Rural areas account for a large part of the population and natural and biological areas of the country and play a major role in the economic and social life of the country. In this regard, the rural environment needs a special attention in the process of planning sustainable rural development and improving the quality of the environment. Environment is one of the sensitive and vulnerable dimensions of villages that are less affected by pollutants than cities. However, the expansion of urban consumption patterns and the influx of some urban pollutants into rural areas and the change in the pattern of consumption in villagers have led to environmental and healthy life degradation in rural areas.
In this article, the aim is to provide strategies for improving the rural environment which has been studied through descriptive-analytical method of the subject. Also, considering the role of public participation in protecting the rural environment and achieving sustainable rural development, issues including rural waste management methods, rural green space management and rural wastewater disposal methods have been addressed as effective factors in protecting the rural environment and creating healthy life. Noting that many villages in the country have not properly implemented appropriate methods of environmental protection such as waste disposal, sewage disposal and green space management, and their poor performance in attracting public participation, the sustainable development of villages has not come to fruition.
The results of this paper show that if the correct way of protecting the environment is applied in the villages, many diseases common in villages will be eradicated and the villages will become closer to sustainable development.