Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment ›› 2022, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (12): 1514-1525.doi: 10.19741/j.issn.1673-4831.2022.0625

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Impact of Risk Shocks on Farmers' Sustainable Livelihood in Agricultural Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Tongling Zingiber officinale Planting System in Anhui Province

LIU Ji-long, LI Xian-de, ZHANG Yong-xun, SUN Zhi-lu, CAO Fang-fang, QIAN Chen   

  1. Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
  • Received:2022-06-22 Online:2022-12-25 Published:2023-01-03

Abstract: Farmers' sustainable livelihood is a critical element for the conservation and development of agricultural heritage systems. Given the fact that agricultural heritage systems are endangered on one hand and agricultural production is an interweave process of natural and economic reproduction on the other hand, farmers' sustainable livelihood is vulnerable to risk shocks, including market and natural risks. Taking Tongling Zingiber officinale Planting System (TGPS) in Anhui Province as an example, one of China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, this paper used a structural equation model with formative indicators to investigate the impact of risk shocks on farmers' livelihood resources and outcomes and its underlying mechanisms, and further discussed the relationship between livelihood resources and livelihood outcomes by constructing the analytical framework of risk shocks → livelihood resources → livelihood outcomes based on sustainable livelihoods framework. The results show that: (1) In TGPS site, farmers heavily depend on using savings, lowing cash holdings, and reducing expenditures on education and train to cope with market or natural risks, causing the stock of farmers' financial capital and human capital to reduce more. (2) The improvement of farmers' livelihood outcomes is limited due to the aging of traditional agricultural labor forces, the weakening technical capacity of traditional agriculture production and the insufficient integration of traditional agriculture with other industries in TGPS site. (3) Market risks have a significant and direct negative effect on farmer's livelihood outcomes, but the total effect of natural risk on farmer's livelihood outcomes is bigger. Based on it, the conservation and development of agricultural heritage systems should focus on promoting the sustainability of farmers' livelihood from different aspects, such as taking more measures to cope with risk shocks, increasing the added value of agricultural products, and promoting the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism industries.

Key words: China Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems, risk shocks, sustainable livelihood, Structural Equation Modeling, Tongling Zingiber officinale Planting System

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