Introduction
Iran has successfully leveraged knowledge and technology with the Islamic economic system to cultivate a prosperous rural economy. This economy encompasses a wide range of activities at the village level, all aimed at supporting rural residents' livelihoods and material well-being. It encompasses both individual and social activities within the rural environment and has yielded impressive results. The rural economy is interdependent with agriculture and is a component of the national economy. Any changes in the national economy will affect the rural economy. This economy level depends on environmental and economic resources, which aligns with the principles of resilient economic policies.
In this regard, Jiroft Plain, located in the western region of Jazmourian, with Halil-Rood passing through its center, encompasses more than 1400 villages. The rural economy in Jiroft and Anbarabad counties primarily relies on livestock farming and agriculture. Economic reconstruction and transformation are taking place in all sectors of the world, and the villages of Jiroft Plain also need to manage and update their economic activities to keep up with global and national developments. Traditional activities are not sufficient to meet the needs of the younger generation. Therefore, the present research aims to analyze the economic situation of villages in terms of resilient economic indicators within the study area and seeks to answer the following question: How is the economic situation of villages in Jiroft Plain in terms of resilient economic indicators? Moreover, what effects do resilient economic indicators have on the rural economy?
Methodology
The present study employed a descriptive-analytical method to provide a concrete, realistic, and systematic description of the characteristics and features of the studied villages in the Halil-Rud geographical-cultural area and Jiroft plain. Both library research methods and field research methods were utilized to gather information. The geographical scope of this research includes the cities of Jiroft and Anbarabad in Kerman Province. Considering the large number of villages in these two cities, as recognized by experts and professionals in this field, the sample villages were selected as the centers of rural districts. Therefore, the statistical population consists of household heads in the central villages of the rural districts, which according to the 2016 census conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran, have a population of approximately 41,289 individuals and 12,165 households, encompassing around 21 villages. Based on Cochran's formula, a sample size of 314 households was selected for the research and used for data collection. A systematic sampling method was employed to select households in each village.
Furthermore, a questionnaire was developed to examine the rural economy in detail from the perspective of resilience indicators, covering 11 different indicators and components. This questionnaire was administered to the sample population, and after completing 30 questionnaires, the reliability of the questionnaire was determined with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.780, indicating high reliability. Additionally, data analysis was conducted using Kruskal-Wallis, one-sample t-test, and regression analysis.
Discussion and conclusion
The research results regarding the status of resilience indicators with a rural economic approach revealed that the economic mobility and dynamism indicators scored 12.01, while social justice scored 3.31, indicating a moderate to high level. Other resilience indicators in the study area were estimated to be below the desirable numerical value of 3, indicating a moderate to low status. Furthermore, among the sample villages, Aliabad ranked first with an average rank of 253, followed by Dovlatabad with an average rank of 210, Hossainabad Dehdar with an average rank of 205, and Ismaili Sofla with an average rank of 179. This finding indicates that villages with a larger population and diverse economies tend to have higher resilience indicators. Based on this, over 52% of the villages in the study area do not have a desirable status in terms of the examined indicators, while only over 16% are in a desirable state.
The rural community's ability to withstand and recover from challenges has been achieved through various means. These include economic growth, increased production in agriculture, industry, and services, ensuring fair distribution of services to rural residents, creating more job opportunities, controlling inflation, improving welfare, supporting a knowledge-based economy, paying attention to scientific aspects of rural economics, engaging educated individuals in rural affairs, encouraging participation in village-related matters and meetings, providing a platform for criticism and suggestions to Islamic councils, cooperating with officials, improving access to basic services for all residents, increasing migration rates, and more. All these measures contribute to the sustainability of the rural economy, including employment, investment, productivity, income, and other production factors in the study area.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Special Received: 2023/06/19 | Accepted: 2023/04/30