Assessment of rural sustainable development and analysis and prediction of obstacles and coupled coordinated development:A case study of Zaozhuang City

In China,the Innovation Demonstration Zone for the National Sustainable Development Agenda is a key initiative for executing the United Nations(UN)2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.The Zone also plays critical roles in addressing the developmental bottlenecks that China faces and sharing Chinese insights into global sustainable development efforts.On July 15,2022,the State Council endorsed the Zone’s establishment in Zaozhuang City,Shandong Province,where it focuses on innovation-led sustainable development in rural areas.Research into the levels,impediments,interdependencies,and evolutionary trends of rural sustainable development is crucial.Therefore,this research aimed to assist in comprehensively assessing developmental challenges and facilitating the harmonious advancement of social,economic,and environmental aspects in rural areas.In pursuit of the three fundamental dimensions of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),namely development’s drivers,quality,and equity,this study was grounded in China’s national Rural Revitalization Strategy and the demands of sustainable development strategies.It also aligns with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated SDG indicators.Focusing on four key areas,namely production elements,natural elements,social elements,and rural governance,this study developed an evaluation index system for assessing the level of rural sustainable development.It employed a range of analytical models,including the game theory-based combination empowerment method,barrier degree model,coupling degree model,coupling coordination degree model,and gray prediction GM(1,1)model,to analyze the status and evolving trends of rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang City from 2015 to 2022.The key findings were as follows:①Relative to the baseline year 2015,the sustainable development level in Zaozhuang’s rural areas has shifted toward an improved state overall.②The primary barrier to achieving rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang is the city’s rural governance system.③While the components of rural sustainable development in Zaozhuang are in the early stages of both basic and moderate coordination,an overall enhancement has occurred in their integrative coordination.④Between 2023 and 2025,the level of integrative coordination in Zaozhuang is expected to rise steadily.However,reaching a state of advanced coordination will require additional time for development.

Role of self-help groups on socioeconomic development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)among rural women in Cooch Behar District,India

This study examines the transformative role of self-help groups(SHGs)in the socioeconomic development of rural women in Cooch Behar District,India,and their contribution toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)of the United Nations.In this study,we explored the effect of SHGs on rural women by specifically addressing SDGs,such as no poverty(SDG 1),zero hunger(SDG 2),good health and well-being(SDG 3),quality education(SDG 4),and gender equality(SDG 5).Given this issue,a cross-sectional survey and comparison analyses are needed to assess the socioeconomic development of rural women and their awareness level before and after the participation of rural women in SHGs.The survey conducted as part of this study was divided into three sections,namely,demographic characteristics,socioeconomic development,and awareness level,with each focusing on different aspects.A group of 400 individuals who were part of SHGs completed the questionnaire survey form.The results showed that the participation of rural women in SHGs significantly improved their socioeconomic development and awareness level,as supported by both mean values and t test results.Memberships in SHGs and microcredit programs were the major elements that boosted the socioeconomic development of rural women,which also achieves SDGs 1,2,3,4,and 5.This study revealed that participation in SHGs and related financial services significantly aided rural women in economically disadvantaged communities in accumulating savings and initiating entrepreneurial ventures.Moreover,participation in SHGs was instrumental in enhancing the self-confidence,self-efficacy,and overall self-esteem of rural women.Finally,doing so enabled them to move more freely for work and other activities and to make family and common decisions.

Rural sustainable development:A case study of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone in China

Sustainable development is the central theme of modern global development.With the arrival of the urban era,the vulnerability and instability of rural areas have significantly increased,and rural sustainable development faces serious challenges.To address these issues,the study took the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone in China under the National Sustainable Development Agenda as a case,combined with economic,social and land use data during 2016-2020,and applied Granger causality test method to explore the theoretical and practical pathways of“innovation-driven rural sustainable development”.The results showed that rural sustainable development and economic sustainability displayed a trend of synergistic change,with“explosive”growth from 2018 to 2020.The social sustainability steadily increased from 2016 to 2020.Ecological and spatial sustainability continuously declined during the study period.Moreover,the rural innovation capacity of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone displayed rapid growth during 2016-2020.Although the rural innovation capacity of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone has rapidly improved,it has a weak driving effect on rural sustainable development and economic sustainability.There are two primary challenges that must be overcome to ensure the rural sustainable development of the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone.The first challenge is the imbalance among the multi-dimensional relationships in the process of rural sustainable development,and the second challenge is the weakening of rural innovation capacity to drive rural sustainable development.To overcome these challenges,this study proposed a systematic pathway for rural sustainable development in the Zaozhuang Innovation Demonstration Zone from multidimensions,such as policy actions,technologies,projects,and institutional guarantees,and formed a universal and representative“Zaozhuang model”.This study expands the theoretical foundation of rural sustainable development and provides theoretical and practical support for innovation-driven rural sustainable development.

Relationship between Sustainable Land Use and Rural Economic Development:A Case Study of Meining Village,Pingma Town in Guangxi

For a long time,rural economic development has put economic benefits in the first place,ignoring the impact of unreasonable land use on local land resources and ecological environment,which is not conducive to the long-term high-quality development of local economy and sustainable land use.There is an urgent need to study the relationship between sustainable land use and rural economic development in order to achieve the coordinated development of the two.By using the methods of literature research and field investigation,this paper studies Meining Village,Tiandong County,Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.The study found that farmers tend to plant pure eucalyptus forest,single land use structure,short-term rotation planting model and traditional afforestation and land preparation technology are not conducive to sustainable land use in forest areas,and affected by economic and educational factors,farmers livelihood is relatively simple,so the development of rural economy will be restricted.In view of the above problems,this paper puts forward the following solutions:changing the land use model of Meining Village to promote sustainable land use;introducing advanced science and technology and diversified livelihood ways to promote the sustainable development of rural economy;building a virtuous circle of sustainable land use and rural economic development.

Employment and development levels in rural areas of the Russian Federation

The development of agro-industrial complex is important for ensuring national food security and national health.The development of rural areas is subject to the development of agriculture and local infrastructure,as well as the availability of various services.This study selected 15 indicators in 2021 to analyze the employment and development levels in rural areas of 71 regions of the Russian Federation using the analytical grouping method.The results indicated that 20 regions(Group 1)had the highest percentage of rural population(33.10%).The percentage of population engaged in agriculture had the highest value(12.40%)in 31 regions(Group 2).Moreover,20 regions(Group 3)had the highest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget(11.80 USD/person).Increasing the investments in fixed assets carried out from the budget of the municipality can improve the employment level in rural areas.Then,we used cluster analysis to divide 14 regions of the Volga Federal District in the Russian Federation into 3 clusters.Cluster 1 covered Kirov Region and Republic of Mari El;Cluster 2 included Ulyanovsk Region,Saratov Region,Nizhny Novgorod Region,Perm Territory,Orenburg Region,Chuvash Region,and Republic of Mordovia;and Cluster 3 contained Republic of Tatarstan,Samara Region,Udmurtian Republic,Penza Region,and Republic of Bashkortostan.Results indicated that the 2 regions of Cluster 1 need to increase the availability of resources and natural gas and improve the investment attractiveness of rural areas.The 7 regions of Cluster 2 needed to develop infrastructure,public services,and agricultural production.We found the highest employment level in rural areas,the largest investments in fixed assets at the expense of municipal budget,the largest residential building area per 10,000 persons,and the largest individual residential building area in the 5 regions of Cluster 3.This study makes it possible to draw up a comprehensive regional development program and proves the need for the development of rural areas,which is especially important for the sustainable development of the Russian Federation.

A new approach towards the sustainability of urban-rural integration:The development strategy for central villages in the Abbasiya District of Iraq using GIS techniques

The development of rural areas usually has a positive impact on the urban-rural integration. This study explores an innovative approach to stimulate rural development by proposing qualified villages as central villages that can provide basic urban services for their residents and residents of neighboring villages. This approach can contribute to overcoming the various problems that rural areas faced at the social, economic, and environmental levels. It seeks to achieve spatial sustainability of rural areas, representing a new approach by integrating urban development methods to revitalize rural villages. The study analyzed 15 villages belonging to Abbasiya District of AL Kufa City in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. Based on the GIS techniques and the analysis of urban service indicators(village population, percentage of urban building materials used in villages, distance between village and health centers, distance between village and main roads, nature of economic activity, distance between village and educational institutions, distance between village and drinking water sources, number of communication towers, and distance between village and urban administrative center), this study proposed that Abu Gharb and Albu Ghraib can served as central villages in Abbasiya District in the future. This study establishes a new rural spatial structure to achieve rural sustainable development, improves the development status of rural areas, and provides a theoretical basis for the government and relevant institutions to use urban service indicators, achieving rural sustainable development and formulating relevant development policies in Abbasiya District.

Evaluation of Tourism Status in Sustainable Rural Development by Reynard Model (Case Study: Pa Ghaleh Village, Mamasani County, Iran)

The greatest service industry and income gainer throughout the world occupies a special role and position in developing geographical areas. This study attempts to use “Reynard” model to investigate the role of tourism and its effects on the development of rural settlements with emphasis on Pa Ggaleh Village, which is one of the environs in Mamasani, Iran. Due to its historical and religious attractions and natural and cultural landscapes, this village is highly significant and has the potential to become a tourism hub and attract tourists. The methodology applied in this research is cross-sectional. Tourism potentials of Pa Ghaleh village are identified and evaluated in this study. Geological maps, topographies and field data are used to evaluate the district attractions. Their tourism potentials are also evaluated and rated using Reynard model. According to the sub-criteria of rarity and historical geography, the research results indicate that scientific value has the highest rank. In other words, tourism places in Pa Ghaleh village include 72% of scientific value, 0.59% of added value and 0.57% of compound value.

Rural-urban Migration,Rural Household Income and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas of China

The objective of this paper is to investigate the rela- tionships among rural-urban migration,rural household income and sustainable development in rural areas of China.The typical case study is done and 288 questionnaires are collected from five villages in Hebei and Guangxi provinces,China.The migration and remittance status,household income and sustainable devel- opment of rural areas are analyzed on the basis of questionnaires. Rural-urban migration is becoming a part of routine life in rural areas.And remittance is an important component in rural house- hold income.Rural-urban migration increases the arable land area per labor,which releases the tight human-land relationship in villages.In total,the migration increases the rural household in- come and accelerates the sustainable development of rural areas.

Coping with Pressures of Modernization by Traditional Farmers: a Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development in Yunnan, China

Traditional farming practices conform to sustainable rural livelihoods, while agricultural modernisation tends to undermine these practices through various perturbations. A case study in Tengchong County (western Yunnan, China) shows that transformation of traditional alder (Alnus nepalensis) and dry rice (upland rice) rotational farming to introduced Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) plantations leads to localised water scarcity and soil fertility decline. While farmers are aware of ecological sustainability of traditional farming, they prefer Chinese fir forestry because it is less labour-intensive, has a high market value, and releases time for profitable off-farm work. Farmers adapt to economic liberalization by planting high value crops and trees. However, alternatives to make local agricultural production more profitable through competitive business strategies, cooperative approaches, innovations in integrating high value crops and 'downstream' processingfor sustainable rural livelihoods have been overlooked largely due to poor information availability and lack of organisational framework.

Relationship between multifunctionality and rural sustainable development: Insights from 129 counties of the Sichuan Province, China

Rural areas are multifunctional and often have production,living,and ecological functions.The high-quality and balanced development of these three functions is key to sustainable rural development(SRD).Thus,the evaluation of SRD based on rural multifunctionality is of immense significance.This study clarifies the rela‐tionship between multifunctionality and sustainable rural development.An evaluation index system with six sub-components was established for calculating the SRD.In addition,we included 129 counties from the Sich‐uan Province in our case study,and used this index system to analyze the characteristics of rural multifunc‐tionality for evaluating the SRD.The results showed indisputable evidence of multifunctional development.At the county level,rural multifunctionality faces the challenge of insufficient and uneven development,particu‐larly in production functions.Significant spatial differences existed in rural multifunctional development,and the suburban counties generally performed better.Moreover,a mutually reinforcing relationship between pro‐duction,living,and ecological functions was established;however,there was still a significant gap in realizing SRD.Our results emphasize the necessity of a differentiated SRD strategy that should be formulated and imple‐mented based on rural multifunctionality differentiation rules.Our study offers useful guidance for realizing rural multifunctional and sustainable development.

The Discussion on the Interaction and Integration of Modern Agriculture and Rural Tourism Sustainable Development

The thesis summarizes the connotation of rural tourism and divides it into six types,including rural sight-seeing,rural body-building activity,rural folk culture,rural experience of farm work,rural business affairs,and study and development.It outlines the theory of sustainable development of rural tourism and points out that what sustainable development of tourism concerns is the coordination of ecology,economy,and society centering on human and nature.On the basis of introducing the connotation of modern agriculture,it divides modern agriculture into six types,including sightseeing agriculture,leisure agriculture,green agriculture,characteristic agriculture,factory agriculture,and three-dimensional agriculture.And by concluding,it obtains the combination model of modern agriculture and rural tourism.Based on the introduction of the above related theories,the thesis discusses the interaction and integration model of the sustainable development of modern agriculture and rural tourism.It emphatically analyzes the integration model of modern agriculture and rural tourism,including pastoral agriculture tourism model(sightseeing village,leisure farm,citizen farm),and science education tourism model(agricultural science and technology education base,tourism and leisure education agricultural park,children's,agricultural education base,agricultural exposition).Based on the interaction and integration relationship between modern agriculture and rural tourism,the thesis puts forward corresponding countermeasures so as to promote their positive development and realize the maximum of ecological,social and economic benefits.

Sustainable Development of New Rural Finance in China

Rural finance is the weakest link in China's financial system. There are still many problems in the traditional rural finance, such as poor business conditions, imperfectly competitive financial markets, and credit information asymmetry; the phenomenon of farmers' loans difficulty has not been fundamentally changed. In order to improve the current situation of rural finance, the state proposes to develop new rural finance and innovate upon rural financial system. The new rural finance has many good development advantages, such as adequate information, flexible operation, and good potential quality of the assets. It is necessary to innovate upon financial products and services, establish the purpose of serving agriculture, countryside and farmers, strengthen the supervision of credit, and improve the financial infrastructure construction, so as to achieve sustainable developments.

Considerations on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Dryland Areas

Drylands of the world cover 41%of the Earth＇s land surface and are a direct source of livelihood for 6.5 billion people, especially in developing countries. However, nearly all drylands are at risk of land degradation as a result of human activities. Poverty and desertification in dryland areas are major problems threatening sustainable agriculture and rural development in dryland areas. Several topics that are significant for sustainable agriculture and rural development for food security and environmental rehabilitation in dryland areas were stressed in this paper.

Sustainable Development of Agriculture from the Perspective of Rural Urbanization

In recent years,China's economic construction enters into a new development period.The buyer's market appears,structural demand of agricultural products becomes excessive,and the demand market becomes depressed.In the process of seeking approaches for expanding domestic demands,accelerating construction of small towns is a breakthrough point of rural population urbanization,and also an optimal approach for realizing transfer of rural surplus labor.Besides,accelerating construction of small towns is an inevitable path for intensive management of rural land implementing ecological agriculture,and also an optimal path for improving farmers' quality and improving living conditions.In addition,it is an essential strategy for increasing consumption,expanding domestic demand,pulling rural economic and social development,and also a powerful measure for realizing sustainable development of agriculture.In the process of construction of rural urbanization,it is required to attach importance to strategy of sustainable development of agriculture.This is beneficial for the present generation and for descendants.Therefore,how to build small towns and how to solve many problems in sustainable development of agriculture have received much concern.

A Study of the Sustainable Development of Rural Sports in Gannan

Under the background of new urbanization and new rural construction,how to realize the sustainable development of rural sports is a problem to be solved. Using the methods of literature and logical analysis,based on expounding the relationship model of urbanization and new rural construction,with rural Gannan revolutionary base area as example,the rural sports development path is explored,so as to provide reference for sustainable development of rural sports.

Path of Rural Sustainable Development Based on the Evolution and Interaction of Rural Functions:A Case Study of Chongqing Municipality,China

In order to investigate the evolutionary characteristics of rural functions and their interaction,37 districts and counties in Chongqing,China are used as research objects to measure the level of rural functions and analyze the interaction between rural functions using entropy value method and spatial autocorrelation method.The results show that from 2009 to 2019,the three main functions of production,living and ecology in Chongqing’s villages have been greatly enhanced,especially the production function.On the whole,the production and living functions are stronger in the western part,while the ecological functions are significant in the eastern and southern parts of Chongqing,with some differences in local spatial characteristics.This finding is consistent with the regional economic and social development of Chongqing.In addition,the interaction between rural functions is also evident.In general,production and living functions are mainly expressed in synergistic relationships.Ecological and production functions,including ecological and subsistence functions,mainly present a trade-off relationship.The interactions between rural functions also show clear spatial and temporal differences.In addition,different regions have different comparative advantage functions,and in this study,the counties of Chongqing are classified into four types.Policy makers are advised to adopt different measures according to the different types to promote sustainable rural development by coordinating the’production-living-ecological’functions of rural areas.This study reveals the spatio-temporal evolution of rural functions and the interaction between rural functions,which can provide theoretical support and practical reference for rural revitalisation and sustainable development.

The Issues Facing the Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism and the Path Selection

There is a long way to go for sustainable development of rural tourism.It is necessary to strengthen the planning for training rural tourism talents,and establish sustainable reserve tourism service personnel;innovate upon the promotion mode of rural tourism and open the tourist source market;strengthen the building of characteristic brand of rural tourism,and create sustainable development core of tourism;give play to the role of government in guiding rural tourism,strengthen the optimization of management of rural tourism market environment,and enhance the rural tourism safety;expand the rural tourism industry chain,and strengthen the management planning of sales market of rural tourism product.

How to Promote Sustainable Development of Rural Sports in Gannan?

Rural sport is the weak link in China's sport development,and in the context of new rural construction and new urbanization,rural sports face both development opportunities and severe challenges. Based on the connotation discussion about sustainable development of rural sports,this paper takes the rural sports in underdeveloped Gannan old revolutionary base for example,and brings forward the exploratory ways to sustainable development of rural sports,in order to provide a reference for the sustainable development of rural sports.

Rural Tourism and Sustainable Development

The solving of economical and social development problems of rural populated area has particular urgency nowadays. It should be noted that the development of rural tourism is perspective and it gives opportunity to fully use the potential of populated rural area. The objective of research is to study the opportunities of rural tourism development in Georgia and in mountainous region of Adjara. Therefore, the main questions discussed in paper are: to analyze the employment opportunities for the population of rural areas;to foresee the possible secondary income, how to reduce the migration of rural population, especially the youth;possibility to supply the locally produced goods and service and to increase their awareness;and possibilities to develop the industries related to tourism. The joint efforts of government, municipal authorities, and business providers, with the involvement of rural area inhabitants are essential for the development of populated rural territories. The special attention should be addressed to the social initiatives and economic activities of local people through the involvement in the tourism sector development. The rural tourism and entrepreneurship development provide the possibility to solve the main social-economic problems of rural inhabitants.

Study on the Sustainable Development of Rural Landscape in the UK:Take the Cotswolds as an Example

With the acceleration of globalization and urbanization,rural areas in China,particularly traditional villages have been faced with various problems and the development bottleneck.On the contrary,rural areas in the UK are well-known for picturesque scenery and outstanding characteristics,and able to maintain the sustainable vitality and charm in economy and culture,rural areas in the UK make successful examples for the global rural construction and development.This paper took Cotswolds in the UK for example,analyzed the maintenance and continuation of traditional rural landscapes in the UK from the perspectives of natural scenery,overall layout,folk dwellings,yard plants and so on.On the other hand,the paper explored the all-around sustainable development of rural landscapes in the UK from the perspectives of internal drives such as intangible cultural confidence,production mode,economic foundation and environmental protection.The study tried to provide references for the sustainable development of rural landscapes in China.