Stages of Rural Transformation in the National Strategic Tourism Area of Borobudur

The Borobudur area has grown into a world-class tourist destination. With the existence of Borobudur, Mendut, and Pawon temples, the area was appointed as National Strategic Tourism Area (NSTA). The condition influences the villages surrounding it. Borobudur village, Wanurejo, and Candirejo have developed into alternative tourist villages. During their development, these villages have undergone several transformation stages, which are interesting for further observation. In this background, the study aims to identify the transformation stages of the tourist villages in the Borobudur area, from the beginning as a people settlement to become tourist villages, and what causes the development of these stages. This study used a multiple-case study method with diachronic time series analysis, with three village units of analysis: Borobudur, Candirejo, and Wanurejo. Therefore, it will produce the stages of the village's transformation, especially, those related to tourism activities in the Borobudur area. It is expected that the results of this research will provide tourism development guidelines at each stage of the transformation of tourism villages so that they can be the basic for proper tourism planning for the government in rural tourism, especially in the development of tourism villages in NSTA. In addition, it can also be the basic of a scientific approach in researching the development of tourist areas, especially tourism village.

How and When Factors of Agricultural Contribution Influence Urbanization: A Historical Analysis of Tibet

Agriculture Powers Urbanization. How and when agriculture influences urbanization in underdeveloped regions remain poorly understood from an agricultural contribution perspective, specifically the food contribution (FDC), raw materials contribution (MLC), labor contribution (LRC), and market contribution (MTC). This study investigated this issue in the context of Tibet. A Granger causality test (GCT), the impulse response function (IRF), and variance decomposition (VD) were used. The GCT results demonstrated that agricultural contribution factors (ACFs), Granger-cause urbanization, and the IRF and VD results demonstrated that the influences of ACFs on urbanization were various and asynchronous. Both MTC and LRC quickly and positively respond to urbanization; however, LRC currently influences urbanization, whereas MTC influences urbanization currently and in the future. Both MLC and FDC negatively and slowly respond to urbanization; however, MLC currently influences urbanization, whereas FDC will influence urbanization in the future. This study’s findings depict changing trajectories of the role of ACFs in urbanization, elucidating urban–rural transformation.

Rural Transformation and Labor Market Outcomes among Rural Youths in Nigeria

In Nigeria, unemployment in rural areas translates to economic problems, such as high levels of rural–urban migration. Interventions aimed at promoting rural transformation and development are designed to generate employment by promoting the growth of sectors such as manufacturing and services in rural areas. In this study, the General Household Survey (GHS) panel data for the post-planting and post-harvest periods of the 2011/2012 and 2015/2016 cropping seasons for Nigeria was used to investigate developments in rural areas in Nigeria between 2011 and 2015, and identified how these developments influenced labor market outcomes among rural youths. Fixed effect models were employed to control for unobserved heterogeneity that may exist because of the different years in the data used. Key levers of sustainable social and economic development, such as access to finance, health services, markets, and infrastructure such as electricity, were considered. The empirical results from the study revealed that being educated as well as having access to infrastructure and information had positive effects on the number of youths that took up wage/salary employment in the rural areas. The study concluded that the diversification of youths into other sectors would have higher growth effects on the development of rural areas, as they can invest more in agriculture, while also reducing the level of dependence on the sector. The study recommends an increase in budgetary allocations for education and rural development projects, with a special focus on electricity and financial institutions, while increasing access to information on available job opportunities.

Small town urbanization and project experimentation in Pangandaran Region, Indonesia

This article contributes to the debate of small centre urbanization and positions it amidst three emerging challenges: urban-rural transformation, economic experimentation, and disaster risk mitigation. To examine the entanglement of the three forces, we analysed the expansion of the Pangandaran urban area – a small urbanizing area in West Java. This expansion occurred as part of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project, in the form of a regional infrastructure plan including railway, airport, and harbour development to accommodate tourism flux. This study uses discursive and qualitative approaches to rural-urban transformation with data gathered through document analysis, mapping, and FGDs with local stakeholders. The results show that although urbanization was a complex process with promises of extensive infrastructure developments and national projects, little attention has been paid to the internal urban structure, utilities, and increasing vulnerability to natural disasters in Pangandaran. The study also addresses how urban theories and policies should deal with the complexities of small urban areas in Indonesia.

Rural transformation in the upper Citarum watershed and its implication to soil conservation practices

In response to soil and environmental problems in the Citarum river of West Java, the upper Citarum watershed has focused on government policy intervention. The policy framework primarily focuses on encouraging soil conservation practices and promoting an environmentally friendly farming system. However, most empirical research on this subject failed to acknowledge that the conservation practices varied with the stage of rural transformation. This paper aims to assess rural transformation in the upper Citarum watershed and its relation to soil conservation practices. We use Indogreen Farm Household Survey (IFHS) data collected in 2019 from Bandung and West Bandung districts, covering six sub-watersheds, 22 villages, and 500 farm households. The sub-watersheds are divided into two groups based on the degree of rural transformation. Descriptive analysis using graphs and charts presented the data. The results show that the more dominant non-agriculture job characterizes household employment and income structure in the faster regions. Furthermore, farmers in these regions mostly choose higher-value commodities compared to the slower area. Finally, soil conservation practice is more intensive in the faster region in response to more intensive land utilization. The research implies that agricultural development programs, in particular extension services, should put this issue in perspective.

Rural and structural transformation and their impacts on household in East Java

Empirical evidence shows that rural transformation and structural transformation in Indonesia vary between provinces in both the depth and speed of the change. One province that the local government has claimed to undergo a rapid rural transformation is the province of East Java. This paper aims to analyze the structural and rural transformations in East Java using district-level secondary data for the 2000-2020 period, obtained from East Java Provincial Statistics. Data analysis uses qualitative and descriptive methods. The results show that structural and rural transformations in East Java vary between districts and development clusters. Some districts in East java experienced a rapid decline in the agricultural sector’s contribution in 1990-2020, both in terms of regional gross domestic product and employment, compared to other districts. The results also show that there has been a transformation within the agricultural sector, with the sub-sectors of non-food (commodities) have gradually shifted out the contribution of the food crop subsector. The relatively rapid structural and rural transformation in East Java has succeeded in increasing rural household incomes and reducing poverty incidence in the province. In the future, to continue increasing household income and reduce poverty, the East Java government needs to maintain the momentum of its success through more targeted pro-growth and pro-poor investment policies.