Agroforestry plays a vital role in enhancing environmental sustainability, improving local economies, and reducing poverty through livelihood resilience. Several researchers have studied the importance of agroforestry, but little attention has been paid to livelihood resilience and local economic development in developing countries. This study aims to find the role of small-scale agroforestry in local economic development in the Shangla and Swat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, Pakistan. In this study, a total of 350 quantitative household surveys, 12 qualitative household case studies, and interviews of experts are used. The ordinary least squares (OLS), linear regression model, household income, wealth index, and five capitals of sustainable livelihood approach (SLA) were used to measure livelihood resilience. Results show several significant findings which may apply on a larger scale and in other cities of Pakistan or other countries. First, it directly shows the association between agroforestry, resilience-building, and local economic development. Second, financial capital can be improved through agroforestry, which can improve other capital assets. Third, small-scale agroforestry brings non-financial benefits such as environmental sustainability, improved living standards, reduced soil erosion, and provided shade. Fourth, irrigation plays a vital role in building livelihood resilience and promoting agroforestry. Lastly, on-farm diversity can be improved through agroforestry. This research discusses several practical implications along with recommendations for future research.

In the recent years, the health and wellness tourism industry has become one of the new emerging industries in Pakistan. In terms of the sharing economy, the driving mechanism of the health and wellness tourism industry has undergone significant changes. Based on a combination of theoretical and practical research, the paper explores the dynamic system and mechanism of innovation development of health and wellness in the tourism industry in Pakistan. Firstly, it theoretically constructs the driving factors in four aspects, which include market demand, industrial supply, infrastructure, and external environment. Secondly, taking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KPK) as an example, it uses the entropy method and Grey relational analysis to test the driving factors system. The empirical results show that four aspects jointly influence the innovation of the health and wellness tourism industry in Pakistan. Finally, this study discusses several practical implications for the development of the health and wellness tourism industry of KPK for academics, policymakers, business owners, and scholars, with recommendations for future research.

Small–medium-sized forest enterprises (SMFEs) have historically played an essential role in developing countries’ economies worldwide because most businesses start as small businesses, and government support and knowledge-based recourse are critical to the sustainable development of SMFEs and local economies. The current studies examined the effects of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) government’s (Pakistan) support (GS) and entrepreneur knowledge (EK) on the development of small–medium-sized forest enterprises (SD) and their contribution to the local economic development (LED) of the region. Primary data were collected from 350 SMFEs in KPK, Pakistan. The model was developed by using a structural equation model (SEM) to investigate the impact of GS, EK, and SMFEs on the growth, SG, and sustainable development of the local economy. This study concludes that EK and GS could increase growth in SMFE businesses and contribute to LED. On the other hand, crediting loans and equipping businesses with training could not directly affect SMFE businesses and LED growth. The government needs to use natural resources and the SMFE communities as leaders among suppliers in the local market for the sustainable development of LED and SMFEs, alongside focusing on preserving and taking initiatives to develop. This study discusses several practical implications for policymakers, business owners, and academics, with recommendations for future research.

The application of traceability technology is an important way to solve food safety problems. Different traceability technologies bring different effects to consumers. Existing studies have not explored consumers’ preferences in regards to product traceability technology applications, and they have not analyzed their willingness to pay. Therefore, this study focused on organic rice, an ecological agricultural product. The study was based on a survey from Jiangxi Province, China. It used a selective experiment method in order to analyze consumer preferences and the willingness to pay for ecological agricultural product traceability technology. The results show that consumer preferences are as follows: blockchain technology application attributes, traditional traceability-technology-application attributes, high credit-supervision attributes, and international-certification attributes. In terms of willingness to pay, consumers have the highest willingness to pay for the application of blockchain technology, which they are willing to pay CNY 21.902 more per kg for this attribute. At the same time, consumers are also willing to make additional payments for traditional traceability-technology-application attributes, high credit-supervision attributes, and international-certification attributes. Their willingness to pay is CNY 20.426, CNY 17.115 yuan, and CNY 11.049, respectively.

The authors would like to make the following corrections to the published paper