Font Size: a A A

Farmers Livelihood Change And A New Socialist Countryside Construction

Posted on:2010-05-11Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:G X XinFull Text:PDF
GTID:2206360275952238Subject:Human Geography
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Household livelihood issues have been focused by government agencies and researchers since 1990s.Developing comprehensive research of human-earth coupled system from the visual angle of livelihood change becomes a new way,within the human-earth system of a certain spatial and temporal scale,which is helpful to explain what changes in region by getting new cognitions from local scale.For a long time,the problem of rural development is a piece of"stubborn ill" during the modernization of China.For getting rid of the stagnant predicament and improving the ability of development,it is the most important way to choose nonfarm-employment for households to make their livelihood diversification.As a macro-strategy adjustment in the new phase of history,the construction of socialist new countryside is one of the most important historical tasks in the modernization of China.The major aims are to war on issues of agriculture,farmer and rural area,and promote stability in the agriculture,rural development and peasant incomes.The subject has been widely discussed in the whole of society since having been put forward.However,a number of critical issues have not been answered in the existing research,for instance,policies at the level of macroscopy and department are how to affect specific communities or households' livelihood at the micro level;how to mobilize local residents to identify their priority needs,and to solve the urgent livelihood problems by use of resources.Based on the theory framework of the human-earth system and the perspective of household livelihood,the paper studied the hot area of the construction of new countryside-Qionglai,and on top of the different scales of household-local(rural area)-region,in order to understand the relationship between the construction of new countryside and household livelihood through the analysis of changes in the household livelihood.In other words,the focuses of the study were that,in the socio-economic policies context,the decision-making of region is how to affect the changes of local development capability,what the relationship between the changes of local development capability and household livelihood diversification is,and further to put forward adaptive strategies for achieving sustainable livelihoods.A series of meaningful conclusions are as follows:ⅰ) In the macro policy context,the scientific decision-making of region is the premise to carry out the construction of socialist new countryside.In order to meet the requirements of the overall objective in macro and the practice and development needs in region,it is very necessary and meaningful to set up the policy system having regional features by the help of the consensus of decision-making in the management.ⅱ) By guiding of the decision-making of region,the changes of local development capability is the key of the construction of socialist new countryside.On top of the local scale,the study on a case of Yangan Town showed that the development capacity is deeply impacted by the construction of new countryside.These changes enrich the economic basis of the local development,and improve the composition and quality of assets based on which households pick up their livelihoods, and drive the development of rural economics and peasants income increase,and promote the overall social harmony at the end.Such as the new pattern of developing collective economy in Tangying,the pattern of welfare house in Renhe,and so on.ⅲ) The changes of the development capability in local scale lead to the changes of household livelihood.(ⅰ) Habitation.Households move towards the residential areas where are characterized by beautiful environments and improved transports different from the remote areas.Their house type changes into storied building from cottage,and built with steel and cement instead of wood and brick.Households knew about the outer world through improved roads between the residential areas and the town.(ⅱ) Daily life.Household fuel mainly consists of coal,natural gas and electricity,but not firewood,coal and straw.Drinking water sources change into tap-water from the well-water.The number of household appliances,such as fixed telephone,refrigerator and washing machine,are clearly increasing.Some of public facilities,such as baseroom,clinic,small market and kindergarten,are gradually set up.(ⅲ) Family budget.The proportion of agricultural income to all of income in a household is declining,while non-agricultural income increasing.Households have a heavier trend on the family burden because items of expenditure increase after dwelling in new places.(ⅳ) Livelihood capital.The number of shop,workshop and means of conveyance in the productive assets is increasing.However,thanks to agricultural production activities reducing,a lot of agricultural implements are out of use.The rural financial capital is increased to some extent by provision of policy-based loan,borrowing and lending among households,and so on.(ⅴ) Livelihood strategies.The construction of new countryside transfers a large number of labour force to non-agricultural industry,and to large extent,drive the type of household livelihood from basic-livelihood to progressed-livelihood.This means "the positive non-agricultural ".At the same time,the type of household livelihood in some households with livelihood vulnerability(such as disease,the lack of labor force,skill or social relationships) often degrades from basic-livelihood to degradational-livelihood;the constitution of livelihood becomes simple.This means "the negative non-agricultural".The circulation of rural land is a good choice for households to transfer laboure force and escape from many kinds of disadvantages,such as the scarcity of labor force,the low agricultural income and production inconveniences.And so,it is also an important kind of livelihood strategy.(ⅵ) Household's perception and response.Facing these changes,a majority of households considered that their living conditions were clearly improved especially by land consolidation.Households' response was not positive for agricultural production activities.They were interested in the non-agricultural employment,reversely.ⅳ) The process analysis framework of "the macro socio-economic policies-regional decision-making-changes of local development capability-livelihood diversification " is set up. And considered that the construction of socialist new countryside acts on the local development capability by the way of regional decision-making,and further makes household livelihood better via improving the local development capability,and then achieves household livelihood diversification. ⅴ) In the construction of socialist new countryside,livelihood diversification is the key of building household sustainable livelihood.For the future,the progressed-livelihood is going to be the main livelihood pattern for household,and the involved "non-agricultural" content will be further intensified.
Keywords/Search Tags:household livelihood, the construction of socialist new countryside, livelihood diversification, sustainable
PDF Full Text Request
Related items