Impact of urban-rural development and its industrial elements on regional economic growth: An analysis based on provincial panel data in China.

Urban-rural development is an important driving force for regional economic growth. The existing researches have studied this issue from various perspectives, but they ignore the impact of big data on the economy. In the post pandemic era, big data, as an emerging production factor, has a significant indicative effect in promoting urban-rural economic recovery and fostering new business forms. Therefore, fully considering the factor of big data can help reveal its impact mechanism on urban-rural economic growth in the post-epidemic period. Based on the data of 30 provinces and cities in China, this paper introduced big data on the basis of traditional models and constructed a multi-dimensional factor indicator system. At the same time, the panel regression model was established by using unit root test, Hausman test and precision test. Through benchmark regression and heterogeneity analysis, the impact of urban-rural development factors on economic growth was discussed. The results showed that the panel model passed all tests, and its regression error was stable below 5 %. Transportation, technology, and the three major industries can all promote positive economic growth, with a significance of 1 %. The three industries' contribution to economic growth ranks the third, second and first industries in order. In addition, the good ecological environment contributes to the benign economic growth during the study period. A 1 % increase in forest cover would drive economic growth by 0.215 %. But the impact of public's attention on the overall economy was an indirect effect manifested through its physical industries.The regional heterogeneity indicated that each element had different effects on economic development in eastern, central and western regions. Based on its results, this paper proposed suggestions for each region. In addition, this study found that the Internet attention reflected by big data did not directly drive economic growth, but affected economic growth through indirect channels such as information flow and resource allocation of real industries. This study provided data support for the existing theoretical review, and provided policy reference for the rational planning and industrial layout of China's regional economy.

Climate-smart agricultural practices, productivity, and food-nutrition security in rural South Africa: A dataset of smallholder maize farmers.

The intensifying impacts of climate change have adversely affected smallholder maize farmers, leading to low productivity, decreased incomes, and food-nutrition insecurity. As a result, an understanding of farmers' adaptation techniques to offset the negative impacts of climate change is imperative. Here we present the data on the impact of climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices on productivity and food-nutrition security (FNS) in the 2022-2023 agricultural production season among smallholder maize farmers in North-West Province, South Africa. The survey that gave this dataset was conducted via a multistage sampling technique through a well-structured questionnaire from 316 smallholder maize farmers selected from 20 randomly sampled villages in South Africa. The finding revealed that climate change is evident in the study location by the significant decline in productivity and FNS of the smallholder maize farmers. Notably, the productivity of CSA adopters and non-adopters is 13.85 and 7.26, respectively. We estimated the HFIAS of CSA adopters and non-adopters to be 2.23 and 5.85, respectively. Consequently, various CSAs adopted in the study area include drought-tolerant maize varieties (DTMV), mulching, cover cropping, and zero tillage. The study outcomes indicate that to achieve the FAO's sustainable agricultural goals and create a world free of hunger by 2030, South Africa's farmers must foster their CSA adoption intensity in order to enhance productivity and FNS through building resilience to climate change.

Modelling Alternative Economic Incentive Schemes for Semi-Natural Grassland Conservation in Estonia.

Semi-natural grasslands (SNGLs) in Estonia are threatened by abandonment. This threat is leading to concerns about the degradation of biodiversity within grassland communities. Despite the high relevance of economic incentives in this context, how such incentives influence land managers' decision-making regarding the agricultural use of SNGLs has not been investigated. To obtain its socio-ecological implications for policy-making, we developed regionally specific agricultural scenarios (compensation payments, livestock capacity, hey export, and bioenergy production) and an interdisciplinary modelling approach that made it possible to simulate agricultural land use changes through land managers' responses to varied economic conditions. Through this approach, we found that some economic factors hampered the use of SNGLs: the moderate profitability of beef production, labour shortages, and the relatively high profitability of mulching. We observed a positive relationship between SNGLs and habitat suitability for breeding and feeding birds. However, due to the high maintenance costs of SNGLs, the modelling results indicated that increasing the use of SNGLs through public budgets caused crowding-out effects, i.e., the deteriorating market integration of regional agriculture. This study emphasises the need for policy measures aimed at cost-effective, labour-efficient management practices for SNGLs.

Allocation of public health services across urban and rural regions and armed conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Armed conflicts exacerbate public health challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. Inequality across groups and poverty in rural areas can be an important factor in triggering local wars. This study investigates whether equitable distribution of public services by governments across urban and rural geographical regions reduces the risk of local wars initiated by armed groups in Sub-Saharan African countries. Does an equitable distribution of public services such as healthcare and clean water public services across regions decrease the risk of armed conflicts? Uneven distribution of public services can increase the risk of conflict by contributing to group grievances, rural poverty, and rent-seeking competition over government resources. Analyses of 39 Sub-Saharan African countries from 1947 to 2021 show that a one-standard deviation increase in equal access to public services by urban-rural location lowers the risk of armed conflict, a substantial 37 to 53 percent with consideration of a battery of control variables.

Rural infrastructure and livelihoods enhancement: The case of Community-Based Rural Development Program in Ghana.

The Community-Based Rural Development Program (CBRDP) was initially hailed as a comprehensive solution for enhancing the well-being of rural communities. However, a significant research gap exists in understanding the impact of the program's infrastructure projects on the livelihoods of its beneficiaries, necessitating a dedicated investigation. This study employed a single case study design, collecting data from district assembly staff and beneficiaries through interviews and observations, with thematic analysis as the analytical approach. The findings uncovered that the CBRDP led to the provision of economic and social infrastructure. The provision of this infrastructure empowered the beneficiaries, resulting in tangible improvements in livelihoods. However, the sustainability of these gains is not guaranteed. To address this, it is recommended that a bottom-up approach be employed for needs assessment, and the establishment of maintenance funds is deemed crucial for ensuring the sustainability of infrastructure delivers long-term benefits.

Navigating social-ecological changes: A mixed-method analysis of extensive livestock systems in southern Patagonian forests, Argentina.

Sustainable livestock management plays a crucial role in food production, climate change mitigation, and cultural preservation. Our study aimed to identify and analyse the diversity of social-ecological conditions that characterize extensive livestock systems in southern Patagonia. We integrated data collected from interviews and secondary sources and analysed data using hierarchical cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling to identify distinct ranching types. A qualitative analysis of key informant interviews identified key social-ecological changes for each type. The results emphasize the impact of administration, production, and biophysical factors on shaping different livestock ranching schemes. Further, we identified three significant social-ecological changes driving the dynamics of these systems, including shifts from (1) sheep to cattle ranching, (2) domestic to feral cattle ranching, and (3) landowners to tenant land managers. These findings have implications for policymakers seeking to develop strategies tailored to diverse realities, ensuring the sustainability of livestock systems in Tierra del Fuego.

Dynamic livelihoods, gender and poverty in marine protected areas: Case study from Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Livelihood initiatives are common within marine protected areas (MPAs) aiming for poverty alleviation or higher income opportunities. However, results can be mixed in reality, as well as change over time. Furthermore, who benefits is a key consideration, as results can vary based on inequalities, including gender. Here, the monetary outcomes of different livelihood strategies were investigated across three MPA regions in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Using a quantitative approach, the results show that livelihoods have shifted in a six-year period, with livelihood strategies differing in poverty incidence and income. Livelihood initiatives, namely seaweed farming and tourism, did not provide significantly higher monetary returns compared to long-standing livelihoods, such as fisheries. Seaweed farming showed income stability but a high poverty incidence predominantly within women-headed households. During the study period, men primarily remained in fisheries, whilst women shifted to small-scale businesses and fisheries, largely exiting seaweed farming. This underscores a need for adaptive, gender sensitive management within fast changing coastal contexts.

Reducing agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in China: the role of food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population.

In the light of China's carbon-neutral goal, this study examines how food production, forest cover, trade openness, and rural population contribute to the quest of addressing China's agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Time series data ranging from 1971 to 2018 was used for analysis in this study. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique was employed to evaluate potential cointegration as well as to ascertain the long and short-run effects of food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population on agricultural nitrous oxide emission. The Toda-Yamomoto causality analysis was also used to identify the causal relations between covariates (food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population) and the outcome variable (agricultural nitrous oxide emission). The long-run evidence is that rural population in itself tends to increase agricultural nitrous oxide emissions likewise food production. There is also validation of the existence of environmental Kuznets curve for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Moreover, income interacts with rural population to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in the long-run. Causality analysis indicated rural population affects the level of forest cover; forest cover is found to cause agricultural nitrous oxide emissions but the converse is not established, and income as well as the interaction between income and rural population determines agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. The short-run dynamics results establish an oscillatory equilibrium convergence for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in event of structural disturbances. From the findings, the EKC hypothesis is relevant by offering avenue to reduce emission. Thus, income growth remains helpful in addressing nitrous oxide emission from the agricultural sector. However, research is needed to unravel why nitrous oxide tends to increase in many forest areas. Since food production cannot be halted, policy makers need to enhance the uptake of efficient food production technologies including developing and using more renewable energy for food production. It is important for authorities to attend to rural development in order to mitigate agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in China.

Sustainable Development in Rural Territories within the Last Decade: A Review of the State of the Art.

Rural territories play an important role when progress is made toward a balanced regional development; thus, an analysis is required of the components and/or factors which have contributed to sustainable development. Therefore, the main subdimensions and variables identified represent the ecological, social and economic dimensions in rural areas. Rural area development is characterised by complex social phenomena, such as the lack of job opportunities, conditions of poverty, unequal development and health services coverage and quality, among others. Consequently, the dynamics and realities of rural territories pose great challenges to sustainable development, arising the following question: What components and/or factors represent sustainable development in rural territories? Therefore, this study aims to use SLR to identify a set of variables relevant to sustainable development in rural territories under the economic, social, and ecological dimensions of sustainability. Based on the foregoing discussion, the systematic literature review (SLR) method is applied. This procces consists of four phases: approach, search and selection, extraction, and information analysis. Then, five subdimensions and 59 variables are established in the Economic Dimension, seven subdimensions and 63 variables in the Social Dimension and five subdimensions and 42 variables in the Ecological Dimension. The results contribute to the comprehensive analysis of the object of study, the main subdimensions in which the ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development in rural territories are found. Likewise, it is intended to relate all these components found with some of the objectives of sustainable development so that, having a positive impact on these variables, the fulfilment of these objectives is reached to improve the well-being of rural regions.

Towards the high-quality development of City Region Food Systems: Emerging approaches in China.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has underscored the vulnerability of our current food systems. In China, following a series of strategies in guaranteeing food security in the past decades, the pandemic has further highlighted the necessity to strengthen urban-rural linkages and facilitate the sustainable development of local agri-food systems. The study for the first time introduced the City Region Food Systems (CRFS) approach to Chinese cities and attempted to holistically structure, analyze and promote the sustainability of local food systems in China. Taking Chengdu as an example, the study first took stock of existing concepts and policies in China and the city, and defined the high-quality development goals of CRFS for Chengdu. An indicator framework was then developed to serve as a CRFS assessment tool for identifying existing challenges and potentials of local food systems. Further, a rapid CRFS scan using the framework was conducted in Chengdu Metropolitan Area, providing concrete evidence for potential policy interventions and practice improvement in the area. The study has explored new paradigm of analysis for food related issues in China and provided supporting tools for evidence-based food planning in cities, which collectively contribute to the food system transformation in a post-pandemic scenario.

Spontaneous Officinal Plants in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: Tradition, Protection, Enhancement, and Recovery.

The aim of this study was to deepen our knowledge on the heritage and traditional uses of some medicinal plants of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Salerno province) and to evaluate their productive potential, in order to increase possible uses to recover and enhance the territory. Biometric surveys and biomass evaluation were carried out. Two types of aqueous extract were prepared using air-dried samples of six harvested species and tested for anti-germination activity on Lepidium sativum L. Hydrolates were recovered via steam distillation from aromatic species and the chemical-physical characteristics were determined. Historical evidence of industrial activity was collected in the territory of Sanza on Monte Cervati, where lavender essential oil has been distilled in the past century, and characterization of the essential oil components was carried out. The ethnobotanical uses detected mainly concerned traditional medicine and nutritional, ritual, or religious uses. The experimental results highlight that spontaneous medicinal plants could become potential sources of local economic development, with uses not only in the phytotherapeutic sector, but also in others, such as food and agriculture for weed control. Moreover, the evidence derived from industrial archeology could represent a further driving force for the enhancement of the territory's resources.

Sustainable Husbandry?-A Comparative LCA of Three Lamb Breeding Systems in Turkey.

The agricultural sector has historically been the forefront economic sector in Turkey and is crucial for the rural sustainability and the pastures that are critical for biodiversity. However, inadequate policies and factors such as climate change and malpractices result in brittle pastures, rural-urban migration, and a declining agricultural sector. Also, pastures have been left without function and appropriated to other land uses such as quarries, energy power plants, and mines. Although the husbandry sector produces significant greenhouse gas emissions, pastures have a significant capacity of CO2 sequestration. In this study, Life cycle assessment (LCA) is applied to quantify the advantages and disadvantages of the transition between extensive and intensive production. The methodology presents a holistic analysis of the several impact categories and amounts of relevant products, services, and resource emissions along their life cycles. In order to assess the environmental effects of the lamb meat production, three sheep breeding systems in Turkey are evaluated. The study aims to promote a sustainable use of natural resources/assets without compromising the quality, competitiveness, or animal welfare and obtain recommendations for the future husbandry systems and rural development in Turkey. As an overall result, it can be stated that the intensification of sheep farming can lead to a decrease of greenhouse gas emissions per kg of meat. However, extensive sheep farming shows less impacts on soil acidification or eutrophication and can even be beneficial for erosion resistance or biodiversity if properly managed.

Bibliometric Analysis in the Field of Rural Revitalization: Current Status, Progress, and Prospects.

Rural areas play an important role in global sustainable development. In recent years, however, rural development has experienced global crises, such as issues in public education, health care, roads, water and sanitation, along with environmental pollution and a lack of natural resources. It is therefore important to promote rural revitalization in the process of modernization. To objectively reveal the current research status in the field of rural revitalization, we analyzed relevant publications in the Web of Science from 1991 to 2021. The results are as follows: (1) In the past 30 years, the number of publications on rural vitalization has increased, and the period from 1991 to 2021 can be divided into three stages, the initial period (1991-2004), the development period (2005-2016), and the high-yield period (2017-2021). (2) Research on rural revitalization covered 60 countries or regions around the world, involving a total of 3099 authors. China, the United States, and Canada published most of the articles. (3) High-frequency keywords were migration, management, and urbanization, indicating that scientists considered the role of sustainable urban and rural development, policy formulation, and urbanization. We highlight that for the development of the field of rural vitalization, scientists need to further strengthen theoretical research, fully absorb the development achievements of advanced countries and regions, understand the laws and trends of urban and rural development in their own countries, and explore new paths to achieve rural vitalization.

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.

A Substantive View of Social Enterprises as Neo-endogenous Rural Development Actors.

Social enterprises are recognised as relevant rural development actors. The specific features of social enterprises operating within rural areas (i.e. their relational, socially innovative and multi-stakeholder character and their focus on integrated development) concur with the principles of the neo-endogenous approach to rural development, which stress the potential role of third sector organisations as development actors within governance frameworks. In order to study this phenomenon, that links social enterprises and rural development, we propose a conceptual and methodological framework drawing from Polanyi's socio-economic theory, complemented with the concepts of place, spatial scale and corporate agency. Through the proposed framework, we advocate for a plural vision of the economy, socio-spatial and geopolitical sensitive concepts and overcoming methodological individualism for the study of an increasingly relevant phenomenon such as the participation of third sector organisations like social enterprises in the (neo-endogenous) development of rural areas.

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.

'Is there value for us in agriculture?' A case study of youth participation in agricultural value chains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Developing countries in Africa face an unemployment crisis, with many unemployed youth. Agriculture has been identified as a strategic sector for employment creation targeted at youth, including those who may not have agriculture-related qualifications. However, various challenges limit the effectiveness of youth participation in the agriculture value chain. The study aimed to (i) determine youth awareness of agricultural value-chain opportunities, (ii) determine their perception of their role in the value chain, (iii) determine their perception of agricultural programs targeting youth and their opinions on who is responsible for attracting youth into agriculture and, (iv) to characterise the dynamics of youth empowerment in agriculture. Data was collected using focus group discussions and an online survey and analysed using SPSS and NVivo. Poor knowledge, low levels of awareness of agricultural value-chain activities and careers, and not meeting the minimum requirements for employment in processing and retail businesses were identified as key challenges. Most youth were interested in non-primary activities such as agro-processing, which are less labour-intensive and have a quicker return on investment than agricultural production. However, support services and programs for promoting youth participation in agriculture mainly focus on primary activities, signifying a mismatch between youth aspirations and current support. Understanding youth aspirations, perceptions and dynamics underpinning youth empowerment and participation in value chains is critical for promoting participation and formulating relevant and responsive policies. Additionally, improving access to information and building awareness of agricultural value chains is crucial in reducing barriers to entry. Policymakers should integrate agriculture and food systems knowledge into the primary education curriculum to promote youth awareness and evoke interest in agri-food system careers at an early age.

Towards integrated sustainability for China's rural revitalization: an analysis of income inequality and public health.

Introduction: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being are paramount among the priorities outlined in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations. In China, rural revitalization stands as a pivotal national strategy aimed at fostering prosperity and sustainable development in rural areas. Despite its comprehensive evaluation system, which encompasses industry, ecology, culture, organization, and livelihood, the current index system overlooks the critical dimension of public health in rural areas. The existing body of literature predominantly focuses on the correlation between income and health, leaving a gap in understanding the relationship between income inequality and health from the perspective of villagers. This study addresses this gap by utilizing data from 3,771 villager samples and 302 village samples obtained from the 2019 China Rural Revitalization Survey (CRRS) to explore the correlation between income inequality and public health in China's rural areas. Methods: We employ the Ordered Logistic Regression (Ologit) model in the baseline regression and heterogeneity analysis. Additionally, a mediating effect analysis, using the Sobel test, examines the role of villagers' health awareness as a mediating variable in the correlation between income inequality and villagers' health. Results: The empirical findings of this study unveil a statistically significant adverse influence of income inequality on public health in China's rural areas. Furthermore, the research identifies that participation in regular exercise and the attainment of higher education levels serve as effective measures to alleviate the detrimental impact of income inequality on the health of rural residents. Additionally, income inequality is observed to shape villagers' health awareness, thereby influencing their overall health status. Conclusion: The study's outcomes have significant implications for policymakers and governmental authorities, providing valuable insights into some pathways for enhancing public health in rural China. Ultimately, these insights contribute to the broader objective of achieving integrated sustainability in rural China.

Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy.

Susa Valley, located in the Italian Western Alps, has served as a meeting point for cultural, spiritual, and commercial exchange for a long period of history. The valley's role as one of the main connecting routes between south and southwestern Europe resulted in its acquisition of a rich traditional ecological knowledge. However, like other Italian mountainous valleys, this valley has suffered from abandonment and depopulation in the past 50 years. Our study aims to investigate the current ethnobotanical medicinal knowledge in the valley and to compare our findings with a study conducted over 50 years ago in the same area. In 2018, we conducted 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews on medicinal plants and food-medicines used in the Susa Valley. We documented 36 species, of which 21 species were used for medical purposes and 15 species were used as food-medicine. The comparison with the previous study on medicinal herbs conducted in 1970 in the valley demonstrated a significant decrease in both the knowledge and use of medicinal plants, which could be attributed to socioeconomic, cultural, and possibly environmental changes that occurred in the past half-century. Our study highlights several promising species for future use as nutraceuticals, food, and medicinal products, such as Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, and Artemisia genipi.

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.