Search Results (250)

Rural adolescents face persistent health inequities driven by limited access to preventive health education, intergenerational engagement, and resources that support lifelong wellness. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Active Aging for L.I.F.E., a school-based intergenerational health literacy program, in improving adolescents’ attitudes toward aging and health. The four-session program, delivered through a train-the-trainer model involving older adults and undergraduate students, was implemented in three rural schools during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 86 junior high and high school students participated, with 77 completing pre- and post-program surveys assessing attitudes toward aging, health consciousness, and intergenerational engagement. Paired t-tests and multiple regression analyses examined overall program effects and differences by sex/gender and age group. Students demonstrated significant improvements in aging attitudes, perceived relevance of aging topics, enjoyment of intergenerational interaction, and awareness of health-promoting behaviors across the lifespan. Several baseline sex/gender and age-based gaps in health-related perceptions were reduced following participation, with stronger future-oriented attitude shifts observed among younger adolescents. These findings suggest that brief, scalable intergenerational interventions embedded in rural school settings can support early prevention, health literacy, and community capacity building, offering a promising strategy for advancing rural public health outcomes across the life course. Full article

Ecologically fragile areas typically overlap with impoverished zones, rendering them susceptible to a vicious cycle of ecological degradation and poverty aggravation. Reasonable and diversified ecological compensation methods are closely associated with improved livelihood resilience among rural households in sandy areas. Building on this, we take three leagues and cities in Inner Mongolia with severe sandy desertification as the study area. OLS regression and mediating effect models are employed to examine the impact of diversified ecological compensation methods on the livelihood resilience of rural households in sandy areas, as well as the underlying mechanisms and heterogeneity. The results demonstrate that (1) diversified ecological compensation methods exert a significant positive effect on the livelihood resilience of rural households in sandy areas; (2) perceived fairness and livelihood diversity mediate the association between diversified ecological compensation methods and the livelihood resilience of rural households in sandy areas; (3) the effects of diversified ecological compensation methods on the livelihood resilience of rural households in sandy areas vary significantly across compensation modalities, beneficiary groups, and regions. Specifically, capacity-building compensation exerts a significantly stronger effect than direct-transfer compensation; poverty-alleviated households benefit more than general households; and the effects are significantly stronger in western Inner Mongolia than in eastern Inner Mongolia. Therefore, in optimizing ecological compensation policies in sandy areas, it is suggested to enhance the embedding depth of industrial and technical compensation, and to explore differentiated compensation pathways based on regional market capacity and household group characteristics, thereby promoting sustainable livelihood development for rural households in sandy areas. Full article

Across semi-arid and environmentally vulnerable regions, intensifying climate pressures, land degradation, and resource scarcity are placing growing demands on institutions, communities, and land users. However, the knowledge and technical skills required to respond effectively remain uneven and often poorly aligned with local needs. This study presents a comparative skills audit in Kimberley, Upington, and Rietfontein in the Northern Cape, identifying capacity gaps, stakeholder-specific training priorities, and structural barriers in natural resource and sustainable land management. Using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, participatory site visits, and multi-stakeholder consultations, competencies were assessed across GIS and remote sensing, climate resilience, soil and land restoration, water conservation, sustainable agriculture, and policy literacy. Results show significant disparities in skills proficiency. GIS and remote sensing (0.8) and climate resilience strategies (1.0) were weakest, while policy literacy (1.5) and soil management (2.0) were also limited. Sustainable agriculture (4.0) and water conservation (2.8) showed relatively stronger capacity. Training needs varied by stakeholder, with government prioritizing geospatial tools and governance, and farmers emphasizing climate adaptation and resource management. Key barriers include limited digital infrastructure (83%), insufficient government support (80%), high training costs (78%), and contextual mismatches (50%). Integrated, place-based capacity development is essential to strengthen adaptive governance and long-term resilience. Full article

The management of European mountain landscapes is increasingly threatened by rural abandonment and escalating environmental risks. This study investigates an innovative Stewardship–Renewable Energy Communities model for the Central Apennines, exploring how post-seismic public reconstruction can serve as a financial engine for territorial maintenance. Utilizing Open Data Sisma administrative records and Photovoltaic Geographical Information System irradiation metrics, this research assesses the solar potential of 18 municipalities within the Sibillini seismic crater. To ensure a reliable baseline, a Building Suitability Coefficient was introduced as a conservative proxy for the public reconstruction sector. Results indicate that the implementation of a distributed network of 6.5 MWp across 325 public nodes, with a specific yield of 1390 kWh/kWp on the entire area, could generate 9 GWh/year. This translates to approximately EUR 1.08 million in annual revenue from energy incentives and sharing. This economic surplus provides a Stewardship Capacity sufficient to fund the active maintenance of 789.77 hectares per year through Nature-Based Solutions, based on a regional rate of 1200 EUR/ha. The novelty of this study lies in bridging post-disaster energy policy with landscape resilience, demonstrating that distributed rooftop solar portfolios represent a non-invasive, self-funding mechanism. By leveraging the reconstructed public stock, mountain territories can transition from passive neglect to active, energy-backed stewardship, offering a reproducible template for high-value cultural landscapes. Full article

Efficient and equitable allocation of educational resources is fundamental to building sustainable education systems and achieving inclusive, equitable, and quality education under Sustainable Development Goal 4. This study employs the slack-based measure (SBM) model to evaluate the resource allocation efficiency of 882 regular senior high schools in China and applies configurational analysis to explore multiple pathways toward high efficiency. The results show that, first, the overall resource allocation efficiency of regular senior high schools, measured through educational outputs related to talent cultivation, remains at a moderately low level. Both overall technical efficiency and pure technical efficiency have substantial room for improvement. The primary challenge in current resource allocation lies not in scale imbalance but in insufficient resource utilization, low internal governance efficiency, and weak capacity to transform existing resources into educational outcomes under current operational scales. Second, significant disparities in resource allocation efficiency are observed across urban–rural locations, school ownership types, and school tiers, revealing a notable “resource-abundance paradox”: schools with relatively limited resources may achieve higher resource utilization efficiency. Third, high resource allocation efficiency is not driven by isolated factors, but by the synergistic interaction of multiple conditions. Four distinct pathways to high efficiency are identified, in which principal instructional leadership recurrently appears as a core condition across the identified sufficient configurations. Accordingly, this study proposes targeted policy implications for improving resource allocation efficiency in regular senior high education, including establishing a performance-oriented resource allocation system, promoting categorized governance and differentiated policy design, strengthening school-based empowerment and internal governance mechanisms, and developing a data-driven monitoring and decision-making framework for educational resources. Full article

As the “last mile” of emergency management, rural emergency response capability vulnerability assessment is crucial for strengthening emergency systems. A three-dimensional vulnerability assessment framework was developed from a risk–capacity matching perspective, comprising exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Taking four typical rural areas as case studies, we applied the comprehensive vulnerability index, the coupling coordination degree model, and the obstacle degree model to quantify vulnerability, analyze risk–capability matching, and identify obstacle factor patterns. The results show that (1) the quality of risk–capability matching determines the level of vulnerability; (2) high coupling produces a dual amplification effect, whose direction depends on matching quality; and (3) economic foundations set the upper resource limit for capacity building, while topographical conditions shape baseline risk pressure. The interaction of these two factors drives the spatial distribution of obstacle factors across villages. This study positions rural emergency response capacity as a core safety dimension for sustainable development, thereby providing a robust foundation for rural sustainability. Full article

This study examines how socioeconomic conditions shape learning outcomes in rural schooling contexts through a narrative review of the recent empirical literature. Studies published between 2020 and 2026 were identified through thorough systematic searches of EBSCOhost, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Following screening and eligibility assessment, 50 empirical studies were included in the final synthesis. The review explores how household economic resources, parental education and involvement, and community and institutional conditions interact to influence literacy, numeracy, attendance, grade progression, and educational persistence in rural schools. The findings reveal strong convergence across the literature that structural socioeconomic disadvantage contributes to unequal learning outcomes by limiting access to educational resources, constraining school and institutional capacity, and weakening formal and informal support systems. At the same time, the evidence points to substantial contextual variation and conditionality. The effects of household and parental characteristics are mediated by school quality, governance coherence, and community support structures, while institutional improvements generate uneven outcomes across different rural settings. Building on these patterns, the study develops a multi-level conceptual framework that illustrates how convergence, divergence, and conditionality interact within rural education systems. The review argues that rural educational inequality emerges from the dynamic interaction of socioeconomic and institutional mechanisms rather than from isolated determinants, underscoring the importance of integrated, context-sensitive policy interventions that advance social sustainability objectives. Full article

Traditional wooden granaries in rural Türkiye are disappearing at an accelerating rate due to agricultural abandonment, rural depopulation, and the absence of systematic documentation and conservation frameworks. In the Sındırgı district of Balıkesir, one of the richest concentrations of vernacular granary architecture in the Marmara Region, these structures remain largely unprotected and unstudied within a sustainable design framework, constituting an urgent conservation challenge. This study aims to assess the current preservation status of Sındırgı granaries, classify their typological diversity, and evaluate their sustainability performance against a defined set of ecological design criteria. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review with extensive fieldwork across 33 neighborhoods. In total, 1411 granaries were identified and grouped into five typologies: evli, Simav, kabak, sandık, and üstü örtülü sandık. These typologies were systematically compared to five parameters: spatial distribution across neighborhoods, plan and section geometry, construction system and structural elements, material selection and condition, and preservation status. This comparison revealed that typological variation is not incidental but directly reflects differences in land ownership, agricultural production capacity, topography, and distance from the district center. Representative examples from each typology were documented through onsite measurements, photogrammetry, technical drawings, and interviews with local craftsmen. The sustainability performance of the granaries was then assessed across seven ecological design criteria: spatial organization, building form design, structural element design, material use and conservation, design with nature, urban design area planning, and nature interaction. The findings demonstrate that the long-term durability of these structures depends on an interrelated system of climate-responsive design decisions rather than any single factor. The study concludes by proposing a holistic conservation model comprising typology-based inventory, roof water moisture-focused intervention, periodic monitoring, and transmission of vernacular building knowledge, a framework applicable to comparable rural granary heritage across the region. Full article

This study evaluated the outcomes associated with the Avanzar Rural Project among young entrepreneurs from five regions of Peru. The research was conducted in 13 provinces across Amazonas, Áncash, Cajamarca, Lima, and San Martín, involving 146 participants from 60 producer organizations. Data were collected between September and October 2025 through a validated survey and analyzed using descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA). The study follows an ex post design without a baseline or control group; therefore, the results reflect participants’ reported changes and statistical associations rather than causal effects. The findings indicate widespread reported improvements in productive performance, including income, asset acquisition, and production efficiency, alongside strengthened adaptive capacities and technical skills. Regression results show that access to productive assets and training in production technologies are key factors associated with income growth and increased sales. In contrast, climate adaptation capacities and sustainable management training are linked to improved resilience. In addition, limited access to digital training and infrastructure constrains market engagement. The MCA reveals significant territorial differences in economic performance, institutional development, environmental management, and market integration. In conclusion, the results suggest the importance of integrated and territorially differentiated support strategies that combine productive investment, capacity building, and market-oriented interventions to strengthen youth-led agricultural systems. Full article

This study investigates how monitoring and support practices are enacted and strengthened to improve matric (National Senior Certificate) performance in the Vhembe East District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Persistent underperformance in rural schools reflects structural challenges related to instructional leadership, limited resources, and weak institutional support systems. While alternative frameworks such as instructional leadership and school effectiveness emphasise formal structures and standardised practices, this study adopts bricolage theory to better capture the adaptive, improvised, and context-responsive ways in which school leaders operate under resource constraints. Bricolage is particularly appropriate in this context as it foregrounds how actors mobilise available resources, relationships, and local knowledge to address immediate challenges where formal systems are insufficient. A qualitative case study design, informed by participatory and reflective principles, was employed and data were generated through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, and analysed using a hybrid inductive–deductive thematic approach. Findings reveal that monitoring and support practices—such as teacher supervision, learner support programmes, and parental engagement—are unevenly enacted due to limited resources, weak monitoring capacity, and inconsistent implementation. Based on the participants’ reflections, the study proposes that strengthening monitoring and support in resource-constrained contexts requires integrating locally adaptive practices with structured capacity-building and institutional support. It contributes to a contextually grounded understanding of educational improvement and demonstrates the analytical value of bricolage theory in explaining how school leaders navigate constraints through adaptive practice. Full article

As a key driver of the rural revitalization strategy, the uneven development of rural tourism urgently requires resolution. To break through the limitations of traditional rural tourism research that focuses on a single economic dimension, this study innovatively constructs a comprehensive analytical framework integrating multi-dimensional evaluation, coupling measurement, and factor identification to examine the interaction between rural tourism development and ecosystem recovery capacity. Taking the Yangtze River Delta region of China as an empirical case, this paper analyzes the spatial coupling relationship and its associated factors between rural tourism development capacity and ecosystem recovery capacity. The results reveal that: (1) At the socio-economic level, the development of rural tourism in the Yangtze River Delta presents a spatial differentiation, with the southeastern region performing significantly better than the northwestern region, and 60.46% of the areas reaching a moderate level or above; (2) At the ecosystem level, high-value areas of ecosystem recovery capacity (50.28%) are mainly concentrated in the southern part; (3) The overall regional coordination level is relatively low, with 13 regions in the coordination stage (accounting for 35.3% of the total spatial area); (4) Technology and financial investment are the dominant factors associated with the coupling coordination degree, indicating a spatial pattern characterized by “innovation-driven” rather than “resource dependence”. Relying solely on natural background conditions is insufficient to build core advantages; we hypothesize that external interventions such as “capital injection” and “technological support” may serve as potential pathways to improve coordination and facilitate ecological value realization. The findings not only provide a new paradigm for evaluating the development quality of rural tourism, but also establish a complete research chain of “diagnosis-classification-optimization,” providing a scientific basis for formulating regionally differentiated development strategies. This study holds significant theoretical value and practical guiding significance for promoting the sustainable development of rural tourism. Full article

The Australian University Departments of Rural Health (UDRHs) promote the health and wellbeing of people in rural and remote Australia through health education, research, and advocacy. This narrative review evaluated the extent to which Indigenous health intervention research conducted by UDRHs over a 12-year period (2010–2021) aligned with the Principles and Priorities of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031. The purpose was to reflect on past UDRH research contributions to identify existing strengths and areas for improvement in line with current policy. Thirty-three relevant UDRH publications were identified from a broader database of UDRH research outputs. Each paper was independently coded by at least two authors as demonstrating “yes”, “partial”, or “not evident” alignment with the twelve priorities of the Health Plan. UDRH intervention research demonstrated strengths in genuine shared decision making and partnerships with Indigenous communities, workforce development, health promotion, and identifying and addressing racism. However, gaps were evident in research addressing social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and suicide prevention, promotion of healthy environments, sustainability and preparedness, and transparency regarding shared access to data and information. UDRHs play a key role in building research capacity among staff and communities in rural settings and often maintain long-standing, respectful relationships with local Indigenous communities. While UDRH research aligns with many domains of the national Health Plan, future efforts should prioritise social and emotional wellbeing and mental health. Improved reporting of shared data access represents an immediate opportunity for enhancement. Full article

Rainfed agriculture is the most common type of agriculture in South Africa among smallholder farmers, accounting for the majority of the arable land. In a country with so much potential, only about 8% of the arable land is under irrigation. In response, the South African post-apartheid government has invested in the establishment of irrigation schemes in rural provinces such as the Eastern Cape to promote the sustainability of smallholder farming systems. Despite these efforts, the participation of farmers in these schemes remains low. This study investigated socioeconomic and environmental factors that affect farming households’ level of participation in irrigation schemes and intensity. Cross sectional data was collected from 209 households using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the socio-economic and environmental factors. A double hurdle model was used to analyse both participation in irrigation and the intensity of participation. The study results reveal that agriculture is largely practised by elderly farmers with an average age of 54 years and largely female-dominated (58%). On average, farmers have 7.5 years of schooling and 12 years of farming experience. Econometric findings demonstrate that participation is significantly influenced by market access, whereas participation intensity is driven by market access, market information and the level of education. The study recommends strengthening gender-targeted agricultural support systems, improved water access through expanded and well-maintained irrigation infrastructure and improving market access. In addition, enhanced extension training support and youth-focused agricultural programmes are required to build productive capacity and ensure the long-term sustainability of irrigation schemes. Full article

Existing studies indicate that preventive conservation (PC) has become a key strategy in heritage risk management. For traditional villages with limited resources, community participation is necessary for the implementation of risk management. However, current research mostly focuses on case-based analyses and lacks a systematic synthesis of community participation in PC. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of community participation in PC from historic rural areas and relevant heritage types. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 39 eligible studies were included in the final analysis. The findings show that effective participation depends on well-defined organizational and coordination networks. Internal organizational structures support coordinated efforts among community members, while external collaborative frameworks provide ongoing resources and support. Within this structure, capacity-building translates participatory arrangements into concrete risk-governance actions, thereby influencing how roles are assigned and adapted within the community across different risk scenarios. Based on these insights, this study presents an Organization–Capacity–Role framework that offers a way for risk governance of historical rural areas. Notably, the detailed arrangements in this framework are shaped by local institutional settings, specific risk types, and case contexts, demonstrating a strong contextual dependency. Full article

The college access policy landscape across Alabama, U.S., has gained traction in K-12 schools and higher education institutions over the last few years. In Spring 2021, the Alabama State Board of Education approved a resolution to require all seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In Fall 2025, the state began implementing its Alabama Direct Admission Initiative, a partnership between dozens of 2-year and 4-year in-state institutions to streamline college application processes for all seniors. Advocates of both anticipate an increase in college enrollment, particularly for students who have previously faced issues with financing postsecondary education. Despite such policies and initiatives, Black, rural students in Alabama still face unique challenges to college access. This paper addresses the following questions: How do Black, rural students access postsecondary education in Alabama? How do Black, rural students perceive and experience college access policies? What role does policy enactment play in Black, rural students’ college access experiences? Using a multi-site case study approach, we present insights gleaned from 16 virtual focus groups with students across five higher education institutions in Alabama. Findings from this study highlight how Black, rural students engage in three types of labor associated with college-going: assessment labor, simulation labor, and capacity-building labor. Full article