Village and Development

Village and Development

Analysis of Factors Affecting Population Unsustainability in Rural Settlements: A Case Study of Kurdistan Province of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
M.R. Rezvani 1
F. Ahmadi 2
M. Taleshi 3
S.M. Musa-Kazemi 4
1 Professor, Department of Human Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Researcher ExpertPhD Student in Geography and Rural Planning, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Geography, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
4 Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
10.30490/rvt.2020.342324.1205
Abstract
Studying the rural population developments in Kurdistan province of Iran in the last six decades shows that the villages of this province have always been in a downward trend. Accordingly, the present study aimed at determining the most important factors affecting this phenomenon in the studied villages. It was a descriptive-analytical research with a survey approach. For this purpose, the population growth rate was firstly calculated over three decades from 1986 to 2016; and the studied counties were categorized into three classes (unsustainable, relatively sustainable, and sustainable); then, there were selected a total of 23 villages as sample villages and also 264 households as sample size using Cochran formula in a cluster classified sampling method in summer and autumn of 2019. The spatial distribution of sustainability of rural settlements using the GIS software in the studied area indicated the condition of 56 villages as unsustainable, 23 as relatively unsustainable and 6 villages as sustainable. The results of multivariate regression showed that in terms of influencing the unsustainability of the population of rural settlements in the studied area, the economic, physical, environmental and social factors were in the first to fourth ranks, with beta coefficients of 0.511, 0.478, 0.363 and 0.218, respectively.
Keywords
Population Unsustainability
Rural Settlements
Rural Migrations
Kurdistan (Province)
Iran

Subjects

  1. Adamo, S.B. (2003). Social sustainability and social resilience of rural communities in dry lands: the case of Jachal (Argentina) in the 19th and 20th Population Research Center and Department of Sociology, University of Texas, Austin.
  2. Ahmadi, Sh. and Tavakkoli, M. (2016). Analyzing the location movements of population in rural settlements (case study: Central destrict of Sardasht County). Journal of Studies of Human Settlements Planning, 10(33): 41-58. (Persian)
  3. Anabestani, A.A., Mohammadi, S.A., Roosta, M., Sayyadi Abgoli, M. and Avarideh, A. (2015). The role of rural management (Dehyaries) in sustaining rural settlement population (case study: Meymand district of Fars province). Journal of Studies of Human Settlements Planning, 9(28): 59-72. (Persian)
  4. Baldwin, C., Smith, T. and Jacobson, C. (2017). Love of the land: social-ecological connectivity of rural landholders. Journal of Rural Studies, 51: 37-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.01.012.
  5. Barrow, C.J. (1997). Sustainable development: concept, value and practice. Translated by S.A. Badri, Geographical Research Quarterly, 11: 43-67. (Persian)
  6. Briedenhann, J. and Wickens, E. (2014). Tourism routes as a tool for the economic development of rural areas - vibrant hope or impossible dream? Tourism Management, 25(1): 71-79.
  7. Ebrahimzadeh, I., Varesi, H.R. and Akbari, M. (2011). The role of rural migration in informal settlement (case study of Ahvaz metropolis). Journal of Rural Research, 1(1): 167-191. (Persian)
  8. Ghaffari, R. and Torki Herchkani, M. (2011). Analyzing the effective factors in emigration of rural youth to urban areas (case study: Sadeghabad village in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province). Housing and Rural Environment, 29(132): 91-102. (Persian)
  9. Hosseini, K. (2010). An introduction to socio-economic demography. Hamadan: Bu-Ali Sina University. (Persian)
  10. Jomehpour, M. (2005). Introduction to rural development planning: viewpoints and methods. Tehran: SAMT Organization. (Persian)
  11. Khadivi, M. (2012). Economic structure of rural households and its effects on demographic instability of rural settlements. Master's Thesis, Department of Rural Geography and Planning, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Birjand University. (Persian)
  12. Khaleel, A. and Ngah, I. (2013). Understanding the sustainability of rural communities within a population density context: a case study of Shaqlawa, Kurdistan, Iraq. Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 8(2): 254-267. Available at https://jssm.umt.edu.my/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2014/08/13W2.pdf.
  13. Kovács, L. (2009). World population in 2008: half rural-half urban; Variation over time of the proportion of rural-urban population. RCAPS Working Paper No. 09-2. Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies (RCAPS), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. Available at http://apu.ac.jp/rcaps/uploads/fckeditor/publications/workingPapers/RCAPS_WP09-2.pdf.
  14. Lahsaeizadeh, A (1986). Immigration theories. Tehran: Navid Publications. (Persian)
  15. Lekić, O.Z., Gadzić and Milovanović, A. (2018). Sustainability of rural areas - exploring values, challenges, and socio-cultural role. In: Sustainability and Resilience Socio-Spatial Perspective (pp. 171), TU Delft Open.
  16. Liang, Z. (201). The age of migration in China. Population and Development Review, 27(3): 499-524.
  17. Mitara, A. and Murayama, M. (2017). Rural to urban migration: a district level analysis for India. IDE Discussion Paper, No. 137: Institute of Developing Economics, India.
  18. Nouri, H., Sadeghi, H., Rasti, H. and Darvishi, H. (2014). Investigating the role of agriculture in rural population sustainability: a case study of Dehdez district, Izeh County. Journal of Geography and Environmental Studies, 2(8): 65-78. (Persian)
  19. Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. (2015). When place is too big: happy town and unhappy metropolis. The 55th Congress of the European Regional Science Association: World Renaissance: Changing roles for people and places, 25-28 August 2015, Lisbon, Portugal. Available at https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/124581/1/ERSA2015_00148.pdf.
  20. Overbeek, H. (2002). Globalisation and governance: Contradictions of neo-liberal migration management, HWWA Discussion Paper, No. 174, Hamburg Institute ofInternational Economics (HWWA), Hamburg.
  21. Papli Yazdi, M.H. and Ebrahimi, M. (2008). Rural development theories. Tehran: SAMT.
  22. Pender, J.L., Weber, J.G. and Brown, J.P. (2018). Sustainable rural development and wealth creation: five observations based on emerging energy opportunities. Economic Development Quarterly, 28(1): 73-86.
  23. Rokneddin Eftekhari, A., Sojasi Ghidari, H. and Sadeghlu, T. (2011). Rural sustainability measurement using strategic model, case study of Khodabandeh City. Journal of Spatial Planning, 15(1): 85-104. (Persian)
  24. Rostamalizadeh, V., Ghasemi Ardahaei, A. and Rostami, N. (2013). Investigating the factors affecting the rural youth’s staying in rural areas: a case study of Ahar County. Journal of Rural Research, 4(3): 505-634. (Persian)
  25. Saeedi, A. (2009). Geographical systematic attitudes and sustainable rural development. International Conference on the Cultural Approach to Geography, Geography for the Dialogue of Civilizations, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, Mashhad, pp. 21-35. (Persian)
  26. Saeedi, A. and Taleshi, M. (2004). Unsustainability of mountainous small settlements in Aladagh area of northern Khorasan. Journal of Geography and Regional Development, 3: 1-29. (Persian)
  27. Soleimani, M., Boozarjomehri, Kh., Javan, J. and Anabestani, A.A. (2015). Defining factors affecting the unsustainability of rural habitations in Iran. Journal of Research and Rural Planning, 4(11): 21-38. (Persian)
  28. SCI (2016). Rural/urban population of Iran. Tehran: Statistical Center of Iran (SCI). Available at https://www.amar.org.ir. (Persian)
  29. Surchev, P. (2019). Rural areas – problems and opportunities for development. Trakia Journal of Sciences, 8(3): 234-239. Available at http://tru.unibg/tsj/Vol8.Suppl.3.2019/P.Sur4ev.pdf.
  30. Taghdisi, A. and Ahmadi Shapourabadi, M.A. (2012). Migration and aging of Iran's rural population: a challenge to sustainable rural development. Journal of Geographical Researches, 27(104): 133-164. (Persian)
  31. Tefera, A.A. (2014). Rural-urban migration: causes, migrants' town livelihood activities and social capital in Berehet district, Ethiopia. Master of Philosophy Thesis in Development Studies Specializing in Geography Submitted to the Department of Geography Faculty of Social Science and Technology Management Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
  32. Zeijl-Rozema van, A. (2011). Regional sustainable development: barriers in practice findings from policy, citizens, practitioners and monitoring. Maastricht University, Maastricht.