Search Results (62)

The current research examines the psychological and perceptual predictors of sustainable consumption behavior in a rural Romanian context, with specific reference to the traditional product Pită de Pecica. A sample of 485 consumers (n = 485) who were familiar with Pită de Pecica completed validated instruments measuring brand identification and brand attributes perceived. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to find two dimensions on each scale—brand-based self-definition (α = 0.92) and emotional brand attachment (α = 0.86); and sensory-affective brand association (α = 0.87) and product functional-symbolic value (α = 0.84). Emotional brand attachment (EBA) refers to the emotional bond a consumer forms with a brand; sensory-affective brand association (SABA) captures affective and sensory connections; and decision tree regression is a machine learning technique that identifies non-linear predictors. In this study, sustainability is operationalized across cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions, reflecting both traditional product preservation and support for regional food systems. A decision tree regression model was then applied to predict the frequency of sustainable consumption behavior. Emotional brand attachment was the strongest predictor (relative importance = 26.13%), sensory-affective brand association was second most important (16.91%) and brand-based self-definition was third (13.99%). Demographic variables (e.g., income, age) were weak predictors. The model explained 43% of the behavior variance (R² = 0.43) despite considerable behavioral unpredictability (MAPE = 236.85%). Findings show that emotional and identity-driven brand connections are central to leveraging sustainable consumption in rural contexts, which has important implications for future branding initiatives, agri-food policies, and local economic revitalization initiatives that promote sustainable development. Findings support adopting cultural, psychological, and economic dimensions of sustainable development across development paradigms. Full article

This study leverages advanced analytical tools such as ArcGIS spatial analysis and Geographical Detectors to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics, equilibrium, hotspot areas, and geographic associations of 164 district-level agribusiness brands in Guangxi, highlighting the unique insights these tools provide into the spatial heterogeneity of agricultural enterprise brands. Our findings reveal a significant concentration of brands in the northern region, particularly in Nanning, Liuzhou, and Guilin, with a dense northeast and sparse southwest distribution pattern. We identify a positive correlation between the number of regional brands and GDP and a negative correlation with distance from major highways. This suggests that regional economic development and transportation infrastructure significantly impact brand distribution. To enhance brand development, we recommend focusing on regional brand cultivation, innovation, and leveraging digital marketing strategies. This study provides actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote agricultural brand growth and rural revitalization in Guangxi. This pattern suggests that regions with abundant natural resources and higher economic development levels are more conducive to the formation and growth of agricultural enterprise brands, highlighting the importance of regional economic foundations and resource endowments in agricultural branding. Specifically, brands are primarily concentrated in the northern region, with Nanning, Liuzhou, and Guilin having a particularly high number of such brands. This pattern aligns with the core–periphery theory in economic geography, which suggests that economic activities tend to cluster around central cities due to agglomeration economies. The findings challenge the assumption that agricultural brands are evenly distributed across regions, highlighting the importance of regional economic foundations and infrastructure in brand development. Additionally, the significant positive correlation between the number of regional brands and Gross Domestic Product supports the idea that economic strength fosters brand development. Conversely, the significant negative correlation between the number of agricultural brand enterprises and the distance from major highways underscores the critical role of transportation infrastructure in facilitating market access and brand growth. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of cultivating regional brands, enhancing innovation capabilities, and advancing new marketing methods to promote the spatial equilibrium and sustainable development of agricultural enterprise brands, contributing to rural revitalization in Guangxi. Full article

Game meat production represents a unique opportunity to align ecological sustainability with the growing consumer demand for sustainable agri-food products. This study focuses on the perspectives of processors and landowners in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, examining their views on market trends, customer behaviours, barriers, and sustainability challenges. Focusing on these key stakeholders, the study highlights their central role as key drivers in shaping and sustaining the game meat value chain. This research combines secondary data analysis and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to provide a comprehensive understanding of the game meat sector. Findings highlight that, while game meat is valued for its organic and sustainable qualities, barriers such as limited consumer awareness, high costs, and regulatory constraints hinder its market potential. The study reveals the vital role of consumer education, branding, and the development of value-added products in bridging the gap between ecological management and sustainable market growth. Moreover, the research underscores the need for tailored policies to address structural inefficiencies, promote collaboration across the value chain, and enhance accessibility to sustainable game meat products. By aligning production and marketing strategies with consumer preferences, the sector can contribute significantly to sustainable agri-food systems while supporting rural economies and biodiversity conservation. This study provides actionable recommendations for industry stakeholders and policymakers aiming to foster sustainable practices and consumer engagement in the game meat market. Full article

Rural tourism is closely linked to a local’s tradition, identity, and cultural heritage. When staying in a specific tourist destination, a modern tourist expects a complete experience of the destination. Experience is necessary in rural tourist accommodation where guests can feel the local culture, nature, gastronomy, environment, and heritage. However, what about the interior design of the accommodation facility and the furniture design that will provide a rural and at the same time modern atmosphere? The paper aims to explore the traditional heritage, culture, indigenous elements, and ornamentation of rural artifacts of Istria, a region in Croatia, to propose a conceptual design of functional contemporary furniture for furnishing the living room in tourist accommodation. The furniture collection, with visual and artistic elements, surface treatment, construction, and selected sustainable materials and ornamentation, aims to brand the indigenous rural Istrian heritage, while at the same time combines an innovative contemporary expression. The research is divided into two stages: the first stage was conducted during field research using photography, observation, and interview methods, and the collected data from this stage served as inspiration for designing a furniture collection in the second stage. The second stage uses the cyclical method of the creative process to design new sustainable furniture concept, consisting of a table, stool, chest of drawers, and coffee table, which form a collection in the tourist interior environment. This furniture design model that uses original heritage to brand the rural environment and increase the attractiveness of accommodation in rural areas could be applied to other locations so tourists can fully experience the rural area they visit and achieve experiential, relaxed holidays and amenities, thus supporting the sustainable development of rural tourist destinations. The practical implications of this research have yet to be confirmed. It is desirable to investigate the impact and satisfaction of users in such designed interiors and confirm such a concept. This will require the engagement of architects and designers and hotel accommodation owners, as well as and the support of economic entities, local authorities, and the government, who need to systematically change the ways of branding rural values to achieve a holistic approach to the tourism offer. Full article

The economic decline of some rural areas is leading to the development of strategies to enhance the value of local economies. This is particularly important in protected natural spaces, where the aim is to encourage the provision of ecosystem services and strengthen commitment to sustainable development and economic growth. One of the rural development strategies with a growing interest in promoting the sustainability of rural areas in protected natural spaces is the use of territorial brands. The objective of this work is to analyse the social demand for territorial-branded products in protected natural spaces. The territorial brand of Sierra Espuña Regional Park (southeastern Spain) was selected as a pragmatic case, with the aim of promoting the production and consumption of sustainable local products. To this end, a contingent valuation survey of consumers was carried out to study the demand for honey, one of the most characteristic products of this territorial brand. The results demonstrate the high social demand for honey under the Sierra Espuña Territorial Brand, with an average surcharge of almost thirty percent compared to the conventional product, and a positive influence of the perception of supporting ecosystem services on this social demand. These results provide an empirical basis for the integration and promotion of production and marketing strategies with territorial brands, in the interests of rural development from and for the territory. Full article

In the development of rural revitalization, the art intervention in rural cultural tourism has become a hot topic recently. With the advent of the new media era, it is particularly important to study the factors that affect the artistic value of environmental graphic design. This study proposes six dimensions of environmental graphic design for rural cultural tourism through literature analysis and experience summary, which are refined into 21 impact indicators. It is based on the case of the environmental graphic publicity of cultural tourism in Chongqing Nanshan Cattle Village, using the SBE beauty evaluation method to evaluate the influencing factors, while using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to measure each indicator. The consistency of the two evaluation methods verifies the feasibility of the influencing factors, and this study found the influence of visuality, cultural nature, artistic nature, interactivity, spatiality, and communicativeness on aesthetic value. Moreover, the core of environmental graphic design lies in information transmission, in which artistic nature occupies an important position, while cultural nature, although it has a relatively small weight in aesthetic value, cannot be ignored in social media communication. In terms of visual design, a reasonable layout of equipment significantly enhances visual appeal, while spatial adaptability is considered a key factor. This paper emphasizes the integration of art principles into design to promote sustainable development, while also pointing out that the identification of rural cultural symbols can enhance visitors’ cultural experience. In terms of interactivity, it is crucial to encourage visitors to actively participate and share their experiences, while communication emphasizes the important impact of exposure to rural scenes on brand communication. This research provides systematic theoretical support and practical guidance for the environmental graphic design of rural cultural tourism. Full article

With the rapid development of global information technology, smart agriculture has gradually become an important force to promote agricultural modernisation. Taking Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs as the research object, this paper constructs a full-chain traceability process for hairy crabs integrating blockchain and Internet of Things technology in response to the demand for the enhancement of its brand value and market competitiveness. The model covers all aspects of breeding, processing, and transport to sales; realises end-to-end transparent regulation; effectively guarantees the authenticity and non-tamperability of information; and enhances consumers’ trust in the brand. At the technical level, this paper designs the ECMI (Enhanced Cuckoo Merkle Index) model, optimises the data storage and retrieval mechanism, and experimentally verifies the advantages of cuckoo filters over traditional Bloom filters in reducing false positives and improving query efficiency. This paper not only provides an efficient and safe traceability solution for the hairy crab industry in Yangcheng Lake but also provides technical support and practical cases for the further application of blockchain technology in smart agriculture, which is of great value for the realisation of the national rural revitalisation strategy. Full article

The application of digital technology in China’s rural areas has triggered a brand-new allocation of agricultural factors, posing challenges to the sustainable growth of entrepreneurial income. Using empowerment theory and entrepreneurial process theory, this paper explores the mediating role of entrepreneurial alertness and resource bricolage in the relationship between digital capabilities and the sustainable growth of entrepreneurial income. Using questionnaire survey data from 490 farmer entrepreneurs in China, this paper empirically tests the effect of digital capabilities on the sustainable growth of entrepreneurial income through a multiple regression model. The findings show that: (1) digital capabilities have a significant positive effect on the sustainable increase in entrepreneurial income; (2) digital applicational capabilities and digital innovation capabilities can affect the sustainable increase in entrepreneurial income through the intermediary paths of entrepreneurial alertness and resource bricolage; and (3) digital capabilities have a more significant positive impact on the sustained growth of entrepreneurial income for young farmers and those with professional work experience in large cities who embark on farming entrepreneurship. This paper reveals the effect of digital technology when embedded in the entrepreneurial process. It also provides a theoretical reference and empirical support for the government to formulate reasonable entrepreneurial policies and offers new paths and solutions to promote sustainable entrepreneurial development through digital capabilities. Full article

While China has seen an economic boom in recent decades, ecological issues are becoming increasingly challenging, with biodiversity seriously threatened. Establishing nature reserves (NRs) is deemed a feasible measure to ease ecological pressure, but few studies have evaluated the impact of the establishment of NRs on the urban–rural income gap. Therefore, based on the county-level panel data from 2010 to 2018, this study analyzed in depth the effects of the establishment of NRs on the urban–rural income gap in China. The results suggested that establishing NRs is beneficial to bridging the income gap between urban and rural areas, especially in the western and the northeastern regions. In contrast to other levels (provincial level, city level, and county level), the establishment of national-level NRs demonstrated a more prominent effect on narrowing the urban–rural income gap. It is thus proposed to improve corresponding laws to strengthen the protection of NRs, especially for those located in the western and northeastern regions, where the increase in eco-economic compensation and development of tourism brands for the ecological tourism industry are of necessity. Taken together, this study provides evidence that the establishment of NRs alleviates the urban–rural income gap in China. Full article

It is paramount that local cultural sustainability be preserved as China implements its rural revitalization strategy, and the integration and transformation of rural cultural tourism spaces based on this foundation is unprecedented. However, rural cultural tourism spaces face many challenges at present, including a lack of cultural appeal and homogenized spatial expression methods. Environmental graphics, a concept widely utilized in urban branding systems, serve as a novel spatial text that combines both material and immaterial aspects within the extension of brand design systems. Creatively intervening in the shaping of rural cultural tourism spaces, environmental graphics enhance the spatial experience of rural tourism. In this study, we introduced a model that uses an experiential design approach to explore and transform local culture into environmental graphics. Through three application case studies of cultural tourism spaces with diverse cultural backgrounds, this study illustrates how environmental graphics can revitalize the cultural and historical allure of rural heritage by transforming local elements through contemporary language. Moreover, the study aims to further validate its findings through practical applications in future research to convert experiential design into cultural sustainability. Full article

The competitiveness of tourist destinations presents, from the perspective of sustainability, certain benefits in terms of local and regional development: the involvement of local authorities (city, local and county councils, population) in the conservation of tourist resources, the involvement of tourism agencies in the promotion of rural areas, the creation of brands for each tourist destination/region and the protection of cultural-historical heritage from degradation. Competitiveness, as a segment of sustainability, integrated in Romanian local communities, is necessary in order to offer tourists an unmistakable experience of the natural and anthropogenic tourism potential of destinations, to raise the population’s awareness, to preserve traditions, customs and habits and to practice tourism based on sustainability, awareness and without any pollution of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This study aims to highlight the image of Romania’s tourism competitiveness, which could support the tourism economy in the long term, by analysing the Global Tourism and Travel Competitiveness Index (TTCI) in Romania, compared to two other neighbouring countries, Bulgaria and Hungary. The Global Competitiveness Index provides an integrative picture of the main sub-indices that interfere in the formation of a country’s competitiveness, with insights on the 12 pillars that intervene in the sustainable development of tourist destinations worldwide. Full article

Spatial planning is a public policy arrangement for land use allocation and spatial structure regulation. As a method used by the public sector to influence the spatial distribution of future activities, spatial planning has become an important method and basis for the Chinese government to perform its duties. In the process of its long-term development, China has formed a unique spatial planning system. Based on the perspective of evolution and comparison, this paper systematically reviews the evolution of China’s spatial planning system from “multi-plan division” to “multi-plan integration” under the inheritance of departments. The findings are as follows. ① China’s spatial planning has long presented a pattern of separate management by multiple departments, such as development and reform, construction, land, and environmental protection. The emergence and development of various types of planning is a necessary spatial governance tool for specific national conditions and major issues of land space development and protection in China. ② In the evolution process of more than half a century, the planning of various departments has gradually established, inherited, and continuously changed their own planning systems and control content; thus, China’s spatial planning has undergone a process of “planning absence–planning division–planning integration”. ③ The brand-new territorial spatial plan inherits the “three types” of control space, including land utilization master planning, urban and rural master planning, and ecological environment planning, and forms a set of binding index systems, which have become the decision-making basis for the current territorial space resource allocation. ④ In the future, China’s spatial planning system should be further optimized and improved in aspects such as the coordination mechanism of “soft” and “hard” spatial planning, the spatial resource allocation system that places equal emphasis on legality and efficiency, and the spatial layout system from “major function-oriented zoning” to “space use zoning”. Insight into the evolution of China’s spatial planning system can provide historical and logical support for the improvement of China’s spatial governance thinking and the continuous improvement of the efficiency of land space resource allocation in the future and provide a certain reference value for the comparative study of the planning systems of different countries in the world. Full article

Live streaming commerce (LSC) effectively combines the traditional real economy and e-commerce. Based on more than half a million unique GIS data values on LSC activities sourced via Taobao (Alibaba), we traced the spatial distribution of different players along the supply chain and further highlighted the intermediary role of streamers in developing the inter-regional industry. This study guides industrial planning in a diversified regional context, especially in economically peripheral regions. Our results show the following outcomes: (1) in contrast to dispersed suppliers, streamers and consumers are highly clustered. This trend proves that streamers are rooted in a specific urban context while playing the role of an intermediary in inter-regional supply chains, effectively extending geographic interactivity between suppliers and (potential) customers. (2) LSC primarily promotes regional light industry, especially in economically peripheral and rural areas, and provides opportunities for rapid development in cities with skilled handicraft providers. (3) China’s LSC streams have a pyramid structure, and the top group is highly clustered in metropolitan regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD). This clustering makes it easier for streamers to work with large, well-known brands. The bottom group is mainly in charge of expanding the supply chain within the region and relies more on the local industrial base. It is diversified due to the different types of businesses or products. Ultimately, we draw attention to adaptive spatial planning and resource allocation in the context of the economic and geographic reforms brought by this growing industry, and discuss the policy implications based on the relationships between the supply of and demand for live streamers from a broader regional perspective. Full article

In China, geographical indications (GIs) are seen as certificates or collective trademarks, as well as representations of quality agricultural products, and are important in revitalizing the countryside. Therefore, a combined qualitative and quantitative method was employed to examine the operational practices of GIs at the relatively micro-level of the municipality in order to identify their effectiveness and challenges in rural revitalization and propose more targeted optimization suggestions. Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County, located in the Wuling Mountains in southeastern Chongqing, is an excellent example of the positive impact GIs can have on rural development, boasting the highest number of GI trademarks in the region. Despite the large number of GIs in Pengshui, there are several issues that need to be addressed, including low brand awareness, lack of product enhancement, and poor market competitiveness. To overcome these challenges, there must be a shift from a quantity-based to a quality-based approach to GI trademark declarations. This requires promoting the transformation of traditional agriculture into modern agriculture, investing in rural infrastructure, and improving the efficiency and quality of GI product production. By doing so, individuals in the local community will be able to reap the benefits of GI trademarks, improving their income and standard of living. In view of the fact that administrative divisions and cultural regions overlap, it is important to promote interregional cooperation and encourage declarations of GI trademarks in neighboring counties. This will help to preserve the area’s local cultural heritage and promote its heritage through GIs. By taking a targeted approach to GI trademark declarations and promoting cooperation between regions, Pengshui, and other rural communities can maximize the benefits of GIs and support sustainable rural development. Full article

Xizi Pagoda, or the pagoda for cherishing writing paper, is part of China’s architectural heritage in culture, education, and rites. It symbolizes respect for books and ceremonies, aspirations for virtue and ideals, and hope for literati cultivation. This paper is the first comprehensive study based on the spatial structure and artistic value of the pagoda as rural stone architecture. It analyzes the shape, components, and decoration of typical Xizi Pagodas in Hunan Province, and studies the stress structure with finite element simulation software. This study delves into the science of the shape, structure and space, and the cultural and aesthetic connotations, and proposes protection and renovation methods. In conclusion, the architecture is decided by the cylindrical shape of the paper burning structure and aesthetics; it is also influenced by Hunan culture, which cherishes literature and ceremonies and values candor and optimism. The pagoda is a national art form with a unique role in enlightenment and education. Therefore, the protection and utilization of the pagoda can be approached from its spatial structure, artistic value, and cultural inheritance to facilitate the sustainable development of architectural heritage, environment, and culture, so as to build Xizi Pagoda into a new national brand. Full article