Geography

Geography

The Role of Microcredit from the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in Improving the Rural Business Environment: A Case Study of Kuchesfahan District, Rasht County

Document Type : Articles extracted from Thesis

Authors
Erfan Asgari Jafarabadi 1
Samira Mahmoodi 2
Ali Hajinejad 3
1 M.S in Geography and Rural Planning, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Geography and Rural Planning, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran. (Corresponding)
3 Associate Professor, Geography and Rural Planning, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
10.22034/jiga.2025.2042968.1341
Abstract
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) possess a high capacity to respond swiftly to market changes and customer needs. They can readily adapt to new conditions, exhibiting dynamic behavior in response to a changing environment. In other words, such enterprises are typically demand-oriented, aligning their operations with audience needs. They are also capable of rapidly modifying their production methods, marketing strategies, and operational activities. Microcredit programs facilitate the provision of financial services, often in the form of unsecured loans, which improve the access of poor and low-income rural households to capital. These services include small loans, savings accounts, credit, money transfers, and insurance, which are granted to rural populations to help them establish or expand their business ventures. Therefore, microcredit is intended to foster the development of new businesses—enabling many beneficiaries to become entrepreneurs—and to support impoverished individuals in rural areas.
 
Methodology
This study is classified as applied research and utilizes a descriptive-analytical methodology. Data were collected through both library research (for the theoretical framework) and a field survey using a structured questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of all individuals who received microcredit from the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in Kuchesfahan District between 2013 and 2017. The sampling frame included villages where more than 5% of households had utilized these microcredits during the specified period. From a total of 569 borrowers, a sample size of 230 was determined using Cochran’s formula.
 
Results and Discussion
The research established a significant positive relationship between the microcredit allocated by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the improvement of the small business environment in the villages of Kuchesfahan District. The results of the analysis of economic indicators also revealed a positive and significant relationship between the allocated microcredit and metrics such as income, employment, and standard of living. Specifically, the Pearson correlation coefficient for the income index was 0.170, the employment index was 0.245, and the standard of living index was 0.256. The regression analysis further determined that the microcredit provided by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee is a significant predictor of economic diversification in the studied rural areas.
 
Conclusion
From a development perspective, credit resources are an instrument for achieving sustainable rural development and a foundation for initiating social, economic, and physical transformations. Importantly, the focus on rural household employment through microcredit is not confined to traditional sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry, and natural resources. Instead, special attention to rural industries and non-farm businesses has addressed a critical gap, providing a basis for economic diversification in rural areas. In this regard, the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, by providing microcredit for SMEs, has successfully created platforms for economic diversification in the rural areas of Kuchesfahan District.
Keywords
small and medium Enterprise (SME)
business environment
micro credits
rural areas
Imam Khomeini Relief Committee

Subjects

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Geography
Volume 23, Issue 85
Spring 2025
Pages 57-76