SPACE ECONOMY & RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Spatial Development Framework Based on Rural Entrepreneurship: Content Analysis of International Scientific Articles

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The aim of the current research is to identify spatial processes affecting the development of rural entrepreneurship in order to identify existing and emerging theoretical perspectives. The research method in the current study is applied in terms of purpose and in terms of methodology, it is a combination of systematic review and qualitative content analysis. The statistical population of the research is articles extracted from magazines related to the field of rural entrepreneurship and geography in valid databases. The research population is 113 articles over a period of 22 years from 2000-2023. In the next step, irrelevant articles were removed by screening and finally, 38 Latin scientific articles were analyzed as the research community from the total of studies. For analysis, open, axial and selective coding was used in the software environment (Atlas Ti). Also, the opinions of 5 experts have been used for validation. The research findings included 212 primary codes that were conceptualized in 26 categories and four dimensions and one component (social-spatial). Examining the time distribution of the articles showed that the first articles were published in 2007 and remained stagnant until 2014, and after that, there was an increasing trend until now. Such thematic distribution of articles have been published in social, spatial and economic fields, respectively. The research results showed that rural entrepreneurship is strongly influenced by spatial factors. These studies have been affected by the conceptual evolution of space literature and at the same time as the conceptual evolution of this discourse, its proposed components have also changed and changed from a traditional perspective to a socio-spatial concept. Therefore, space acts as a platform for social interactions and plays an important role in the formation of social and spatial networks that affect the development of rural entrepreneurship

Analysis of the Key Driving Forces of Creative Tourism Impact on the Development of Sustainable Rural Entrepreneurship (Case Study: Damghan County)

ALiakbar Anabestani

Purpose: Creative tourism, as a component of the vast tourism industry, can play a major role in empowering local communities, diversifying economic growth, and generating new employment opportunities in rural areas in connection with sustainable rural entrepreneurship and other economic sectors. Accordingly, the present study aims to identify the key factors and driving forces influencing the effects of creative tourism on the development of sustainable rural entrepreneurship.
Methodology: The research is applied in purpose and descriptive–analytical in nature, employing a futures studies approach. Data were collected through both documentary (library sources and scientific journals) and field methods (questionnaires). To extract the key drivers, the questionnaire was designed in five main dimensions: socio-cultural, economic, environmental, physical, and institutional-organizational. The sample population consisted of 25 experts and specialists in creative tourism and sustainable entrepreneurship. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed through expert judgment. Data analysis and structural influence analysis of the key indicators were conducted using MICMAC software.
Findings: The results revealed that among the 91 factors examined across five dimensions, 20 key drivers were identified, including: strengthening intergenerational cooperation (39), public awareness of cultural and social values (38), reducing economic dependence on agriculture (49), creating new export opportunities (49), environmental awareness of tourists (48), encouraging green businesses (47), creating natural camping sites (49), developing cultural-tourism centers (48), creating a database of rural entrepreneurs (46), increasing financial transparency (42) and etc.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that creative tourism can serve as an effective instrument for promoting sustainable rural entrepreneurship. Structural analysis indicates that enhancing social collaboration, revitalizing handicrafts, reducing agricultural dependency, and fostering new economic opportunities significantly contribute to rural entrepreneurial sustainability.

Developing successful models of sustainable employment for people with disabilities within the framework of a community-based rehabilitation program (Case study: rural communities in Kermanshah province)

Bijan Rezaee

The research was fundamental in terms of purpose and mixed and exploratory in terms of method. In the qualitative part, the inductive content analysis method was used, and in the quantitative part, the interpretive structural method with the integrated ISM-DEMATEL technique was used. The study population consisted of academic experts, welfare experts, and relevant organizations that are directly related to the employment of disabled people, and disabled people. The study population consisted of academic experts, welfare experts, and relevant organizations that are directly related to the employment of disabled people, and disabled people. Data were collected through a review of secondary studies, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a researcher-made questionnaire. In the qualitative section, the results showed that the categories of networking and market development for products, sustainability and continuous improvement of the plan, implementation of career counseling based on the type of disability and climate, psychological capacity building and skill empowerment, financial and infrastructure support, and identification of applicants and individuals susceptible to job creation are effective factors in creating a sustainable employment model for people with disabilities. The results of the quantitative section showed that the first step was to identify applicants and people who are susceptible to job creation; the second step was to implement career counseling based on the type of disability and climate; the third step was to build psychological capacity and skill empowerment and financial and infrastructure support; and the fourth step was to build networks and markets for products, leadership, and continuous business improvement.

A Data-Driven Analysis of User Satisfaction in Rural Ecotourism Lodgings: An Interpretable Machine Learning Approach

Hassanali Faraji Sabokbar

User satisfaction in rural ecotourism accommodations has become a critical determinant of success in the tourism industry. With the rapid growth of online booking platforms such as Jabama and intensifying competition, data-driven analysis is increasingly essential for identifying the factors influencing satisfaction. Despite the growing popularity of ecotourism in Iran, few studies have applied advanced and interpretable machine learning methods to explore this topic. The rise of the sharing economy and digital accommodation platforms has transformed user experiences, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based insights.

This study collected data from 1,123 rural ecotourism lodgings listed on the Jabama platform using Python and the Selenium library. Independent variables included information quality, cleanliness, value for money, check-in experience, hosting quality, and location, while user satisfaction ratings served as the dependent variable. Regression-based models—linear regression, decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting, and support vector regression (SVR) with an RBF kernel—were implemented. Model performance was evaluated using mean squared error (MSE), the coefficient of determination (R²), and 5-fold cross-validation to ensure reliability and robustness.

The results showed that random forest and gradient boosting achieved the highest accuracy, with R² values above 0.86 and MSE below 0.012. Feature importance analysis revealed that information quality (importance score = 0.442), cleanliness, and value for money were the strongest predictors of user satisfaction. The decision tree model provided interpretable decision rules, highlighting the central role of information quality at the root level and the subsequent influence of cleanliness and value for money. These findings underscore the potential of interpretable machine learning approaches for enhancing user satisfaction analysis in Iran’s ecotourism sector and guiding data-informed managerial decisions.

Analysis of the Rural Shrinkage Phenomenon with Emphasis on the Role of Space Commodification and Migration (Case Study: Saqqez County)

Afsaneh Ahmadi

Objective: The objective of this research is to analyze the phenomenon of rural shrinkage with an emphasis on the role of space commodification and migration.
Methods: This study employs a descriptive-analytical research methodology based on field and documentary observations. The sample size determination for both the expert questionnaire (on factors of space commodification) and the villager questionnaire (on factors influencing migration) utilized theoretical saturation. The sampling method for both the expert and citizen questionnaire sections was purposive non-probability sampling.
Results:
The findings indicated that the most significant factors influencing rural migration, in order of importance, include: inefficient performance of city officials, family poverty, and inequality in facilities and services between this village and the provincial center and other destination cities, and so on. Based on the DANP model, the most significant factors affecting the commodification of rural space in relation to the phenomenon of urban shrinkage, in order of importance, include: destruction of natural landscapes, sense of alienation from space, change in land use of agricultural lands, sense of privatization of space, unemployment in the village, and so on.
Conclusions: The results demonstrated that rural shrinkage in Saqqez is a victim of the space commodification logic driven by neoliberal capitalism and the inefficiency of local governance. Migration, a key agent in this process, itself perpetuates the vicious cycle of shrinkage.

An Analysis on the Role of Economic Diversification in Improving Individual and Environmental Entrepreneurship in Rural Area (Case Study: Rural In Marivan County)

Saadi Mohammadi

However, given the numerous weaknesses in the economic, social, environmental-physical, and institutional spheres of rural areas—reflected in the existence of villages and villagers lacking the necessary characteristics for entrepreneurship—it is essential to implement development programs. Among the most important of these, considering the significance of the economic dimension for the sustainability of rural life and livelihoods, is the diversification of the rural economy. This can transform the rural environment into one worthy of activity and the advancement of its inhabitants. This study seeks to examine the effects of this economic diversification on the status of environmental elements and individual characteristics affecting entrepreneurship among villagers in the villages of Marivan County.
This applied research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population of the study, based on its comparative approach, consisted of two groups: villages benefiting from economic diversification and villages lacking such diversification in Marivan County. After identifying the target villages, the sample size was determined using Cochran's method, and questionnaires were distributed through stratified sampling among the villages and simple random sampling among the villagers. Data analysis was performed using inferential statistical tests (Independent T-test and Path Analysis). The findings revealed that the implemented economic diversification has led to a significant difference in the favorability of the status of environmental elements and individual characteristics affecting entrepreneurship between the two studied rural groups. Furthermore, among the environmental factors, the economic index, and among the individual characteristics, the level of motivation, had the greatest impact on improving the entrepreneurial status of the villages due to their responsiveness to the implemented economic diversification.

Analysis of Agricultural and Natural Resource Issues and Problems Facing Economic Development Around the Lower Atrak River

Behrooz Mohseni

Objective: The main goal of this research is to identify, prioritize, and analyze the challenges and problems related to agriculture and natural resources in the Lower Atrak River basin, with a focus on the Chat region of Gonbad-e Kavus County. Relying on the perspectives of local elites, experts, and stakeholders, the study strives to explain the causal relationships between the human and natural factors influencing these challenges and to provide a basis for informed decision-making for sustainable resource management.
Methods: This research is qualitative in nature and applied in its objective. Data were collected through the review of upstream documents and a specialized questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The reliability of the research instrument was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. To prioritize the issues and problems, the non-parametric Friedman test was employed. Furthermore, the DPSIR conceptual model was used as the analytical framework for the research to analyze the causal relationships among the driving forces, pressures, states, impacts, and responses.

Identifying the Effective Explanatory Factors in Native Poultry Farming ‎Among Villagers in Mazandaran Province ‎

Fatemeh Ghorbani Piralidehi

Objective: Farming of native poultry at the village level will provide entrepreneurship and employment for rural women, provide needed protein, improve rural income and sustainable rural development. Despite the benefits of native poultry, the acceptance of this rural activity has not received much attention. Therefore, identifying the factors affecting of native poultry farming among villagers in Mazandaran province can provide grounds for improving the villagers' willingness to carry out this native activity.
Methods: The present study is quantitative and descriptive-survey. The statistical population is the total number of native poultry farmers in Mazandaran province, 64725 people. Multi-stage sampling method was used to select the sample. 382 native poultry farmers were randomly selected as samples. The required data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by asking experts and the reliability was confirmed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
Results: Personal-professional factors and social-environmental factors explain 73% of the changes in perceived usefulness and 36% of the changes in perceived ease of use. Perceived usefulness, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explain a total of 74% of the changes in behavioral intention, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention explain about 64% of the changes in native poultry farming behavior.
Conclusions: The main essence of the proposed model is behavioral intention over behavior, but perceived behavioral control is also an important variable that, along with behavioral intention, affects native poultry farming even more intensely. Increasing the risk-taking power of producers, improving the knowledge and skills of producers, raising public awareness for the consumption of native poultry, expanding the cooperative of native poultry producers, and providing low-interest and targeted bank loans are among the suggestions for the development of native poultry farming in Mazandaran province.