Globally, rural conditions are in states of change. They are often highly vulnerable to climate and environmental change, extreme weather events, conflict, socio-economic changes, inequalities, and demographic changes. These changes are putting stress on rural areas, which rely upon agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods and are often the foundation of national economies. Communication for development (C4D) has played an important role in addressing these challenges. Its thinking is broadly consistent with rural development goals—indeed, the roots of C4D come in part from rural development and agricultural extension. Communication for development (C4D) was defined by the World Congress on Communication for Development as “…a social process based on dialogue using a broad range of tools and methods. It also seeks change at different levels, including listening, building trust, sharing knowledge and skills, building policies, debating, and learning for sustained and meaningful change. It is not public relations or corporate communications”. However, after decades of action to address these interrelated rural development challenges, much remains to be done. This paper critically considers the following: What does inclusive rural development mean now, in light of environmental change, and how does this affect the conceptualisation and practice of C4D? This was done by using three countries as case studies: Malawi, Ukraine, and the Philippines. Each of these countries represented contrasting challenges and opportunities for rural development and environmental change, with lessons from their experiences shedding insight into the communication for development thinking.

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The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute an integrated framework for global sustainability, yet progress remains inconsistent across regions and indicators four years before 2030. Identifying the key issues and factors that influence SDG performance is therefore essential for effective implementation and the post-2030 sustainable development agenda. This paper presents a systematic review and thematic synthesis of empirical studies investigating the factors associated with SDG outcomes. Peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2026 were identified across Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed databases and coded according to the SDGs examined, geographic scope, methodological approach and key findings. A total of 43 studies were selected from 684 initial records, covering all 17 SDGs across diverse geographical contexts. Seven cross-cutting themes were identified: governance and institutional capacity; socioeconomic status and cultural barriers; gender equality; education; technology, digital connectivity and innovation; environmental factors; and healthcare infrastructure and access. Theoretically, this review advances sustainable development literature by shifting the paradigm from single-goal evaluations towards an integrated, cross-cutting systems framework. Practically, it highlights the necessity of multi-sectoral financing, institutional capacity building and localised policy interventions to accelerate global progress leading up to and beyond 2030.