Document Type : applied research
Authors
1
M.A, Department of Geography, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran
Abstract
Rural development is one of the important and key objectives in developing countries. The establishment of industrial towns, as a productive economic sector, is an important issue and a fundamental step in moderating the disparity between urban and rural areas. The present study seeks to answer the question: To what extent has the establishment of industrial towns affected rural poverty? The aim of this research is to investigate the extent of the effects of industrial towns on poverty. The research type is applied, and in terms of nature, it is descriptive-analytical. The data collection method was library research and field research (5-point Likert scale questionnaire) and individual and overt observation. The data analysis method was descriptive (mean and frequency distribution) and inferential (one-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, Kruskal-Wallis, and structural equation modeling). The statistical population of the present study includes the households of the Central District of Abhar County, which, according to the 2016 census, consists of 23 villages, three of which are uninhabited. A sample size of 393 households was selected based on Cochran’s formula. The results of the one-sample t-test show that the calculated numerical values for all dimensions of the town’s effects, except for the physical and social dimensions (equal to the numerical desirability), are lower than the numerical desirability in the study area and have a negative direction. The calculated numerical values for all dimensions of poverty, except the social dimension, are lower than the numerical desirability in the study area and have a negative direction. All dimensions of both variables are significant at the 95% level. Based on the results of the Pearson correlation coefficient, there is a significant and negative relationship between the effects of the towns and poverty, which means that as the effects of the town increase, poverty decreases. According to the results of structural equation modeling, the social dimension (0.915) and the physical dimension (0.806) have the greatest effects on the poverty of the studied villages. One of the most important suggestions regarding the prevention of water scarcity is the use of treated wastewater from industrial towns, especially in steel industry production units.
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