Evaluation of the sustainability of rural areas and application of the Delphi fuzzy technique and the artificial neural network: A case study of rural areas of northern Savadkouh County

Nowadays, paying attention to the issue of sustainability, especially in rural areas, has become a pivot in the policies and plans of countries in the world. Identifying the status of rural areas in terms of sustainability can be of great help in this regard. The purpose of this study is to assess the sustainability of rural areas in northern Savadkouh. The study used a descriptive method to analyze and collect data through a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study consisted of the villagers living in the villages of northern Savadkouh. A combination of the Delphi fuzzy technique and the artificial neural network was used to analyze the data. At the first, using the Delphi fuzzy method, the stability indices were localized. Then, using the artificial neural network method, the rural areas were divided into two clusters. The results showed that there was proper and balanced stability in the rural areas of the study area (CV = 0.062). In addition, the results of the One-Sample T-test showed a significant difference among the indexes except for the empathy index and the gender ratio. Also, in all the three dimensions of sustainability, the human and natural supports of the rural areas of the northern Savadkouh region had a good balance and equality. Finally, the findings showed that the villages of Burkhill and Ikew ranked first and second, and the villages of Hajikla and Baikorka ranked 14th and 15th in this regard

Fa ctors Affecting Farmer's Satisfaction with Water Users Associations Performance at Gotvand Irrigation Scheme in Khuzestan Province, Iran

The purpose of this study was to assess the farmer's satisfaction with services delivered by Water User Associations (WUAs) and determine the factors affecting farmer's satisfaction with the WUAs. Stratified sampling was used to select 124 farmer members of WUAs in the Gotvand irrigation Scheme (GIS). A researcher-made questionnaire was employed for data collection. Its validity was confirmed by content validity and its total reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha as to be 0.73. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe WUAs performance; ordinal logistic regression was also used to determine the relationship between physical, socio-economic characteristics of region context and farmer's satisfaction. Results revealed that although the WUAs performance in operation, maintenance and repair and management is medium, these WUAs are successful in collection of irrigation service fee. Status of maintenance and repair in GIS is a very essential factor in farmer satisfaction with the WUAs and its status is dependent on the strength of WUA connection with government authorities. Therefore, it is recommended that maintenance and repair management is transferred to the WUAs

Explaining Sustainability of Agricultural Exploitation System: the case of Family Farming Operating in Central District of Boyerahmad County

به‌کارگیری بی‌رویه نهاده‌های تولیدی به‌منظور افزایش عملکرد محصول طی دهه‌های اخیر درنتیجه تخریب محیط‌زیست از یک سوء و ضرورت استمرار تولید در راستای امنیت غذایی از سوی دیگر، اهمیت توجه به پایداری نظام‌های بهره‌برداری را دوچندان کرده است. بر همین اساس هدف مطالعه‌ی حاضر، تبیین پایداری نظام‌های بهره‌برداری خرد دهقانی در مناطق روستایی شهرستان بویراحمد بود. برای تعیین حجم نمونه‌ی آماری، از طریق جدول برآورد حجم نمونه کرجسی و مورگان از میان 33064 خانوار کشاورز ساکن در منطقه‌ی موردمطالعه، حجم نمونه 380 نفر تعیین شد و به روش نمونه‌گیری تصادفی ساده نمونه‌ها انتخاب گردید. ابزار جمع‌آوری داده‌ها پرسش‌نامه محقق ساخته بود. به‌منظور سنجش میزان پایداری از شاخص ترکیبی در ابعاد سه‌گانه اقتصادی، اجتماعی و زیست‌محیطی استفاده شد که وزن هر یک از شاخص‌ها به روش آنتروپی تعیین گردید. یافته‌های پژوهش نشان داد که کل نظام بهره‌برداری خرد دهقانی در مناطق روستایی بخش مرکزی شهرستان بویراحمد در وضعیت نیمه پایدار قرار دارد. افزون بر آن، نتایج نشان داد که وضعیت شاخص‌های پژوهش در بعد اقتصادی ناپایدار است و شاخص‌های بعد اکولوژیکی و اجتماعی در وضعیت نیمه پایداری قرار دارند. لذا تقویت بنیه اقتصادی بهره‌برداران می‌تواند به‌عنوان یکی از رویکردهای اصلی جهت افزایش سطح پایداری کشاورزی موردتوجه قرار گیرد

Investigating the role of social capital in the success women's Production Cooperative in Dena County

Social capital is one of the influential components in the performance and success of cooperatives, including rural cooperatives, which is considered by experts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of social capital in the success of the rural cooperative in Dana women. The method of this research is descriptive-analytic and a questionnaire technique is used to collect information. The statistical population is 600 members of the rural women's rural cooperative in Dena County, according to Bartlett's table, 100 were identified. The questionnaire was the most important tool for collecting data. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed using Spss software. To test the hypothesis, t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient was used. In order to investigate the role of social capital in the success of rural women's cooperatives in Dena, indicators such as social capital, social trust, and social participation were measured. Based on the results obtained from the indicators of social capital research, social trust index the impact on the success of the DENA Women's Co-operative

Effects of Tourism on Subjective Dimensions of Quality of Life: The Case of Tourist Destination Villages of Marvdasht County

This research aimed at investigating the impacts of tourism on residents' subjective quality of life in tourist destination villages of Marvdasht County, Iran. The statistical population included 170 heads of households living in the tourist destination villages of Marvdasht County, selected by the simple randomization method and based on Cochran’s formula. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability was confirmed. Data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis and Morris’s model. The results of factor analysis showed that the components including cost, local livelihood, and asset accounted for 61.27, 58.77, and 58.06 percent of the total variance in the economic dimension of subjective quality of life, respectively. Social dimension components (including local community and nutrition and health) also captured 66.17 and 60.48 percent and environmental dimension components (including environmental sustainability and physical dimensions) captured 61.28 and 67.87 percent of the total variance in residents' subjective quality of life, respectively. According to the findings, the level of subjective quality of life was medium (with the coefficient of 0.55) based on the Morris method. While the economic (with a coefficient of 0.53) and environmental (with a coefficient of 0.54) dimensions of subjective quality of life were at the medium level, the social dimensions of subjective quality of life (with a coefficient of 0.6) were at the favorable level. Therefore, the highest score of the subjective quality of life in the tourist destination villages was related to the social index. These findings can be used to identify previous policy strategies and design future planning policies