Purpose: Despite growing interest and increased investments in empowerment, the development of in... more Purpose: Despite growing interest and increased investments in empowerment, the development of instruments and indicators with which to monitor and evaluate empowerment processes and outcomes are still at an early stage. The main goal of this study was to introduce and test the World Bank empowerment model for assessing the economic empowerment of rural people and to identify contexts and factors affecting it. Methodology: A survey was conducted through questionnaires. The required data was collected from the rice producers of Rasht County, of whom 185 were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability for various items, using Cronbach's alpha, was estimated between 0.69 and 0.88. Findings: The results showed a positive and significant effect of structure of opportunities on economic empowerment. Access to production inputs, markets and credit, opportunities available for learni...
The main purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing immigration from rural to urban... more The main purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing immigration from rural to urban areas in Varkaneh , a famous village and tourist destination located in western part of Iran-Hamedan. A questionnaire was designed and validated by a panel of experts from Extension Education Dept. of Bu-Ali Sina University and Hamadan Jihad of Agriculture. Its reliability was secured by Cronbach's Alpha that reached 0.72. Through a non-probabilistic sampling approach, seventy-eight Varkaneh residents who admitted to participate in our study were interviewed. Migration promoting factors were labeled as economic, family solidarity and rural infrastructure ; While inhibiting factors were named aesthetic, developmental, supra-structural and social solidarity. [Azami et al. Inhibiting and promoting factors influencing rural immigration: a case from Iran.
The aim of this study is rating Hamadan`s rural areas considering rate of enjoyment of developmen... more The aim of this study is rating Hamadan`s rural areas considering rate of enjoyment of development indicators and to determine the location of studied villages in rural - Urban chain. To this end, based on data from the General Census of Population and Housing in 1385, 37 social - economic indicators had been selected, and classified by numerical taxonomy to determine their degree of development. The results showed, villages classified in three groups of degrees of development, including, high degrees of development (18.18%), average degree of development (63.63%), and low degree of development (18.18%). The coefficients of variation results showed that the improvement of relative development level of rural area has been not followed with equal, sustainable and integrated development. The result of positioning the village center districts in the Rural-Urban chain revealed that Famenin is the most urban area and Tajrak the most rural area in the chain.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainable rural quality of life index in... more Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainable rural quality of life index in Iran during the period of 1991-2016 and to measure the effects of various government investments on this index. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from the Statistics Center, the Central Bank and the World Bank. The value of the quality of life indicator was calculated using the software Eviews during the course of the study. The effect of independent research variables including government investment in agriculture, education, health, and rural development using the ARDL model in Microfit software is estimated. Finding: The results of the model estimation in the short run indicate that every 1 percent increase in government investment in agricultural sectors was 0.55 percent, health and treatment 0.54 percent, education 31.3 percent, increase the quality of life respectively. But investment in rural development does not affect quality of life in the short term but inv...
The informative society is seen as the central element of rural development at the beginning of t... more The informative society is seen as the central element of rural development at the beginning of the third millennium and the development of information technology and communication in villages has always been considered in current summits across the world. Nowadays, information and communication technology service offices are the basis of electronic government. Therefore, recognition of these offices is necessary for sustainable rural development. The purpose of this research was a comparative analysis between the current situation and the desirable situation of e-government services in the rural districts of the Hamedan province as perceived by their directors (Hamedan, Bahar and Famenin Counties). The study population consists of 91 respondents who were chosen and studied through the census method. The findings of this research study consist of two sections. The items related to satisfaction with the activities in information and communication technology service offices were prior...
One of the strategies for rural development is promoting agro-industries in rural areas. Also agr... more One of the strategies for rural development is promoting agro-industries in rural areas. Also agro-industries can create sustainable rural livelihoods. Agro-industry refers to any activity involved in cultivation plus under controlled conditions of agricultural and horticultural crops. Development of agro-industries is considered important in the economic planning and development of countries. Promoting and supporting family agro-industry livelihood systems could provide alternative livelihood opportunities for rural people and enhance the possibility of local development. This descriptive-analytical research aims to analyze the effects of agro-industry on the improvement of livelihood assets of agro-industry members in Khuzestan Province. Using Cronbach α, the reliability of questionnaire was calculated as 0.92. A con-firmatory factor analysis and the structural equation model using the LISREL were performed to measure different effects of agro-industry on sustainable livelihoods a...
This research aimed to investigate women's level of participation and the factors influencing the... more This research aimed to investigate women's level of participation and the factors influencing their involvement in different stages of cooperative activities in Shiraz, Iran. The statistical population consisted of the members of a women's cooperative named "Tafihan," which has a total population of 418 members, from which 200 were sampled. The findings show that, based on Kanji and Greenwood's ladder of participation [2001. Participatory approaches to research and development in IIED: Learning from experience. London: IIED], women's participation was mostly at the level of "surrender" or "acceptance," while the least participation was seen at the level of "consultation" and "contemplation". To explain factors influencing the amount and level of women's participation, four main stages of cooperative activities were used in the project cycle, with a linear regression test used to find each influential factor that predicted the effect in different stages.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2015
Ecological footprint analysis in agriculture is a new and evolving subject. The main purpose of t... more Ecological footprint analysis in agriculture is a new and evolving subject. The main purpose of the study was to assess environmental sustainability of conventional and conservation tillage systems using ecological footprint analysis in Hamedan Province. Global hectares (gha) were used to measure the ecological footprint unit. Data was collected through questionnaires and use of cross-sectional multi-stage cluster sampling in 2013-2014 cropping year. Results revealed a significant difference in global hectares (gha) between ecological footprints in conventional (2.96) and conservation (2.84) systems. Both cropping systems used agricultural lands more than the ecologically productive land required to offset the environmental impact of different farming activities, and are therefore considered unsustainable. However, conservation systems proved to be more environmentally sustainable. The ecological footprint of fuel factor (gas oil and electricity) in both cropping systems had the hig...
This study aiming to explore livelihood effects of wetlands on people's livelihood. The area of s... more This study aiming to explore livelihood effects of wetlands on people's livelihood. The area of study, Zarivar wetland, is located in western Iran. The research carried out in a quantity-quality approach conducting library and field studies along with questionnaire and a focus group discussion. Based on the results, the wetland has had a great effect on residence's life in five dimensions of livelihood capitals i.e. financial, natural, human, physical, and social. Among the livelihood strategies from the wetland, the strategy of diversity of livelihood and income activities had greater importance for local households. Also, a positive and significant relationship recognized between livelihood capitals arising from the wetland and household livelihood level. Regarding the results of path analysis, the natural capital has the greatest effect on people's livelihood showing the crucial role of livelihood capitals from the wetland in determining their livelihood level and dependency on functions and services of the existing ecosystem. Management implications: If tourism development should improve the livelihood of the local population, an integrated development and conservation strategy must be implemented, based on:-A strong public-private partnership in tourism with participation of local people,-Local engagement in conservation to ensure fascinating nature experiences for tourists,-Sufficient financial resources to achieve conservation goals and to start tourism development,-Education and learning processes to encourage the shift from an agricultural to a non-agricultural production
Purpose: Despite growing interest and increased investments in empowerment, the development of in... more Purpose: Despite growing interest and increased investments in empowerment, the development of instruments and indicators with which to monitor and evaluate empowerment processes and outcomes are still at an early stage. The main goal of this study was to introduce and test the World Bank empowerment model for assessing the economic empowerment of rural people and to identify contexts and factors affecting it. Methodology: A survey was conducted through questionnaires. The required data was collected from the rice producers of Rasht County, of whom 185 were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Face and content validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability for various items, using Cronbach's alpha, was estimated between 0.69 and 0.88. Findings: The results showed a positive and significant effect of structure of opportunities on economic empowerment. Access to production inputs, markets and credit, opportunities available for learni...
The main purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing immigration from rural to urban... more The main purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing immigration from rural to urban areas in Varkaneh , a famous village and tourist destination located in western part of Iran-Hamedan. A questionnaire was designed and validated by a panel of experts from Extension Education Dept. of Bu-Ali Sina University and Hamadan Jihad of Agriculture. Its reliability was secured by Cronbach's Alpha that reached 0.72. Through a non-probabilistic sampling approach, seventy-eight Varkaneh residents who admitted to participate in our study were interviewed. Migration promoting factors were labeled as economic, family solidarity and rural infrastructure ; While inhibiting factors were named aesthetic, developmental, supra-structural and social solidarity. [Azami et al. Inhibiting and promoting factors influencing rural immigration: a case from Iran.
The aim of this study is rating Hamadan`s rural areas considering rate of enjoyment of developmen... more The aim of this study is rating Hamadan`s rural areas considering rate of enjoyment of development indicators and to determine the location of studied villages in rural - Urban chain. To this end, based on data from the General Census of Population and Housing in 1385, 37 social - economic indicators had been selected, and classified by numerical taxonomy to determine their degree of development. The results showed, villages classified in three groups of degrees of development, including, high degrees of development (18.18%), average degree of development (63.63%), and low degree of development (18.18%). The coefficients of variation results showed that the improvement of relative development level of rural area has been not followed with equal, sustainable and integrated development. The result of positioning the village center districts in the Rural-Urban chain revealed that Famenin is the most urban area and Tajrak the most rural area in the chain.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainable rural quality of life index in... more Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sustainable rural quality of life index in Iran during the period of 1991-2016 and to measure the effects of various government investments on this index. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from the Statistics Center, the Central Bank and the World Bank. The value of the quality of life indicator was calculated using the software Eviews during the course of the study. The effect of independent research variables including government investment in agriculture, education, health, and rural development using the ARDL model in Microfit software is estimated. Finding: The results of the model estimation in the short run indicate that every 1 percent increase in government investment in agricultural sectors was 0.55 percent, health and treatment 0.54 percent, education 31.3 percent, increase the quality of life respectively. But investment in rural development does not affect quality of life in the short term but inv...
The informative society is seen as the central element of rural development at the beginning of t... more The informative society is seen as the central element of rural development at the beginning of the third millennium and the development of information technology and communication in villages has always been considered in current summits across the world. Nowadays, information and communication technology service offices are the basis of electronic government. Therefore, recognition of these offices is necessary for sustainable rural development. The purpose of this research was a comparative analysis between the current situation and the desirable situation of e-government services in the rural districts of the Hamedan province as perceived by their directors (Hamedan, Bahar and Famenin Counties). The study population consists of 91 respondents who were chosen and studied through the census method. The findings of this research study consist of two sections. The items related to satisfaction with the activities in information and communication technology service offices were prior...
One of the strategies for rural development is promoting agro-industries in rural areas. Also agr... more One of the strategies for rural development is promoting agro-industries in rural areas. Also agro-industries can create sustainable rural livelihoods. Agro-industry refers to any activity involved in cultivation plus under controlled conditions of agricultural and horticultural crops. Development of agro-industries is considered important in the economic planning and development of countries. Promoting and supporting family agro-industry livelihood systems could provide alternative livelihood opportunities for rural people and enhance the possibility of local development. This descriptive-analytical research aims to analyze the effects of agro-industry on the improvement of livelihood assets of agro-industry members in Khuzestan Province. Using Cronbach α, the reliability of questionnaire was calculated as 0.92. A con-firmatory factor analysis and the structural equation model using the LISREL were performed to measure different effects of agro-industry on sustainable livelihoods a...
This research aimed to investigate women's level of participation and the factors influencing the... more This research aimed to investigate women's level of participation and the factors influencing their involvement in different stages of cooperative activities in Shiraz, Iran. The statistical population consisted of the members of a women's cooperative named "Tafihan," which has a total population of 418 members, from which 200 were sampled. The findings show that, based on Kanji and Greenwood's ladder of participation [2001. Participatory approaches to research and development in IIED: Learning from experience. London: IIED], women's participation was mostly at the level of "surrender" or "acceptance," while the least participation was seen at the level of "consultation" and "contemplation". To explain factors influencing the amount and level of women's participation, four main stages of cooperative activities were used in the project cycle, with a linear regression test used to find each influential factor that predicted the effect in different stages.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology, 2015
Ecological footprint analysis in agriculture is a new and evolving subject. The main purpose of t... more Ecological footprint analysis in agriculture is a new and evolving subject. The main purpose of the study was to assess environmental sustainability of conventional and conservation tillage systems using ecological footprint analysis in Hamedan Province. Global hectares (gha) were used to measure the ecological footprint unit. Data was collected through questionnaires and use of cross-sectional multi-stage cluster sampling in 2013-2014 cropping year. Results revealed a significant difference in global hectares (gha) between ecological footprints in conventional (2.96) and conservation (2.84) systems. Both cropping systems used agricultural lands more than the ecologically productive land required to offset the environmental impact of different farming activities, and are therefore considered unsustainable. However, conservation systems proved to be more environmentally sustainable. The ecological footprint of fuel factor (gas oil and electricity) in both cropping systems had the hig...
This study aiming to explore livelihood effects of wetlands on people's livelihood. The area of s... more This study aiming to explore livelihood effects of wetlands on people's livelihood. The area of study, Zarivar wetland, is located in western Iran. The research carried out in a quantity-quality approach conducting library and field studies along with questionnaire and a focus group discussion. Based on the results, the wetland has had a great effect on residence's life in five dimensions of livelihood capitals i.e. financial, natural, human, physical, and social. Among the livelihood strategies from the wetland, the strategy of diversity of livelihood and income activities had greater importance for local households. Also, a positive and significant relationship recognized between livelihood capitals arising from the wetland and household livelihood level. Regarding the results of path analysis, the natural capital has the greatest effect on people's livelihood showing the crucial role of livelihood capitals from the wetland in determining their livelihood level and dependency on functions and services of the existing ecosystem. Management implications: If tourism development should improve the livelihood of the local population, an integrated development and conservation strategy must be implemented, based on:-A strong public-private partnership in tourism with participation of local people,-Local engagement in conservation to ensure fascinating nature experiences for tourists,-Sufficient financial resources to achieve conservation goals and to start tourism development,-Education and learning processes to encourage the shift from an agricultural to a non-agricultural production
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Papers by Mousa Aazami