Aims & Scope

Rural Industries and Ecology (RIE) is an international peer-reviewed journal publishing high-quality theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented research on the relationships between rural industrial development and ecological sustainability. The journal focuses on how economic activities, resource utilization, technological innovation, and governance systems shape ecological environments, rural livelihoods, regional resilience, and sustainable development during processes of rural transformation. Positioned at the intersection of sustainability science, rural studies, and social-ecological systems research, the journal encourages interdisciplinary contributions addressing agricultural and food systems, resource-based and rural industries, ecological governance, digital and smart rural development, green and circular economies, climate adaptation, and sustainable transition pathways. Particular emphasis is placed on research that advances understanding of the interactions between industrial transformation, environmental governance, and long-term rural sustainability across diverse spatial and institutional contexts. RIE is published quarterly online by Scilight Press.

The journal welcomes original research employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches, including comparative analysis, case studies, policy evaluation, spatial analysis, system dynamics, and social-ecological systems research. Studies combining theoretical innovation, empirical rigor, and policy relevance are especially encouraged.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Rural industrial restructuring and sustainable development
  • Green transformation and low-carbon development in agriculture
  • Rural ecological governance and ecosystem service management
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation in rural regions
  • Digital villages and smart agriculture systems
  • Land-use change, rural landscapes, and ecological restoration
  • Renewable energy development and rural energy justice
  • Management of water, soil, forest, and grassland resources
  • Rural livelihoods, poverty governance, and social vulnerability
  • Rural governance, institutional innovation, and policy evaluation
  • Circular economy, green entrepreneurship, and sustainable rural industries
  • Rural tourism and ecological economy
  • Comparative international studies on rural sustainability and transformation
  • Integrated development of rural industries and ecological systems