Productive functional evolution of rural settlements:analysis of livelihood strategy and land use transition in eastern China

In China, rural settlements are usually multifunctional complex of natural societies and they also play important productive function. This study explored the spatiotemporal evolution of the productive function of three rural settlements, i.e.,Hetaoyuan, Dawengshan, and Gaoqiao, in the Yimeng Mountain in Shandong province of eastern China.Residents lived in this three types of rural settlements were all involved in agricultural production(i.e., grain threshing, drying and storage), which had remained dominant in Hetaoyuan. Dawengshan became an industrial-oriented settlement, while Gaoqiao became a commercial-oriented settlement. This evolution was reflected in the livelihood strategy changes of rural households and the transition of rural settlements changes. The choice of livelihood strategy was affected by the livelihood assets and policies, which resulted in the spatiotemporal evolution of the productive function of rural settlements. This study can provide references for the implementation and adjustment of rural residential land consolidation policies and the improvement of production and the quality of rural life in future.

Livelihood Strategy Change and Land Use Change——Case of Danzam Village in Upper Dadu River Watershed,Tibetan Plateau of China

Land use change in rural China since the 1980s, induced by institution reforms, urbanization, industrialization and population increase, has received more attention. However, case studies on how institution reforms affect farmers＇ livelihood strategies and drive land use change are scarce. By means of cropland plots investigations and interviews with farmers, this study examines livelihood strategy change and land use change in Danzam Village of Jinchuan County in the upper Dadu River watershed, eastern Tibetan Plateau, China. The results show that, during the collective system period, as surplus labor forces could not be transferred to the secondary and tertiary industries, they had to choose agricultural involution as their livelihood strategy, then the farmers had to produce more grains by land reclamation, increasing multiple cropping index, improving input of labor, fertilizer, pesticide and adopting advanced agricultural techniques. During the household responsibility system period, as labors being transferred to the secondary and tertiary industries, farmers chose livelihood diversification strategy. Therefore, labor input to grain planting was greatly reduced, which drove the transformation of grain to horticulture, vegetable or wasteland and decrease of multiple cropping index. This study provides a new insight into understanding linkages among institution reforms, livelihood strategy of smallholders and land use change in rural China.

Sensitivity of livelihood strategy to livestock production and marketization:An empirical analysis of grasslands in Inner Mongolia,China

Recent researches have primarily focused on the relationship between livelihood strategies and livelihood capital,with few empirical studies on the sensitivity of livelihood strategies to livestock production and marketization in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.This study used an income distribution approach to categorize livelihood strategies of the respondents(n=394)into three types,i.e.,herder livelihood strategy(LS1),petty-herder livelihood strategy(LS2),and non-herder livelihood strategy(LS3).Using the multinomial logistic regression model,we compared livestock production and marketization across the three livelihood strategies.Our findings showed that(1)livestock production and marketization tended to favor LS1;(2)an increase in the land asset(contracted and rented grassland)and off-take rate increased the probability of households choosing LS1;(3)stocking rate was higher for LS1;and(4)the higher critical market-related risks perceived by herders were animal price and hay and corn price.Moreover,higher livestock price acted as a deterrent to diversifying into other livelihood strategies(LS2 and LS3).Finally,this study advocates for policies that will promote the land transfer market,adopt modern techniques in animal husbandry,improve the medium for disseminating market information to herders,and provide incentives for long-term livelihood transformation.

Influence of social capital on the livelihood strategies of farmers under China's rural revitalization strategy in poor mountain areas: A case study of the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture

Social capital in the form of social resources or social networks is one of the most important livelihood capital of farmers, which can increase the labor productivity of poor households and increase income. It is important to explore the reasons underlying the livelihood strategy choices of farmers from the perspective of social capital under China’s rural revitalization strategy. In this study, the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, a povertystricken mountainous area in southwestern China, was selected as the case study area, and multivariable linear regression models were constructed to analyze the influence of social capital on livelihood strategies.The results are as follows:(1) Individual social capital had a positive effect on non-agricultural livelihood strategies. On average, with a one-unit increase in individual social capital, the ratio of farmers’ nonagricultural income to total productive income(Income_Rto) increased by 0.002% and 0.062%,respectively. Collective social capital, with the Peasant Economic Cooperation Organization(PECO) as the carrier, had a negative effect on the non-agricultural livelihood strategies of farmers;on average, with a oneunit increase in PECO, Income_Rto decreased by approximately 0.053%. However, this effect was only significant in the river valley area.(2) The income differences among the different livelihood strategy types were explained by the livelihood strategy choices of farmers. As non-agricultural work can bring more benefits, the labor force exhibited one-way migration from villages to cities, resulting in a lack of the subject of rural revitalization. It is necessary to implement effective measures to highlight the role of PECO in increasing agricultural income for farmers. Finally,based on the above conclusions,policy recommendations with respect to livelihood transformation of farmers and rural sustainable development are discussed.

Relationship analysis between livelihood assets and livelihood strategies:A Heihe River Basin example

The security and quality of the livelihood of farmers is of paramount concern in rural areas of China. Livelihood stability would force the related polity to act coordinately while eradicating poverty and promoting resource sustainability. For this study, the livelihood approach was used as a framework of analysis that is based upon Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, the core of which is livelihood assets. Livelihood capitals provide substantial contributions to the well-being of numerous rural dwellers. However, the level and degree of reliance on livelihood capital differ across households. Factors that contribute to the economic reliance of households on a particular economic activity in general and on livelihood capital in particular may vary depending upon the type of resource endowment, household demographic, and economic characteristic as well as exoge- nous factors such as markets, prices, policies, and technologies. This study identifies factors that influence a household＇s live- lihood strategy choice with a particular focus on livelihood assets. The study applies a preliminary investigation concerning the relationship between livelihood assets and livelihood strategies, that is, the allocation of assets. Environmentally augmented household livelihood assets were collected from 300 sample households within the Heihe River Basin. Results show that physical assets possess a maximum value （0.609） for farmers and human assets possess a relatively high value （0.516） fol- lowed by social assets （0.354）. Besides, financial and natural assets possess relatively low values （0.286 and 0.241, respec- tively）. An increment of one unit should reduce the occurrence of choosing non-agricultural activities for natural capital while an increment of one unit should increase the occurrence of choosing non-agricultural activities for financial capital, while other variables remain constant. Governments, therefore, should enhance funding and technological support to achieve livelihood diversity and strengthen the facility of farmers by way of establishing relevant polity. It would enable farmers and provide themselves with the ability and asset reserves to transition from agricultural production to secondary and tertiary industries in order to improve the livelihood of farmers overall.

Residents’ perspectives and responses to environmental degradation in the upper Dadu River, eastern Tibetan Plateau

Environmental degeneration in the Tibetan Plateau attracts worldwide attention, whereas case studies on how the residents understand and respond to environmental degeneration are scarce. Using a Participatory Rural Appraisal method, this paper investigates how the people in different regions in the upper Dadu River understand and respond to environmental degeneration, based on comparative field surveys in three villages, in which Danzamu village is chosen from villages in the valley region, Kerma village from mountainside region, Rico village from the mountain and plateau region. The results show that： （1） although awakened to environmental degeneration, the residents in different regions have different responses. As agricultural labors have been transferred to the secondary and tertiary industries, population pressure in Danzamu and Kerma villages is mitigated. Residents in Danzamu village actively respond to natural disasters and forest degradation, as their livelihoods never rely on forests and rangelands again. Whereas the residents in Kerma village negatively respond to natural disasters, forest and meadow degradation and the ruin of wildlife resources, as their livelihoods still rely on stockbreeding. Labors in Rico village are hard to transfer to the secondary and tertiary industries, so they have to raise more livestock to make a living. Active measures are just taken to avoid livestock loss, not to avoid forest and meadow degradation and the ruin of wildlife resources. So the most fragile region is the mountain and plateau region and mountainside region, not the valley region. （2） Livelihood strategy is the key factor affecting the residents to respond to population pressure and environmental degeneration. So the framework of sustainable livelihood strategy should be used to explain and intervene in issues of population pressure and environmental degradation in ecotones. （3） Transferring agricultural labors to the secondary and tertiary industries were favorable to improving people＇s livelihood. It is necessary to reduce the education fees to speed up the pace of labors transferring in the mountainside region. In the mountain and plateau region, preferable ways also include the development of towns, highways, education equipment and other establishments.

Population Growth and Sustainability of Common Property Resource Management Systems in the Eastern Hindu Kush:The Use of Communal Fodder Resources in Mehlp Valley,North Pakistan

In common property studies,increasing number of users has been considered as a major threat for the long-term sustainability of natural resources. This perception has been true in a few cases. However,the 40-years empirical research conducted in a variety of environmental settings,reveals that population pressure is not the only factor responsible for the degradation of natural resources. In remote areas,where the local inhabitants highly depend on available natural resources for subsistence livelihood,the economically important resources are kept under different ownership regimes. The local inhabitants have established autochthonous insti-tutions,and formulated rules and regulations for proper management of these resources. In this paper an attempt has been made to explore the response of a small fodder user community to the increasing population. For this purpose a micro-level study has been conducted in a remote mountain environment in the eastern Hindu Kush. For this research,data has been collected through fieldwork and focus group discussion. The results of this study reveal that fodder user communities have responded very well to the problem of population pressure. To maintain equity and long-term sustainability they have adopted a number of strategies including changing the ownership,and a resource kept under private ownership at the time of low population has been changed to a common property with increase in population. Based on this study it can be concluded that in mountainous areas and fragile environment the local inhabitant have both the capacity and capability to change their behaviour with regard to changing resource productivity as well as increasing number of users,and this situation does not always lead to the tragedy of commons.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Farm Household Livelihood Assets in a Western Mountainous Area of China: A Case Study in Zunyi City

As the foundation of farm household structure,livelihood asset status is the basis for farmers to gain opportunities,adopt livelihood strategies,resist livelihood risk,and engage in positive livelihood achievements.Quantifying farm household assets identifies future development trends that are fundamentally necessary to predict farm household vulnerability and strategy,as well as understanding farmers’current living situations.Using Zunyi City in China’s western mountainous area as a case study,we conducted stratified sampling and participatory rural investigation appraisal to collect data on the attributes of farm households’livelihood assets and livelihood strategies to establish an index evaluation system and enable evaluation and analysis of farm households with different livelihood strategies.Our research indicates that due to structural differences,total livelihood assets of farm households with different livelihood strategies are similar.Rural households have an abundance of natural and material assets and deficiencies in human,financial and social assets.Non-rural households and part-time households are abundant in human,financial and social assets and deficient in natural and material assets.