Research On The Impact Of Farmers' Vulnerability In Resource-Scarce Southwestern Region On Rice Production Behavior

The southwestern region is one of the hardest hit areas by natural disasters in China, with obvious disparities in the distribution of population and resources, increasingly serious conflicts between population, resources and the environment. Poverty and the deterioration of eco-system, especially the various forms of risks including natural markets have deepened the vulnerability of farmers in the region. The vulnerability of farmers is decided by the possibility of risks in production and the ability to resist them. The possibility of risks in production and the ability to resist them have an effect on the decision or the farmers' production behavior. Rice is the most important crop in southwestern China, shouldering the responsibility to ensure food security in the whole region. In order to achieve development in southwestern region, the first priority is to address the problems of food and clothing and increasing rural income. Therefore, the study on the impact of farmers' vulnerability and farmers'rice production have an important practical significance.The paper puts an emphasis on the effect of farmers' vulnerability on farmers' rice-production behaviors under the restriction of the possibility of risks in production and the ability to resist them using the theory of vulnerability, personal behavior, farmers' behavior and so on. The survey questionnaire was conducted including household's current state, household's caption, the risk in production, household's planting will, technology requirements and investment behavior. This research presents a detailed and systematic description on overall characteristics of farmers rice production from four regions of the Southwestern. And logistic regression model with dummy variables and the binary logistic regression model are applied to analyze the vulnerability factors which has an effect on the behavior of rice farmers. On its basis, the countermeasures are proposed to promote the rice production. The main results are as follows:1, This paper analyzes the cause of the farmers' vulnerability through reaching the related concepts and reviewing the literature. It finds that the farmers' vulnerability depends on the possibility of risks in production and the ability farmers' can resist them. On its basis, this paper construct the framework that how the behavior of rice farmers have an great impact on farmers' vulnerability.2, On the basis of the theory of vulnerability, personal behavior, farmers' behavior and so on, to farmers' vulnerability as the starting point, this paper construct the econometric model that the behavior of rice farmers have an great impact on farmers' vulnerability, and then analyzes the impact that farmers' planting will, technology requirements and investment behavior of farmers' vulnerability on. 3, Pest disaster is the most important risk factor of the farmers' vulnerability factors. The more serious the pest disaster is, the weaker the farmers' planting will is. They are more likely to choose new varieties, pest control and fertilizer and pesticide technology, even reduce or abandon the investment in rice production to exchange for the basic survival.4, The behavior of rice farmers have an important impact on the ability to resist the risk. When the farmers encounter the uncertainty interference from outside, the bigger the resistance is, the more adequate capital for sustainable livelihoods, the weaker the farmers' vulnerability will be, and the smaller the impact on production behavior will be.The originality of this study mainly lies in the connection between farmers' vulnerability and the production behavior through mathematical approaches, and analysis on the factors affecting farmers' production behavior from the angle of farmers' vulnerability. This study also offers suggestions on lowering farmers' vulnerability, promoting farmers' motivation of production and ensuring food security.