The prospects of digital infrastructure in promoting rural economic growth and development are by and large immense. The paper found that rural development is considerably important for economic development and for achievement of sustainable livelihoods that increases people’s ability to achieve good health and wellbeing that enable the achievement of sustainable development. The paper found that digital imbalance and digital illiteracy in the rural areas hinder implementation of digital infrastructure to lead to rural economic growth. Digital infrastructure is the source of economic opportunities that enables local people in the rural areas to be more creative in achieving development success. It enables them to have a unique sense of place and fashioning of vibrant economic and financial opportunities that ensure the achievement of sustainable rural economic development. However, the paper found that the application of digital infrastructure to South Africa’s rural areas in the bid to promote rural economic growth has been hindered by factors like the digital divide, financial constraints, digital illiteracy and the failure to own a smart phone. These factors hinder digital infrastructure from leading to sustainable rural economic development and growth. The paper used secondary data gathered from existing literature. The use of qualitative research methodology and document and content analysis techniques became vital in the process of collecting and analyzing collected data.

Research networks organized around a particular topic are built as knowledge is produced and socialized. These are parts of a seminal or initial production, to which new authors and subtopics are added until research and knowledge networks are formed around a particular area. The purpose of the research was to find this type of relationship or network between authors, institutions, and countries that have contributed to the issue of the circular economy and specifically its relationship with sustainability. This allows those interested in the said object of study to know the research advances of the network, enter their research lines, or create new networks according to their interests or needs. The study used a bibliometric-type descriptive quantitative approach using the Scopus scientific database, the R Studio data analytics application, and the Bibliometrix library. The results were found to determine a relationship building from 2006, which makes it an emerging topic. However, the growth it has achieved in recent years of more than 31% shows a strong interest in the subject. Of the subtopics that have been addressed, sustainability, recycling, solid waste, wastewater, and renewable energy. Similarly, sectors such as construction, the automotive industry, tourism, cities, the agricultural sector, the chemical industry, and the implementation of technologies 4.0 and 5.0 in their processes stood out. The most prominent country in the scientific approach to this area is Italy. The most prominent author for his citations is Molina-Moreno, the source of knowledge that stands out for his contributions is the University of Granada and different networks have been built around their knowledge.

Soil salinization is a difficult challenge for agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability, particularly in arid and semi-arid coastal regions. This study investigates the spatial variability of soil electrical conductivity (EC) and its relationship with key cations and anions (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl⁻, CO₃²⁻, HCO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻) along the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea in Iran. Using a combination of field-based soil sampling, laboratory analyses, and Landsat 8 spectral data, linear Multiple Linear Regression and Partial Least Squares Regression (MLR, PLSR) and nonlinear Artifician Neural Network and Support Vector Machine (ANN, SVM) modeling approaches were employed to estimate and map soil EC. Results identified Na⁺ and Cl⁻ as the primary contributors to salinity (r = 0.78 and r = 0.88, respectively), with NaCl salts dominating the region’s soil salinity dynamics. Secondary contributions from Potassium Chloride KCl and Magnesium Chloride MgCl₂ were also observed. Coastal landforms such as lagoon relicts and coastal plains exhibited the highest salinity levels, attributed to geomorphic processes and anthropogenic activities. Among the predictive models, the SVM algorithm outperformed others, achieving higher R² values and lower RMSE (RMSE_Test = 27.35 and RMSE_Train = 24.62, respectively), underscoring its effectiveness in capturing complex soil-environment interactions. This study highlights the utility of digital soil mapping (DSM) for assessing soil salinity and provides actionable insights for sustainable land management, particularly in mitigating salinity and enhancing agricultural practices in vulnerable coastal systems.

Nationwide integration of AI into the contemporary art sector has taken place since government AI regulations in 2023 to promote AI use. China’s AI integration into industry is ‘ahead’ of other countries, meaning that other countries can learn from these creative professionals. Consequently, contemporary visual artists have devised arts-led sustainable AI solutions to overcome global AI concerns. They are now putting these solutions into practice to maintain their jobs, arts forms, and industry. This paper draws on 30 interviews with contemporary visual artists, and a survey with 118 professional artists from across China between 2023 and 2024. Findings show that 87% use AI and 76% say AI is useful and they will continue to use AI into the future. Findings show professionals have had time to find DIY, bottom-up solutions to AI concerns, including (1) building strong authorship practices, identity, and brand, (2) showing human creativity and inner thinking, (3) gaining a balanced independent position with AI. They want AI regulations to liberalise and promote AI use so they can freely experiment and develop AI. These findings show how humans are directing the use of AI, altering current narratives on AI-led impacts on industry, jobs, and human creativity.

The effects of aid dependency on preventing the achievement of sustainable development in Africa has not been given appropriate academic attention. Aid dependency in Africa is undoubtedly among the most factors that have promoted poverty and underdevelopment. Aid dependency which hindered the growth of local innovation, promoted divisions that has affected good governance for sustainable development. Aid dependency has promoted chronic poverty, mental laziness and unstable health and well-being. It has ignited unhealthy condition that has created a perpetual vicious cycle of poverty that prevents the achievement of sustainable development. The study found that planning diplomacy can serve as a solution to aid diplomacy and address its effects thus promoting the achievement of sustainable development. Planning diplomacy was found to have critical links with Africa’s communalism theory, thus making it an ideal approach to addressing the effects of aid dependency in Africa. Planning diplomacy was found to promote local and business in collective manner. It is through this collective approach that sustainable development can be achieved in Africa. Planning diplomacy was found a key for sustainable development because it makes good use of foreign aids, promotes local ownership thus strengthens sustainable economic growth and development that makes sustainable development achievable. Planning diplomacy was equally found a remedy to aid dependency because it enhances knowledge and skills transfer. Knowledge and skills transfer promotes sustainable development because it facilitates sharing of skills that brings innovation and technologies to local citizens in a collective manner. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology with the use of secondary data collected from existing literature published in the public domain. Collected data was analysed and interpreted through document analysis technique.   

The food supply chain in South Africa faces significant challenges related to transparency, traceability, and consumer trust. As concerns about food safety, quality, and sustainability grow, there is an increasing need for innovative solutions to address these issues. Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising tool to enhance transparency and accountability across various industries, including the food sector. This study sought to explore the potential of blockchain technology in revolutionizing through promoting transparency that enable the achievement of sustainable food supply chain infrastructure in South Africa. The study found that blockchain technology used in food supply chain creates an immutable and decentralized ledger of transactions that has the capacity to provide real-time, end-to-end visibility of food products from farm to table. This increased transparency can help mitigate risks associated with food fraud, contamination, and inefficiencies in the supply chain. The study found that blockchain technology can be leveraged to enhance supply chain efficiency and trust among stakeholders. This technology used and/or applied in South Africa can reshape the agricultural sector by improving production and distribution processes. Its integration in the food supply chain infrastructure can equally improve data management and increase transparency between farmers and food suppliers.There is need for policy-makers and scholars in the fields of service delivery and food security to conduct more research in blockchain technology and its roles in creating a more transparent, efficient, and trustworthy food supply chain infractructure that address food supply problems in South Africa. The paper adopted a qualitative methodology to collect data, and document and content analysis techniques were used to interpret collected data.