Search Results (48)

The construction and development of digital infrastructure have emerged as a crucial indicator of national competitiveness, which holds significant importance in driving the sustained growth of the national economy and the comprehensive advancement of society. This paper explores the impact of digital infrastructure on farm households’ scale management, aiming to reveal the role and potential of digital technology in agricultural modernization. Additionally, it seeks to offer a scientific foundation for the government to formulate agricultural policies and advance agricultural modernization. Using the OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) model, moderating effect model, and other methods, this study investigates how digital infrastructure affects farm households’ scale management based on micro-level research data of 2510 farm households from the CRRS (China Rural Revitalization Survey). The following conclusions are drawn: Firstly, the enhancement of digital infrastructure can motivate farm households to expand the land management area and increase the unit output of land. Secondly, farm households’ digital literacy positively moderates the effect of digital infrastructure on their land unit output; moreover, digital skills training for farm households exhibits a positive moderating effect on the influence of digital infrastructure on their management area. Finally, there is a heterogeneity in the impact of digital infrastructure on farm households’ scale management. Specifically, the promotion of farm households’ scale management is stronger in plain areas and weaker in hilly and mountainous areas; stronger for middle-aged and older and small-scale farm households; and weaker for youth groups and large-scale farm households. Based on this, this paper suggests increasing the investment in digital infrastructure construction, improving farm households’ digital literacy, carrying out digital skills training, and formulating differentiated regional policies for reference. Full article

This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Delphi SWOT tool in formulating a bio-economy strategy for an isolated region. The analysis will highlight the management and planning aspects that are essential for assessing the internal and external circumstances of the region. A total of 16 experts were selected to participate in the Delphi method, which was used to investigate the current state of the bio-economy in the agricultural sector of a small isolated region in Greece. Following the convergence of the experts’ opinions, a SWOT analysis and a set of policy recommendations for the formulation of a bioeconomy strategy were derived. The formulation of a bioeconomy strategy in an isolated region reveals a promising landscape full of opportunities, but also full of challenges. The region has a number of intrinsic advantages that can be used to advance the bioeconomy. The focus on an isolated region limits the applicability of the findings to other regions with different socio-economic contexts. In addition, the Delphi method relies on expert opinion, which is inherently subjective. The bioeconomy concept has the potential to address the challenges faced by a small, mountainous, rural region whose economy has historically been based on energy production from lignite. To facilitate a sustainable transition, it is essential to harness the region’s human capital, promote sustainable agricultural practices, develop innovative products and processes, and establish new value chains that can stimulate economic growth. Full article

Income inequality impedes rural economic development. As the digital economy advances, e-commerce (EC) offers a novel solution to reduce rural income inequality. Based on the framework of the equality of opportunity theory, this research utilizes data from China Rural Revitalization Survey, using the RIF model and mediation effect model to investigate the influence and mechanisms of e-commerce operations (EOs) on the farmers’ income gap (FIG), while also analyzing the heterogeneity of EO’s effects on the FIG. Consequently, the impact of the varying scales and modes of EOs on the FIG is further examined. The findings indicate that EO can substantially diminish the FIG, as corroborated by robustness and endogeneity tests. The findings of the intermediate effect indicate that EO diminishes the FIG by reducing the disparity in labor endowment. The heterogeneity study results indicated that EOs are more effective in reducing the FIG in western China, major grain-producing areas, and mountainous areas. Further discussion reveals a stronger reduction effect of large-scale and platform EC. This study provides micro-level evidence that the digital economy empowers farmers for sustainable development and prosperity. The government should improve rural EC support and create a mechanism for disadvantaged rural populations. To reduce EC development discrepancies and promote farmer equity, specific assistance programs for undeveloped regions are needed. Local governments can also strengthen skill training programs for farmers, especially low-income ones, to boost labor skills. Finally, they can assist rural EC’s transformation to large scale and flat, maximize its role in employment, and narrow the FIG. Full article

This study deals with the future of the traditional agroforestry systems (TAFSs) in the northern Mediterranean Basin. Important productive systems, such as ancient non-irrigated olive groves and extensive silvopastoral systems, from subalpine grasslands to coastal landscapes, are being irreversibly degraded, threatening the bio-cultural heritage of the Mediterranean region, an area recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. In the midst of the global biodiversity and climate crisis, immediate actions are proposed for the protection and conservation management of TAFSs, within a new EU policy framework. Having the TAFSs of Greece in the spotlight of this analysis, a four-step approach was used in order to review the value of agroforestry in terms of (a) biodiversity (birds, mammals, invertebrates and soil biota), (b) agroforestry landscapes, such as traditional olive groves on terraces and valonia silvopastoral systems, (c) ecosystem services, especially concerning cultural values, and (d) the modern threats to traditional agroforestry. Through this research, problems are highlighted and European policy priorities are defined. Our conclusion is that there is an immediate need to revise the European Union rural, forestry, and environmental policies in the Mediterranean region, following the provisions of the new EU Nature Restoration Law, in order to revive agroforestry landscapes and make them productive and sustainable again for the benefit of rural economies, local communities, and biodiversity, especially in marginal Mediterranean mountainous and island areas, where depopulation and susceptibility to wildfires are major threats. Full article

The rapid progress of urbanization and rural revitalization in developing countries has led to dramatic changes to the rural ecological environment. Assessing the rural ecosystem health (REH) is a crucial foundation for promoting sustainable development in rural areas. This study, focusing on rural areas around the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province, establishes an evaluation system based on appropriate evaluation indicators for assessing the composite ecosystem. This evaluation system comprises four rural ecosystem subsystems: resource, environment, society, and economy. By employing a comprehensive indicator evaluation model and remote sensing image data, this study examines the health status of rural ecosystems in the 40 counties and districts across the study area, as well as their spatial differentiation characteristics, using ArcGIS (10.8) spatial analysis. The REH scores of these areas range from 0.6856 to 0.8818, with a fluctuating downward trend from north to south. This suggests that the rural ecosystems around the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province are relatively healthy, with the northern area being notably healthier than the southern area. Spatial Gini coefficient analysis reveals a much smaller coefficient for the overall ecosystem compared to the subsystems in the study area, indicating that the distribution of health levels is dispersed and not concentrated. After establishing REH grades and quantity metrics, the 40 counties and districts are categorized into 13 types, followed by an analysis of the influencing factors for each type. Recommendations and management strategies are then proposed to enhance the health of rural ecosystems. Full article

This paper focuses on the level of urban–rural integration development and its spatio–temporal evolution patterns in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle. It constructs an evaluation indicator system encompassing five dimensions: population, economy, society, ecology, and space. By comprehensively using statistical data and multi-source spatio–temporal data and employing methods such as the entropy method, ESDA, obstacle degree model, and various statistical techniques, the study measures and analyzes the level of urban–rural integration development at three time points: 2010, 2015, and 2020. The findings are as follows: (1) The overall level of urban–rural integration is low, predominantly at low to lower-middle levels, with a clear core-periphery spatial pattern where central urban areas such as Chengdu’s central seven districts and Chongqing’s central urban districts are high-value cores, whereas peripheral and central regional areas are less integrated. (2) From 2010 to 2020, there was a steady increase in integration levels, transitioning from a single-core to a more dynamic point-axis structure with emerging regional growth poles. However, this transition was accompanied by reduced inequality of urban–rural integration within each city, while disparities among central urban areas within its cities gradually increased. (3) The analysis of obstacles across dimensions indicates that spatial integration faces the most significant barriers, mainly due to geographical conditions and development constraints in southwestern mountainous counties. In contrast, barriers to economic and social integration, though initially lower, have gradually increased, highlighting imbalances between economic growth and social service provision. Overall, this study not only provides a systematic measurement and analytical framework for the integration and development of urban and rural areas in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle but also offers theoretical and empirical support for global research and practice on urban–rural integration. Additionally, it proposes targeted policy recommendations. Full article

The eco-agricultural park is a new comprehensive agricultural technology system integrating agricultural production, rural economic development, ecological environment protection, and efficient resource utilization. Therefore, an in-depth analysis of the ecosystem structure of eco-agricultural parks will help achieve the goal of coordinated symbiosis between human development and environmental protection. This study takes the research area of the Eco-agricultural Park of Jinchuan Town, Huinan County, a typical town in the Changbai Mountains of Northeast China. Based on field surveys, market research, farmer consultation, and related data collection, emergy theory and methods are used to construct an emergy model for the park. The value evaluation index system integrates the unique emergy index of the agricultural ecosystem with the traditional emergy index system to conduct a targeted evaluation of the park’s functional structure and sustainable development capabilities in order to improve the efficiency of material and energy use and provide technical reference for ecological construction and comprehensive development of agricultural industry in mountainous areas in northern China. The research results show that: (1) The annual input total emergy of the eco-agricultural park is 4.04E+24 sej/a, and the emergy of labor input, electricity input, and topsoil loss is relatively high. The park is in a labor-intensive stage. The annual output total emergy is 5.09E+24 sej/a, the park is dominated by planting and forestry industries. (2) The park’s emergy utilization intensity is high—production efficiency is high, economic development is advanced, and the system’s self-control, adjustment, and feedback functions are vital—and plays a significant role in promoting the development of the regional economy. However, the park relies more on investment from external resources, and production in the park puts pressure on the environment. (3) The current sustainable development capability of the study area is weak, and the factors affecting the sustainable development capability are mainly energy loss and uneven distribution of industrial areas in the park. Effective measures to promote the transformation of the park to develop technology-intensive industries and improve the sustainable development performance of the park were proposed. These include: adjusting the proportion of industries in the park; reducing high-energy external input emergy, such as industrial auxiliary emergy; reducing the loss of non-renewable natural resources through ecological engineering measures, such as reducing the depth of slope runoff in the park; and combining modern resource-based production technology and environmentally sound management methods to reduce energy loss and rational use of natural resources. Full article

Outdoor recreation is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the United States and is being used by communities to support economic development, social prosperity, and environmental protection. For communities that have whitewater rivers, whitewater recreation provides a powerful economic alternative to ailing extractive and manufacturing industries that have long dominated rural communities. In order to promulgate a whitewater recreation-based economy, stakeholders need information about their whitewater resources, including how often and when they can be paddled. The overall goal of this study, therefore, was to develop an analytical framework that quantifies boatable days, that is, the number of days that streamflow exceeds the minimum boatable flow levels needed to paddle downstream. Importantly, our framework uses publicly available streamflow and minimum boatable flow information that can be used to quantify boatable days for any whitewater run in the country, irrespective of watershed size or river flashiness. We applied the framework to three world-class whitewater rivers in the central Appalachian Mountains, USA, and found abundant and stable boating opportunities throughout the year. Our results underscore the potential for strategically developing whitewater recreation as a means of economic diversification and highlight how boatable days analysis can be used for quantifying whitewater resources. Full article

Economic activities in disaster-prone areas are significantly susceptible to mountain disasters, and enhancing the resilience of new rural collective economies (RRCEs) is a pressing challenge that needs to be overcome in the areas of disaster risk management and sustainable development. The target research area comprises 48 representative villages in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture (LP). An assessment framework based on the Resilience Index Measurement Analysis (RIMA) model is established to evaluate the RRCEs in the face of mountain disasters, and the influencing factors regarding the RRCEs are examined. The results show that (1) typical villages in the new rural collective economies (NRCE) have a low level of resilience. (2) Transformational capacity is the key to improving RRCEs. (3) Off-farm villages exhibit the highest level of collective economic resilience, followed by diversified villages, while the lowest resilience level is observed in purely agricultural villages. (4) Talent security and institutional security are important for achieving a high level of resilience. Both of these factors significantly influence RRCEs. (5) The combined influence of talent, financical, institutional, technological, and business security contributes to the diverse factors that shape RRCEs. In other words, the path to achieving resilience in the new rural collective economies is characterized by multiple routes that lead to a common goal. Building on this, we propose recommendations in five key areas, namely, encouraging scientific research and innovation, improving disaster insurance coverage, strengthening the emergency protection system, facilitating collective economic development, and selecting suitable strategies to enhance resilience based on local conditions. The aim is to offer valuable insights for disaster-prone areas to enhance RRCEs and realize sustainable development and rural revitalization. Full article

The circular economy (CE) has shown promise for achieving several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, replacing the linear system and reducing negative impacts on the environment. This research aims to assess the effective adoption of CE principles in three cheeses with geographical indication (GI) through an analysis of the practices identified in their respective value chains. Qualitative interviews show the persistence of historical practices that preserve the heritage behind the product, maintain autonomy in relation to external inputs and save energy or make intelligent use of by-products. Radical adoption of CE principles requires innovation to reduce the use of new inputs and greenhouse gas emissions. GI food products are generally not constrained by standards beyond those set by law, but their specifications can be modified, while respecting practices consistent with the link to the terroir. However, the remoteness of small businesses in deep rural areas, far from research centers, is slowing down the transfer of knowledge and the adoption of the latest technologies, particularly in mountainous areas. More participatory research and innovative initiatives are needed to ensure the transition to a circular economy for traditional mountain products, which are strongly linked to local culinary traditions and cultural identity. Full article

Health and wellness tourism is currently an emerging tourist product in the Portuguese context, as it incorporates a great potential to adapt to the challenges that the present time imposes. Given the emergence of new strategies aimed at more sustainable tourism and community development, Serra da Estrela, a Portuguese mountain region classified as a UNESCO Global Geopark since 2020, has been the subject of studies about its tourism potential. Such studies aim to deconstruct the general perception, which prevailed for decades, of a tourist landscape closely related to snow as the main resource. At the same time, as Serra da Estrela represents a rural region in the interior of the national territory, it benefited from its attractiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, this research aims to study the importance that health and wellness tourism can have for the Estrela UNESCO Global Geopark in its impact on the regional economy. To this end, based on the study case, we analyze the thermal frequency in the resorts of the territory and indicators relating to tourist resorts with a spa component that exist in the region: accommodation capacity, the number of jobs, the number of overnight stays and the difference between TRevPAR and RevPAR. This research allows us to conclude that the thermal frequency has adapted to the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the analyzed tourist resorts show resilience in the face of external demand shocks. Full article

The contribution of non-wood forest products is especially important in the context of rural sustainable development. Nevertheless, their perceived economic and environmental value remains low. The lack of an explicit and effective marketing strategy for NWFPs tailored to local mountain communities’ needs may lead to their restricted access to the market and underestimation of their value. The aim of this paper is to gain knowledge regarding the components of a marketing mix that could support the local markets of NWFPs, in Greek mountainous areas. The paper presents an analysis of the marketing mix for NWFPs, following for the first time the S.A.V.E. approach. The research contributes to the existing literature as we seek to “meet” groups of NWFPs’ consumers, in order to develop a customer-centric value proposition in Greek local mountain communities. The findings indicate that the marketing and promotion of NWFPs requires not only knowledge of the relative products and the market, it requires analysis and knowledge of the specific needs of local mountain communities and the ways that needs are met by the attributes and characteristics of the NWFPs as part of the solution that they can offer. Local mountain communities in Greece, through the exploitation of NWFPs, are trying to face challenges regarding the improvement of their income and their general wellbeing level. Also, we propose as a part of the marketing mix for NWFPs, their promotion as products with a distinct spatial, local identity, by associating them with local “culture economies”. Finally, we argue that a customer-centric marketing mix of NWFPs, which focuses on customers’ needs, desires, and resources as the starting point of the planning process, involves a higher level of mixing and synergies creation along the whole value chain, than simple personalization, with customers to interact with suppliers using ICT and by personal time disposition connected to nature. Full article

The term deagrarianization refers to the dwindling importance of agrarian activity as the economic and social basis of a rural area. Deagrarianization is reflected in the declining number of people engaged in agricultural production and a reduction in the relative importance of agricultural incomes. In addition to the economic consequences, deagrarianization also erodes the importance of the rural population in territorial organization and management and social functioning in rural areas. However, it is also true that the simultaneous shift towards the service economy in present-day rural economies and societies has not led to the disappearance of the rural space but, instead, given rise to new and multiple forms of rurality. The priority objective of the research on which this paper is based is to gain insight into the rural deagrarianization processes in Spain through the specific case of Cantabria. In order to analyze these dynamics, a series of basic indicators have been used. In order of importance, the main indicators employed were those related to the recent dynamics of agriculture, livestock, and forestry activity and the occupational structure of the population as regards its sectoral distribution, with particular attention being paid to the relative importance of livestock and forestry activities in relation to the direct exploitation of territorial resources. In the past, primary sector activities were very important in Cantabria, but their importance has steadily declined in both absolute and relative terms until reaching the current situation. In 2023, only 4579 people have been employed in agriculture out of a total of 214,574 active people (2.13%). It is very significant that between 2012 and 2021, the total number of employed people increased by 9.08% in Cantabria while the proportion of people employed in agricultural activities decreased by −12.90%. Farming is no longer the rural occupation par excellence; however, it continues to be important in most Cantabrian rural municipalities. The territorial distribution is even more revealing. Southern mountain municipalities can be considered the last stronghold of agricultural activity since, in most cases, more than a quarter of their active population is employed in this sector. These are also the rural areas with the highest levels of depopulation. In contrast, other activity sectors have also gained importance in rural areas, although not in the same way. In general, there is less service economy employment in inland rural municipalities, except in those that are county capitals offering services. Some rural, peri-urban, and coastal areas where tourism is more strongly developed also reach high values. Full article

Due to the rapid innovative applications of technological education as a result of the swift development and popularity of telecommunication and wireless technologies, ever-more diversified methods of technological education play a critical role in various education and lecturing activities, without time and distance restrictions. Currently, in order to bridge the urban–rural development gap, the Taiwanese Government has introduced a lot of policies to encourage teenagers to return their hometowns; however, these policies have not achieved their goals, as the most of Taiwanese community development associations faced scarcities of professional knowledge without any educational support during the development of their various schemes, such as economic development, environmental protection, cultural heritage, public services, etc. As a result, local development depends on entire community development associations, especially in the most mountain regions of Taiwan. Moreover, community development associations have a lot of social responsibilities, such as age-related caring activities, driving local economies and industrial development, environmental protection and education, maintaining and developing traditional cultures and arts, etc. Due to the digital characteristics of technological education, most Taiwanese rural community development associations are able to obtain professional information and data about courses without space and time restrictions. Thus, after strengthening and satisfying professionals’ demands, local economies will achieve growth and, therefore, younger persons would be encouraged to stay their original area, thus stimulating the development of rural community development associations. Eventually, the positive development cycle is predicted to increased and, as a result, the urban–rural disparities will be directly diminished by the diversified application of technological education in Taiwan. Full article

Until recent decades, labour-intensive subsistence farming was a way of life and livelihood in the hill communities of Uttarakhand, India. However, the nature of agriculture falls far short of the expectations of the main labour force, the rural youth, leading to their mass migration to non-agricultural occupations. The large-scale youth migration has left many hill farming landscapes depopulated and farmlands abandoned. As youth have special stakes in food systems, they must be included in the sustainable transformation of food systems. By doing so, the migration-prone hill region may be transformed into a place where rural youth have more options for work and income. Therefore, the agriculture sector needs to change and develop into a more engaging and youthful workplace. There are opportunities to explore and barriers to be removed. Besides identifying priority research areas on local food systems, in this exploratory research, we investigate opportunities to involve rural young people in the transformation of the food system. We document information by conducting focus group discussion (FGD) meetings in about 100 villages in the Uttarakhand hills, representing all major farming landscapes. This study mainly focuses on improving the production and consumption aspects of local food, which not only benefits the health and wellbeing of local communities but also has many positive economic, social, and environmental effects. In addition, we explore opportunities for reviving mountain agriculture through agri-ecotourism, which is a symbiotic relationship between tourism and agriculture. Making home- or farm stays in agri-ecotourism a subsistence strategy for local youth will contribute to a more prosperous rural economy. Recognising Uttarakhand’s rich culture and heritage while exploring the culinary travel opportunities in homestays will provide opportunities to focus more on traditional food systems, exposing various tangible and intangible aspects of the host region’s food culture to tourists. The findings of this study will aid in identifying specific policy issues for consideration by planners and policymakers at the local and state levels. Additionally, this exploratory study will assist young, motivated researchers in conducting follow-up, in-depth investigations and producing empirical data in their specialised fields. Full article