Promoting Sustainable Rural Development Through Participation of People in Rural Areas: Empirical Evidence from Dolatabad Area, Jiroft County

Document Type : Research

Authors

• Naser Shafieisabet ¹
• Faezeh Ebrahimipour ²

¹ Associate Professor in Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

² PhD student, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/jgrd.2024.51321.0

Abstract

The present study investigates the role of villagers' participation in the sustainable development of rural settlements in Dolatabad area. Participation is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of rural development, alongside other influential factors. Villagers, as active contributors, are essential in providing the necessary human resources for these settlements. Accordingly, villager participation is fundamental to promoting the dimensions of sustainable development. Using a descriptive survey methodology, this study uses a questionnaire for data collection. The results demonstrate a positive correlation between villagers' participation in implemented plans and programs and the sustainable development of rural settlements. As the participation of rural people increases, the mean dimension of sustainable development also improves. Standardized regression analysis reveals a significant positive relationship between villager participation and sustainable development, with a beta coefficient of 0.897 (p=0.000). Additionally, the factor loading for participation in the sustainable development model is 0.90. Model evaluation through chi-square analysis indicates the good fit of the model and data. The values of chi-square (161.251) and the degree of freedom (87) were also calculated. The chi-square-to-degree-of-freedom ratio is 1.85, which is below the recommended threshold of 2.0. Furthermore, the fit indices support the alignment of the data with the proposed model and therefore confirm the conceptual framework. Based on the findings of the present study, it is possible to improve the participation indicators of villagers in agricultural, industrial, service and tourism projects and programs, and raise the spirit of cooperation among villagers. This will allow for the development of the environmental-ecological, social, economic, and physical-infrastructural dimensions of rural settlements.
 
 

Keywords

• Participation of villagers
• Sustainable rural development
• Dolatabad area

Main Subjects

• Planning in urban and rural areas

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