مهری جهانسوزی

Purpose- Rural women’s cooperatives play a crucial role in improving livelihoods, fostering economic independence, and empowering women in rural communities. However; these cooperatives face multiple challenges that can affect their performance and sustainability. Accordingly, this study seeks to assess the feasibility of establishing a women's cooperative and to analyze the challenges facing rural women's cooperatives in Dizajabad rural. Design/methodology/approach- This research is applied in purpose and employs both quantitative and qualitative paradigms. The statistical population in the quantitative section consisted of women in Dizajabad rural. In contrast, the qualitative section included women participating in business training courses and experts from the Zanjan Province Cooperative Office. The sample size in the quantitative part was determined as 292 using Cochran's formula. Data collection tools included a researcher-made questionnaire and interviews, with the questionnaire’s reliability confirmed by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.78. Data analysis employed a one-sample t-test for the quantitative section and grounded theory for the qualitative section. Qualitative data were gathered through direct observation and semi-structured interviews, then analysed using open, axial, and selective coding. Findings- Results of the one-sample t-test indicated that socio-cultural factors provide favorable conditions for the formation of women’s cooperatives, while economic indicators were not evaluated as favorable. Furthermore, qualitative findings revealed 18 initial concepts from interviews regarding challenges to cooperative formation, categorised into four dimensions: policy-making, social, economic, and individual. Key barriers included weak legislation, poor planning, lack of investment and financial support, weak local management, insufficient supervision, lack of coordination among institutions, existence of parallel organisations, inadequate facilities, insecurity in the business environment, low risk-taking, weak individual capabilities, limited technical knowledge, poor market awareness, lack of education and training, and delinquency. Originality/Value- Rural women’s cooperatives, by creating employment opportunities, enhancing specialised skills, and strengthening individual and collective capacities, play a significant role in the economic and social empowerment of women. By increasing women’s active participation in production and decision-making processes, these institutions contribute to improved household livelihoods, sustainable development, and the strengthening of human capital in rural communities.

Purpose- Climate change has negative effects on the economic, social, and environmental aspects of rural households. Given the importance of the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of rural people, this study was conducted with the aim of reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience and adaptation to these conditions in Mashhad Township.Design/methodology/approach- The statistical population of the study is 11,706 rural households in Mashhad Township, out of which 372 households were selected proportionally by multistage stratified random sampling based on Cochran’s formula. The main tool of the research was a questionnaire whose validity was examined through content validity, structural validity, and reliability by composite reliability and Cronbach’s alpha (a= 0.9). The data were analyzed using SPSS and LISREL software. To examine the fit of the measurement model of the effects of climate change on sustainable livelihoods, the collected data were analyzed using second-order confirmatory factor analysis with LISREL software.Findings- The results of the study showed that the greatest impact of climate change was on financial capital, including income reduction, increased costs and increased product prices, reduced productivity and employment. In addition, the greatest effects of climate change on social capital include were on reduced sense of belonging and increased dependence on government support; on human capital include a were on reduced health levels and quality of life; and on natural capital include a were on reduced land resources and pressure and occurrence of hazards; and on physical capital were on reduced services and facilities for people. The research findings also showed that the goodness-of-fit indices (AGFI=0.91, GFI=0.91), (NNFI=0.91, CFI= 0.92), and (RMSEA= 0.073, X2/df= 2.97) confirmed an excellent fit of the measurement model of the effects of climate change on sustainable livelihoods with observed data. In addition, the results of structural equation modeling showed that the greatest impacts of climate change among livelihood capitals were respectively related to physical, financial, natural, social and human capitals.

Purpose- Development of the tourism industry in a proper way, followed by the promotion of tourism entrepreneurship, calls for adequate knowledge and understanding of the barriers and problems in this matter. In this regard, the present study tried to evaluate the barriers to the development of tourism entrepreneurship in tourism target villages of Chaldoran County. Design/methodology/approach- The current study is descriptive-analytical in terms of nature and method, and applied according to its objectives. The statistical population in this study includes people living in villages targeted for tourism. To study this population, 212 questionnaires were arranged based on the modified Cochran's formula. Information and data were collected in 2018 using library and field studies (observation and completion of a questionnaire). After collecting information through questionnaires using simple random sampling, the data obtained after coding were analyzed by SPSS and Amos softwares applying descriptive and analytical statistical approaches. Findings- The results showed that all the studied factors were effective in the failure of tourism entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, social barriers with a correlation coefficient of 1, physical and economic barriers with a coefficient of 0.91 had the greatest impact on barriers to tourism entrepreneurship in tourism target villages. Practical implications- Rural tourism entrepreneurship, regarding the natural and cultural capacities in the villages, can play an important role in revitalizing the villages, creating employment and income for the people, protecting the natural, historical and cultural heritage, and finally providing integrated and sustainable rural development, because rural tourism is one of the types of tourism whose sustainable form in various economic, social and environmental dimensions, paves the way for achieving sustainable development of local communities.

Purpose- sustainable rural housing can be considered as an important index in rural development. Hence, preparing plans in the area of sustainable rural housing requires different aspects and components of sustainable housing to be identified and analyzed. Designing and employing sustainable housing indices is especially important in rural planning as an essential instrument to express physical, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects of sustainable housing. The present study aims at identifying and explaining appropriate indices and criteria to evaluate housing sustainability and to operate the indices in the country villages. This is done by emphasizing Ghouchan Atigh rural district and presenting a modern methodological framework through a survey among the scientific elites by Delphi method. The present study is seeking to find out which indices are more valid and valuable for evaluating housing sustainability in Ghouchan Atigh rural district; and how is the process of designing appropriate indices and criteria to evaluate sustainable housing in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach- the methodology of the present study is based on descriptive-analytic methods as well as quantitative-qualitative mixed method. Findings- the findings of the study indicate that among 128 designed indices, 70 key indices were appropriate to rural housing structure especially in Ghouchan Atigh rural district. They include 28 indices to evaluate physical-infrastructural sustainability, 23 indices to evaluate social sustainability, 15 indices to evaluate economic sustainability, and 4 indices to evaluate environmental sustainability. The results also indicate that regarding analysis of the selected indices, physical-infrastructural indices are mostly valid in sustainability analysis with the score of 8.02. Environmental indices with the score of 7.89, social indices with the score of 7.65, and economic indices with the score of 7.49 are at the next ranks.