The present study aimed to design and validate a context-specific model of agritourism development in Lorestan Province, with emphasis on empowering rural women as key actors in sustainable rural development.
This study adopted a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach, integrating documentary and survey data. The statistical population included 23,212 rural women beneficiaries, 90 villages serving as rural district centers, and 25 managers and experts. The sample size in the quantitative phase was 378, selected through stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. Data were collected using three researcher-developed questionnaires and the spatial planning documents of the 12 counties of the province. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and SWOT strategic analysis.
The overall mean of agritourism development capacity was 2.96 out of 5, indicating a moderate status for this component. The socio-cultural component had the highest mean (3.25), while the institutional-managerial component had the lowest level (2.77). Key strengths included women’s social security (3.50), diversity of agricultural landscapes (3.19), and local community receptiveness (3.33).
The most important barriers were rural women’s limited access to financial resources (2.52) and the weak value chain (2.57). The structural equation model showed that the component “capacities related to rural women” had the greatest direct effect (coefficient = 0.398), and the socio-cultural component had the greatest overall effect (total effect = 0.478). The model explained 63.4% of the variance (R² = 0.634), and the fit indices (GoF = 0.618, SRMR = 0.068) indicated its high validity.
The results indicated that agritourism development in Lorestan requires a place-based and justice-oriented approach centered on women’s empowerment. The proposed three-level model (contexts, actors, and strategies) provides an operational framework for regional planning and gender-sensitive policymaking.