Livelihood status and adaptation strategies of ethnic mountain households: Evidence from Sichuan, China
Authors
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Md Nazirul Islam Sarker
School of Public Administration, Xi’an University of Finance and Economics, Xi’an 710100, China, and Miyan Research Institute, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8887-521X
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Xiaohan Li
School of Public Administration, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9100-9849
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Yang Lv
College of Teachers, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6153-715X
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A K M Kanak Pervez
5Department of Agronomy and Agricultural Extension, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi-6205, Bangladesh.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7413-9337
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Md Enamul Huq
Department of Geography and Environment, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sultan Idris Education University, Tanjong Malim 35900, Perak, Malaysia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0489-8263
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18488/35.v12i4.4571Abstract
Household livelihood assessment is an integral approach to determining the status of the development of rural people and society. Therefore, this study aims to explore the status of the livelihood and adaptation strategies of ethnic mountain people. A capital-based livelihood assessment was conducted on households living in Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, China, under the guidance of the sustainable livelihood framework. Primary data were gathered through a semi-structured household survey of 42 ethnic mountain households complemented by two focus group discussions with community representatives. This study reveals that ethnic mountain households possess low levels of human capital (education, health, and vocational skills), limited natural capital (cultivable land and homestead areas), scarcity of physical capital (poor housing, production tools, vehicles, and durable assets), limited access to financial capital (income, borrowing informal and formal loans, and charity), and poor social capital (loose social networks within relatives, low opportunities for financial help, and job facilities). The analysis revealed a positive relationship between family size and household income, and cultivable land area. Cultivable land and homestead size are significantly positively related to dwelling quality (0.20*), financial security (0.60*), ease of obtaining informal loans (0.20*), and access to formal loans (0.30*). The major adaptation strategies depend on agriculture, off-farm income activities, social networks, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), and migration for work. This study recommends that a continuous development program be implemented to help protect the culture and enhance the livelihood security of ethnic mountain people.
