Search results

The tourism activity increased during the last years, especially in the developing countries, represeting an important source of income. Kurdistan Regional Government has a high touristic potential due to its unique tourist sites. The aim of this research was to identify the entrepreneurial intention of rural residents to invest in tourism. The method used was the survey based on questionnaire. The data were collected from 320 respondents and analyzed using descriptive statistics Mann-Whitney U test, and chi-square test. The findings indicate that rural residents with lower level of education and eldery are more interested to become entrepreneur. The main motivational factors to start up a business are: need of additional income, self-asseration, and self-dependence.

Water availability has become a problem in many countries of the world. Water scarcity can be economic or physical. Agricultural water use accounts for about three quarters of total global consumption ; in many developing countries, irrigation represents over 90% of the water used. The purpose of this paper is to explore the willingness to pay for irrigation water among the farmers from the boundaries governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). During the field study, 236 farmers from KRG were interviewed. The collected data were analyzed for each of the precipitation zones of the area (secured (A) and non-secured rainfed (B)). The contingent valuation method was used to determine the willingness to pay for irrigation water. The following possible independent variables influencing farmers' decisions were considered: the bid amounts ; evaluation scale of the water deficit ; source of water for irrigation ; cultivated area ; education and age of respondents ; main agricultural activity. In Zone A, the median willingness to pay of the farmers that used ground water for irrigation is 20.28 USD/10 m3, and for the farmers that use other sources of water, the willingness to pay is 11.49 USD/10 m3. The median willingness to pay in Zone B is 18.56/10 m3.

Over the last years, tourism has undergone significant development worldwide, especially in developing countries. Tourism is a multi-faced activity with positive and negative impacts on the destinations, linking the economic, social, and environmental components of sustainable development. The attitude of the host community is an important factor for future tourism planning, management, and development of a tourism destination. As such, the paper analyzes the attitudes and perceptions of the local residents from the Kurdistan Regional Government, located in the northern part of the Republic of Iraq. To achieve the purpose of the research, a survey based on a questionnaire was conducted in Sulaimani and Halabja Governorates. A number of 320 questionnaires were applied in 2016. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and principal component analysis. The results indicate that tourism is seen as a development sector during the last years. Its positive impacts are better perceived than the negative ones, mainly because it offers more recreational opportunities due to the development of new recreational parks. Tourism increases pollution, this being the most negative aspect mentioned by the respondents, but regardless, they are proud of the progress overthe last years and they support future actions for tourism development.

Indigenous knowledge of traditional food can have high potential and a major role in achieving a sustainable food security system. Rural women usually have responsibility in securing household food security by applying their indigenous knowledge of food processing and preservation. This study was conducted in Shahrazor plain, which is a culturally and historically rich area in Kurdistan region of Iraq, to investigate Kurdish rural women's indigenous knowledge of food processing and preservation and their role in achieving and sustaining household food security. The data in this study showed that 100% of the respondents still apply their indigenous knowledge of traditional food processing and preservation methods depend on the availability of the needed resources and family members or market demand on these foods. Generally, most of the respondents are making some specific foods especially dairy products such as Masti Kurdi (Kurdish Yogurt) 72.89%, Paniri Kurdi (Kurdish Cheese) 37.35% and Dou (a sour yogurt-based beverage) 34.94%; and processing cereal grains such as Sawar 37.95%. Despite the fact that, Kurdish women still practice their indigenous knowledge of food processing and preservation but there are some ancient foods which are less practiced by the Kurdish women household, particularly fermented food and sundry food. Women in rural areas of Kurdistan region has a wide indigenous knowledge of food processing and preservation which offer a number of traditional Kurdish food products and a big contribution to improving food security in the region, sustainably.

Abstract. Irrigation is the largest abuser of water, accurately fresh water. The scope for further irrigation development have to meet the water needs of rural area of Kurdistan region, however, severely constrained by decreasing water resources and environmental Issues in irrigation. While water resources are still ample, serious water shortages are developing in the arid and semi-arid regions as existing water resources reach full exploitation. This paper presents the particularities of water resources in the rural area of Kurdistan region (North of Iraq) During 17th of June and 15th of September,2012 a research was conducted in the rural area of the KR, taken into consideration the precipitation zone so it can be done a clear distinguish among the three regions of Kurdistan. The research method used was the survey, based on questionnaire. The total number of questionnaires applies to the farmers was 236 in rural area of KRG. The use of water for irrigation, livestock etc, it is necessary to mention that in the KRG there is no regulation regarding the water consumption for rural area and the water scarce in the area imposes to adopt a proper legislation regarding the water pricing on one hand, and the ethics principals of water consumption on the other hand. Based on this it can be stated that people from rural area have major problem regarding the water availability. The inescapable conclusion is that irrigation has to produce more food with less water. Â

Organic farming has become an important alternative to conventional farming, mostly because of environmental sustainability issues, and has long-term positive benefits over soil, water, air and climate change, biodiversity, prohibiting the use of genetically modified organisms, and encouraging the development of ecological services. In Romania, the organic food market follows a positive trend, although the consumption rate is still very low compared to the European Union ; therefore, it is necessary to identify the main barriers in consumption but also the factors influencing the increase in demand for this category of food products. In order to accomplish these objectives, a survey based on a questionnaire was conducted in the North-West Development Region of Romania, the second most important Romanian region from an economic development perspective. Five hundred and sixty-eight questionnaires were distributed in 2016. The collected data were danalyzed using descriptive statistics and principal component analysis. The results indicated that the most important barrier in consumption was price, followed by perishability and availability. High prices, mistrust, and lack of proper promotion for organic food are the influencing factors for organic food.

The study examined the impact of training on the productivity of beekeepers in Sulaimani City, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq. Data for the paper was collected from questionnaire surveys from April until August 2019. The sample size was of 82 beekeepers, but in the end 54 questionnaires were validated. Data analysis was conducted by using standard statistical and economic processes. The study revealed that training plays a vital role in enhancing the productivity of the beekeepers.

The consumption of fruit and vegetables is essential for a healthy lifestyle and preventing many diseases. Still, in Romania the consumption is very low compared to the countries of the European Union. The main aim of the research was to determine the consumer behavior of local fruit and vegetables for the urban consumers in Cluj-Napoca. A study was conducted using the questionnaire. Result indicated that consumers purchase fruit and vegetables 2-3 times per week, and most of them spend between 50-80 lei per week for this food category. The most preferred place of purchase is the farmers markets and the local origin is a very important criterion during the decision-making process of purchase.

Development of tourism affected the socio-cultural environment of many destinations. Previous studies have focused more on analyzing the impact of tourism on all three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, environment and socio-cultural); therefore, the present paper examines tourism development's impact with regard to the socio-cultural benefits that enhance sustainable tourism development. A survey based on a questionnaire was employed in June 2018 in a mountain village in Cluj County, Romania. The collected data were analyzed using principal component analysis, and several statistical tests were conducted. The results indicated that the respondents have a positive attitude towards tourism development and socio-cultural perceived benefits. Older people and those running a business tend to perceive more positively the benefits of tourism development. The findings of the research could contribute to future development strategies, as it is well known that supporting local communities influences the success of tourism destination.

There is a general consensus that tourism activity must have the support of a local community in order to build sustainable tourism development. Among the competitive Romanian tourism products, festival tourism should be mentioned, even though it is relatively new. Therefore, given the traditional communities from rural areas which are confronted with an international flux of tourists, it is vital to analyze the perception of and support for festivals. The presumption is that if there are benefits for the locals, support increases. In order to achieve the objective of the study, research has been conducted among the local rural community of Bontida, which is the location of an international annual music festival. The instrument used was a questionnaire which had four parts that aimed to measure the cultural benefits and costs of the festival and the sense of well-being of the community, given the fact that previous studies focused mainly on the economic and environmental impacts, but not so much on the socio-cultural dimensions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the benefits are greater than the perceived costs, a fact which is encouraging from the perspective of developing a sustainable tourism strategy, both by the local authorities and private stakeholders.