Objective: Rural shrinkage has emerged as an increasingly significant phenomenon in rural settlements, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to analyze the phenomenon of rural shrinkage with an emphasis on the role of the commodification of space and migration.
Methods: This study employs a survey research design based on field observations and documentary evidence. The sample size for the expert questionnaire addressing the factors associated with the commodification of space, as well as the rural residents' questionnaire concerning the factors influencing migration, was determined based on theoretical saturation. Given the lack of reliable information on the population of individuals who had migrated from rural areas, 60 questionnaires were distributed and completed. The expert sample consisted of 10 participants. In both components of the study, namely the expert and rural resident questionnaires, non-probability purposive sampling was employed. The questionnaire data were analyzed using the one-sample t-test in SPSS.
Results: Based on the mean scores, the most important factors influencing rural residents' migration were, in descending order, the ineffective performance of urban authorities (4.77), family poverty (4.72), and inequality in facilities and services between these rural areas and the provincial capital and other destination cities (4.70), among others. According to the DANP model, the most important factors contributing to the commodification of rural space in relation to rural shrinkage were, in descending order, the degradation of natural landscapes (0.0050), a sense of alienation from space (0.0047), the conversion of agricultural land uses (0.0045), a perceived privatization of space (0.0044), and unemployment in rural areas (0.0042), among others.
Conclusions: Rural shrinkage in Saqqez is a consequence of the logic of the commodification of space under neoliberal capitalism and the ineffectiveness of local governance. Migration constitutes a major driver of this process and, in turn, reinforces a vicious cycle of rural shrinkage.