The role of construction industry and construction policy on sustainable rural development in China.

Recently, rural development has depended on the construction industry's success due to the high employment rate in the construction industry and its development role in the rural areas, and this phenomenon needs research focus. Hence, the current article examines the impact of the construction industry (construction industry revenue and growth) and construction policy (construction industry subsidies) on sustainable rural development in China. The study also used the control variable of gross domestic product (GDP) and industrialization. The article has collected secondary data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and World Development Indicators (WDI) from 1991 to 2020. The article has applied the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test to examine stationarity and quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL) model to investigate the association among variables. The results revealed that the construction industry revenue, growth, construction policy GDP, and industrialization positively link sustainable rural development in China. Thus, the findings exposed that if the country's construction industry improved, rural development also increased accordingly. This study guides the policy development authorities to develop effective policies related to improvement in the construction industry that will enhance sustainable rural development.

The role of economic conditions and sustainable rural development on the sustainability of tourism development: evidence from China.

At present, tourism is counted among those industries which have gained global attention due to rapid growth. Hence, a constant diversification in terms of destination is needed in tourism development. The recent trends of industry highlight the demand of alternative tourism types, among which nature-related tourism appears to be an emerging concept. In this regard, the present article investigates the impact of economic conditions and sustainable rural development on the sustainability of tourism development in China. The current research has gathered secondary data from the World Bank from 1981 to 2020. The quartile autoregressive distributed lag model has been applied to test the association between the variables. The results revealed that GDP, inflation, FDI, exchange rate, energy use, gross savings, and sustainable rural development have a significant and positive association with the sustainability of tourism development in China. Findings offer managerial implications recommending the local government to focus on the sustainability of rural development and economic conditions that may lead to the implementation of tourism-related development projects. This study also guides the policymakers in establishing policies related to tourism development using different economic conditions and sustainable rural development.

The Contribution of Mycological Tourism to Well-Being, the Economy and Sustainable Development.

This article analyses the scientific production related to tourism and mushrooms. The method used was a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review. The main results show that it is a recent area of study that predominates in Spain but that will expand and gain relevance over time. The thematic analysis has made it possible to structure the information according to the economic contribution of this tourist niche, the well-being it brings to residents and tourists, the importance of a sustainable development of the activity, and the promotion and marketing of this new tourism. Supporting mycological tourism will help the development of rural areas and bring physical, mental, social, educational, and nutritional benefits to residents and tourists. This study has allowed us to develop a future research agenda, highlighting the importance of further research to harness the benefits of mycological tourism while at the same time transferring that knowledge to stakeholders, which will be necessary.

Policy Evaluation of Demonstration Cooperative Construction: Evidence from Sichuan Province, China.

Agricultural cooperatives are professional organizations that increase farmers' incomes through market failure corrections, livelihood resilience, and sustainable rural development. The main purpose of this paper was to evaluate the policy effects of the construction of demonstration cooperatives for farmers in China. The authors of this paper used the propensity score matching (PSM) method to evaluate the policy effect of the construction of demonstration cooperatives based on questionnaire survey data on 509 farmer cooperatives in 10 counties in Sichuan Province of China. On this basis, the inverse probability weighting-regression adjustment (IPWRA) method was used as a robustness test. The authors of this study were the first to systematically and comprehensively assess the policy effects of demonstration cooperatives while considering selectivity effects. The empirical results show that the Chinese government's construction of demonstration cooperatives has significant policy effects, especially regarding policy support in improving the economic strength, service capacity, product quality, and social response of demonstration cooperatives. However, the policy effect of improving the democratic management of cooperatives is not significant. It is recommended that the government continue to strengthen policy support in improving the economic strength, service capacity, product quality, and social response of demonstration cooperatives. Simultaneously, more effective measures should be taken to promote the democratic management of model cooperatives.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Influencing Factors of Rural Resilience from the Perspective of Sustainable Rural Development.

Rural resilience is not only a comprehensive reflection of "thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperity". It is also the unity of resilience in industry, ecology, culture, organization and livelihood. This paper uses the entropy weight-TOPSIS method to measure the rural resilience level in 31 regions in China and analyzes the configuration of influencing factors with the Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results of the study are as follows: (1) The level of rural resilience in China showed a stable increase from 2010 to 2019, but the overall level was low, with large regional disparities, showing a significant positive spatial correlation. (2) In the high-level rural resilience explanatory path, labor-driven, cultural-driven and market-labor-technology linkage-driven play a core role, while administrative force is not playing a significant role. In the explanation path of non-high level rural resilience, the market-labor absent, administrative-market absent and cultural absent hinder the improvement of rural resilience. In summary, we put forward the following suggestions. Policy renovation and support should be strengthened. Adaption to local conditions should be considered in order to achieve sustainable and differentiated development. Development should be coordinated and balanced in different regions so as to achieve an overall resilience level in rural areas.

Can Land Policy Promote Farmers' Subjective Well-Being? A Study on Withdrawal from Rural Homesteads in Jinjiang, China.

Urbanization and aging populations are threatening the sustainability of rural development around the world. Improving the happiness of rural residents is closely related not only to rural development but also to the harmony and stability of a country. Sustainable development has become an important strategy for China's rural areas. Although withdrawal from rural homesteads is an important issue in rural land policy, few researchers have examined the determinants of the subjective well-being of farmers following withdrawal. The current paper investigated 315 rural residents under three models of the "withdrawal from homestead" policy in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, China. The application of the orderly probit model revealed how satisfaction with economic, social, environment, cultural, and policy factors impacted their subjective well-being. The pooled results showed that satisfaction with cultural and policy factors had no significant impact; however, the other aspects significantly promoted their subjective well-being. The empirical model with interaction terms indicated the significant positive impact of economic, environmental, and social factors on subjective well-being under the index replacement model, while only environment and social factors exerted a significant positive impact under the asset replacement and monetary compensation models. Corresponding policy implications are discussed.

Dynamic Conservation in Risk Society: A Case Study of COVID-19 Pandemic Risk in Kashan Qanat Irrigated Agriculture.

In the present age, the world agricultural heritage can inspire agroecology and sustainable agriculture. But various risks have threatened, eroded and forgotten this heritage, so dynamic conservation of this heritage is essential. In this study, "Qanat Irrigated Agricultural Heritage Systems, Kashan, Iran" which has been registered worldwide in the face of corona pandemic risks has been selected as a case study. In this qualitative research, in addition to field observations and documentary studies, 25 in-depth interviews and 39 semi-structured interviews with experts and key informants was done and grounded theory and content analysis have been used. In the process of interviews and analyzes based on "risk society theory", risks and wicked problems and related solutions have been identified and finally based on cultural theory, "clumsy solution space" has been summarized and presented for dynamic conservation. Based on the findings of this study, paying attention to a kind of reward for ecosystem services, developing online sales of agricultural products in rural areas of Kashan and also creating twinning with similar areas can help solve wicked problems. Also, paying more attention to the regulations for the protection of qanats, as well as the laws for home business insurance, can strengthen sustainable development in this rural area. Due to the wide range of different dimensions of agricultural heritage, it is suggested that in future research, clumsy solution spaces for each of these dimensions be created and developed separately.

Ecotourism through the perception of forest villagers: understanding via mediator effects using structural equation modeling.

Ecotourism activities play an important role in providing economic gain to villagers living in forest ecosystems. Successful sustainable forest management is made possible through the environmental responsibility of the stakeholders and the support of the local inhabitants of the region. Contemporary studies conducted in ecotourism have focused on meeting regional expectations by assessing the satisfaction levels and attitudes of tourists and evaluating hotel management services, but have excluded the perspective of the rural people in the region. Using causal models and mediation effects, this study attempted to explore the attitudes of forest villagers, as the most important interest group, toward ecotourism activities in Turkey. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap methods were applied to identify key concepts related to ecotourism including the mediation effects between income opportunities and ecotourism satisfaction as perceived by the forest villagers regarding perceived negative effects and insufficient services. According to the results of the research, it was determined that, despite the perceived negative effects of ecotourism activities by the forest villagers, income opportunities made a strong positive contribution to their perceived ecotourism satisfaction. Study results offer significant implications for policymakers and ecotourism planners for decreasing pressure on forest ecosystems through participatory forest management approaches to sustainable development in rural areas associated with forest ecosystems.

Identification of the trade-offs/synergies between rural landscape services in a spatially explicit way for sustainable rural development.

Rural problems are becoming increasingly prominent in sustainable development in China. Landscape services (LSs) are an emerging concept associated with ecosystem services and play an important role in promoting sustainable development. However, a comprehensive framework of rural LS and empirical research are still lacking. Here, we proposed a rural LSs system based on its multiple functions of "ecological maintenance, agricultural production and human living", including 9 LS types. Combined with the impact of landscape pattern on LSs, we optimized the assessment method of LS, and the LS capabilities were assessed at the village scale in Hangzhou city. Furthermore, we identified the spatial differentiation of rural LSs capabilities and trade-offs/synergies along urban-rural and terrain gradients. The results showed that the LSs capabilities of the rural landscape were greatly affected by the urban radiation and terrain, and we found that the turning point of LSs capabilities was 35 km from the urban fringe and the terrain gradient T5. The LSs in most villages (77%) revealed trade-offs, and the villages with LS synergies largely occurred in the middle and eastern regions of the study area. This study could improve our current understanding of LSs in regard to sustainable rural development, and identifying the trade-offs/synergies of LSs in a spatially explicit way can provide suggestions for the differentiated management of rural landscape sustainability.

Farmers' livelihood strategies and perceived constraints from poor and non-poor households: A dataset from a field survey in Nghe An, Vietnam.

The first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of The United Nations aims to "end poverty in all its forms everywhere". Its seven associated targets aim, among others, to eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere. In Vietnam, poverty eradication in ethnic minorities and mountainous areas are among the top priorities. This study aims to learn about farmers' livelihoods associated with perceived difficulties in Chau Thai Commune, Nghe An Province, a rural mountainous area in Vietnam. A random sampling technique and a face-to-face interview method were employed to conduct a field survey in the region in 2018. The dataset collected from 215 households shows that Chau Thai Commune's livelihood largely depends on agriculture and forestry. Plantation forest and livestock are major sources of farmers' income while forestland accounts for over 90% of households' land. Besides, the disparity in livelihood in areas such as forestland, labor and income between the poor and non-poor households is reported. This primary data could be useful for scholars who want to conduct a further in-depth study and or experts, policymakers who work in Vietnam's 'New Rural Development' program to devise a better rural livelihood -improvement policy for farmers, particularly the poor in the uplands of Vietnam and beyond.

An ethnobotanical survey of spice, aromatic and medicinal plants used in La Molana, Atrato-Choco, Colombia: Basis for biodiversity conservation

A characterization and analysis of the production systems of aromatic, medicinal and spice plants (AMSP) was carried out in La Molana, Atrato-Chocó, Colombia throughout the identification of their biophysical, socioeconomic and financial characteristics, in order to propose agroecological alternatives that solve the problems and identified needs in said systems; applying methodologies and evaluation indicators of agricultural systems addressed to sustainable rural development, design, implementation and evaluation of agroforestry arrangements, agroforestry systems accompanied by WOST analysis, and agroforestry planning of productive units (APPU), this information was collected through the application of a focal workshop and semi-structured questionnaires to 40 smallholders. Therefore, eight productive units (UP) with four plots and four rooftop, which was characterized throughout a simple random sampling without replacement. The results indicate that these smallholders destine 15.6 ha to AMSP production, from which 11 ha are crops structured in plots within native forests and 4.6 ha are destined to crops in rooftops around the houses. The units produce on average, 110 units (bunches) per week, which are offered to informal vendors in the market place of Quibdo-Choco, Colombia with prices which ranged from COP $ 1000 to COP $ 3000 according to plant size and species. Likewise, was determined that the economic incomes of the AMSP units depend mainly on the following planted species: Cilantro cimarrón (Eryngium foetidum L.), cimarron (Eryngium foetidum L.), Albahaca (Ocimum basilicum L.) and Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), which are the most economically important species in the study area.

Sustainable rural development: that distinguished stranger: a review

Con el propósito de analizar la importancia del Desarrollo Rural Sustentable (DRS) se presenta una revisión bibliográfica que explora, con base en elementos filosóficos y teóricos, un grupo de experencias mundiales, que busca finalmente construir un modelo conceptual de DRS, el cual se pueda operacionalizar y evaluar en aproximaciones iterativas. Esta propuesta está basada en la participación democrática de los pueblos y en el manejo de su ambiente para alcanzar un desarrollo igualitario, sustentable y sostenido. El manejo ambiental que se propone, conjuga así los objetivos de la democracia política y económica, con la social y cultural a través de un proceso de descentralización económica y política, guiado por los principios del ordenamiento ecológico de las actividades productivas, de la diversidad étnica y biológica del ambiente y de la autogestión productiva de las comunidades. La concepción del DRS planteada, por el hecho de ser una abstracción mental y por ser un proceso contenido en tiempos, contextos socio-económicos y ambientales diferentes, no puede construirse como un enunciado generalizador. Aunque, es probable que líneas de su diseño pudieran estrapolarse hacia ámbitos generales de otras comunidades.

To analyze the importance of Sustainable Rural Development (SRD), the literature was reviewed for philosophical and theoretical elements of global experiences. The final objective was to construct a conceptual and operational model of SRD which could be evaluated using interactive approximations. This proposal is based on the democratic participation of targeted communities and management of their environment to achieve balanced and sustainable development. Environmental management thus combines the objectives of political and economic democracy with social and cultural ones through a process of economic and political decentralization. It is guided by principles of ecological organization surrounding production activities, ethnic and biological diversity in the environment, and productive self-management of the communities. The proposed concept of SRD, being a mental abstraction and a time involved process with different socio-economic and environmental contexts, cannot be constructed as a general statement. Instead, it is likely that its design would be more useful at providing general insights for others communities.