population-industry interaction are key pathways for promoting URID in the study area. Methodologically, this study introduces a “significance testing followed by threshold verification” logic into the OPGD model, refining the parameter-setting process and improving the robustness and q-value of factor detection. The findings enrich URID theory, provide county (district)-scale evidence for western China, and offer policy implications for optimizing factor allocation and promoting coordinated regional development. Full article

The effects of extreme heat events on Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity (SUHII) were investigated in Lecce (southern Italy) during the summer months (June–August) from 2018 to 2025. The analysis began with the identification of heatwave frequency, duration, and intensity using the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI), based on a homogenized long-term temperature record, which indicated a progressive increase in persistent extreme events in recent years. High-resolution ECOSTRESS land surface temperature (LST) data were then processed and combined with CORINE Land Cover (CLC) information to examine the thermal response of different urban fabrics, compact residential areas, continuous/discontinuous urban fabric, and industrial–commercial zones. SUHII was derived from each ECOSTRESS acquisition and evaluated across multiple diurnal intervals to assess temporal variability under both normal and WSDI conditions. The results show a consistent diurnal asymmetry: daytime SUHII becomes more negative during WSDI periods, reflecting enhanced rural warming under dry and highly irradiated conditions, despite overall higher absolute LST during heatwaves, whereas nighttime SUHII intensifies, particularly in dense urban areas where higher thermal inertia promotes persistent heat retention. Statistical analyses confirm significant differences between normal and extreme conditions across all classes and time intervals. These findings demonstrate that extreme heat events alter the urban–rural thermal contrast by amplifying nighttime heat accumulation and reinforcing daytime negative SUHII values. The integration of WSDI-derived heatwave characterization with multi-year ECOSTRESS observations highlights the increasing thermal vulnerability of compact urban environments under intensifying summer extremes. Full article

With the deep integration of digital technology and the tourism industry, the transformation of the spatial form of smart tourism destinations and the research on their system structure have become the focus. This study adopts a mixed research approach, taking villages in the mountainous areas of southeastern China as examples, and collects empirical data through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and literature collection. This study draws on structuralist location theory to construct a four-dimensional spatial analysis model of natural environment, production economy, social norms and cultural values and incorporates a historical perspective to make up for the limitations of this theory in explaining regional dynamic changes caused by the lack of a time dimension. This study finds that digital tourism provides external resources such as the consumer market, tourism capital and information technology prompting the reconfiguration of the rural internal system. By absorbing external resources and upgrading traditional industries, rural areas have formed a more diversified, inclusive, and dynamically balanced spatial form. Furthermore, phenomena such as villagers’ relocation, e-commerce employment and local tea-growing knowledge indicate that certain predicaments still exist in the construction of digital tourism. This research can provide practical references for the development and spatial optimization of rural digital tourism. Full article

In the framework of the European bioeconomy, liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) represents a promising crop for sustainable agriculture due to its ecological adaptability, nitrogen-fixing capacity, and wide industrial applications. This study aims to identify suitable areas for liquorice cultivation across Spanish municipalities by integrating Geographic Information System (GIS)-based spatial analysis with a multi-criteria evaluation approach. Agronomic factors, annual mean temperature, soil pH, and water availability were combined with socioeconomic indicators including population decline, rural classification, and unemployment rate. Each municipality received a composite suitability score from 0 to 12 based on six criteria, with agronomic variables scored from 0 to 3 and socioeconomic factors assessed through binary classification. Results reveal that southern and southwestern regions, particularly Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Extremadura, exhibit the most favourable conditions for liquorice cultivation, offering both optimal environmental parameters and potential socioeconomic benefits. The study concludes that liquorice could serve as a regenerative and climate-resilient crop contributing to rural revitalization in Spain. A pilot case in Aragón illustrates its potential to promote social inclusion, repurpose historical assets, and stimulate local economies in depopulated, flood-prone areas. Full article

The narrow courtyard houses in the rural areas of Guanzhong region of Shaanxi Province, China, are a spatial representation of the long-term interaction of multiple influencing factors. This study, based on 716 questionnaires and 125 semi-structured interviews, comprehensively employed typology, qualitative analysis, comprehensive fuzzy evaluation, and grey correlation degree analysis methods to analyze the spatial evolution process of 125 typical samples since 1949. The results of research show: (1) In terms of spatial form, the narrow courtyard houses have evolved along a “from single to multiple, from horizontal to vertical, from open to closed” path. Their core has shifted from the symbolic “courtyard” to the functional “hall”, and the value of the main and auxiliary spaces has also undergone reconstruction, reflecting a modern transformation from “priority of etiquette” to “life quality orientation”. (2) The driving path starts from the institutional traction during the “survival stage”, then shifts to the economic dominance during the “growth stage”, and finally turns to the policy guidance and quality pursuit in the “life stage”, which are all coordinated. Policy and industrial structure are the core macro driving forces that run through the entire process. (3) Overall, the modernization transformation of the narrow courtyard houses is a dynamic process driven by external factors, with its path gradually shifting from the traditional endogenous model to external promotion and towards a diversified balance; however, the current “vacuum” state of cultural concepts reveals that the modernization of rural houses is still in the transitional stage between old and new paradigms. Based on this, the core of future rural house construction lies in achieving an internal reshaping from functional form to cultural value, guiding the spatial form to move from “disorderly exploration” to the organic generation of a “new paradigm”, providing a sustainable spatial paradigm for rural revitalization. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s slowing urbanization and increasing regional disparities, existing research on the spatiotemporal evolution and multidimensional drivers of urban–rural transformation (URT) requires further elaboration, particularly regarding county-level differentiation and the dynamic interactions among these drivers. This study integrates spatiotemporal hot spot analysis with a multi-factor geographical detector model to systematically examine China’s URT from 1990 to 2023. The findings reveal the following: (1) The area of urban–rural construction land increased by 149.54% overall from 1990 to 2023, but the annual average growth rate dropped sharply to 4.32% during 2000–2023, indicating overall deceleration in spatial expansion. (2) Significant structural adjustments occurred at the county level: the proportion of counties with high spatial expansion degree decreased by 20%, while counties experiencing spatial contraction increased by 6%, suggesting that growth dynamics have become increasingly concentrated in limited counties. (3) Spatially, a clear “northern contraction and southern expansion” divergence emerged, which was primarily driven by the synergistic effects of policy reorientation, market-driven factor mobility, and differential natural endowments. (4) Expanding counties benefited from urban agglomeration plans, population influx, industrial upgrading, and favorable terrain, whereas contracting counties were constrained by rigid ecological and farmland conservation policies, population outmigration, undiversified industries, and topographical limitations. These findings provide an important premise for formulating feasible policies on differentiated spatial governance and urban–rural sustainable development. Full article

Enhancing farmers’ livelihood resilience is a cornerstone of sustainable rural development and poverty alleviation consolidation in developing countries. While tourism has emerged as a prominent rural revitalization strategy, the mediating role of tourism-induced land use transitions in building resilience—and the underlying spatial mechanisms through which these transformations operate—remains inadequately understood. This study integrates Henri Lefebvre’s spatial production theory with land systems analysis to examine how tourism-driven land use transitions influence farmers’ livelihood resilience in rural China. Using provincial panel data and three waves (2018, 2020, 2022) of nationally representative household survey data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we construct a comprehensive tourism development index emphasizing land transformation dimensions and employ panel regression models with instrumental variables and threshold analysis. The findings reveal that tourism-induced land use transitions significantly enhance farmers’ livelihood resilience through three distinct spatial mechanisms: land-based rural infrastructure investment, industrial land structure rationalization, and cultural facility land development. Importantly, this relationship exhibits a double-threshold effect with diminishing marginal returns, and the positive impact is substantially stronger in heritage-rich regions with comparative policy advantages. By establishing land use transitions as a critical spatial production pathway linking tourism to sustainable livelihood outcomes, this study advances land systems science, offering a novel theoretical framework for integrating people–nature interactions in heritage-rich rural areas and practical guidance for strategic land use planning in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Full article

As the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang still faces problems such as unbalanced development in the process of urban–rural integration, accompanied by the increasingly prominent imbalance between population flow and land resource allocation in county-level towns. Specifically, clarifying the impact of urban–rural integration development on the human–land matching relationship in Xinjiang’s county-level towns is the key to promoting coordinated regional development. This study constructs a spatial matching model and a multinomial logistic regression model to analyze the human–land relationship and the influencing factors of urban–rural integration in 83 county-level towns in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2023. The research results show that (1) from 2010 to 2023, there were significant differences in the spatial matching degree between the total amount and increase in urban population and urban land in Xinjiang’s county-level towns; the number of counties with a relatively high matching level was generally larger in northern Xinjiang than in southern Xinjiang, and the overall spatial matching degree was at a relatively low level. (2) The proportion of counties with sustained population growth and sustained land growth was the highest, reaching 49.40% and 26.51%, respectively. Counties in southern Xinjiang were mainly of the sustained-population-growth type, while counties in northern Xinjiang had more types and were scattered, and were mainly of the land-growth type as a whole. (3) Factors such as the proportion of ethnic minority population, the comparison of industrial output value, and the number of medical beds per capita had a significant impact on the spatial matching level of urban population and land in most types of counties. The types of counties in southern Xinjiang were mainly affected by factors such as the ethnic population structure and medical conditions, while the counties in northern Xinjiang were mostly affected by factors such as the level of industrial coordination and urban spatial expansion. It is suggested to implement differentiated spatial governance and enhance coordination between southern and northern Xinjiang, thereby improving the level of human–land matching and promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas. Full article