Depopulation of the Ethnic Diverse Mountain Villages in the Northwestern Part of Azerbaijan and the Development of a Sustainable Rural Development Model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52575/2712-7443-2023-47-1-34-48Keywords:
Azerbaijan, depopulation, ethnic minorities, mountain villages, rural development model, rural populationAbstract
The article investigates the primary causes of the depopulation of ethnically diverse mountain villages located in the northwestern part of Azerbaijan and provides a sustainable rural development model to alleviate this process. The primary purpose of the research is to determine the mountain villages which are composed of ethnic minorities and at the brink of extinction or endangered and find the fundamental causes behind this process. It was revealed that the diversity of ethnic composition, the level of economic development, natural-geographical and other factors have played an exceptional role in population mobility in the mountain villages. Particularly, the intensification of population mobility in recent years has further accelerated the process of polarisation in the region's settlement system, which has led some ethnically diverse villages to be almost abandoned and some to have slow population growth. Although the survey database is based on official statistics, a social survey was conducted in the eligible settlements to become closely acquainted with the local situation. As a consequence of the analysis of official data and survey materials, it became evident that the basic causes of the migration of local residents are related to socioeconomic and natural-geographical factors. Undoubtedly, a continuation of this tendency in the following years is likely to culminate in the complete depopulation of several ethnically diverse mountain villages and the loss of ethnic diversity in the area. Therefore, in order to revitalize rural settlements in the mountain areas, the sustainable rural development model was developed.
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