Livelihood Poverty:Poverty Study Of Farmers And Herdsmen In Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

Living with poor livelihood resource, living without decent livelihood capital, living with low capability can be defined as livelihood poverty. Livelihood poverty that contains the basic contents of economic poverty, ability poverty, rights poverty and other poverty is a feasible dimension of poverty study. Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is one of the contiguous poverty areas in China. Large-scale poverty, deep poverty and poverty caused by complex factors are its specific characteristics. Analyzing its poverty status by using livelihoods poverty has not only theoretical significance but also practical significance.At present, study of the contiguous poverty areas is inadequate. Most researches only focus on poor people but ignore shortage of their capability, analyze their economic poverty but ignore their mono-livelihood. Currently, livelihood poverty will be a new perspective of the study of the contiguous poverty areas. By using this new perspective, mono-livelihood, low capability and lack of livelihood capital are the core characters of farmer and herdsmen poverty in Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.Livelihood poverty is based on the theory of sustainable livelihood and capability. There are two basic hypothesis can be built by linking these two theories. Firstly, there is a positive correlation between livelihood resources, capacity and livelihood results. Livelihood resource endowments which represented by amount and quality of livelihood has a directly impact on ones’ living, life and development capacity. Then, capability affects ones’ livelihoods results directly; the meager livelihood resources, the lower capability, the poverty results. On the contrary, the better livelihood resources, the higher capability, the rich results. Both poor and rich livelihood results will have different effects on capability and livelihood resources endowment of farmers and herdsmen. Secondly, there is a positive correlation between the public goods supply, resource endowment, capability and poverty reduction effects. If farmers and herdsmen who are facing the shortage of Livelihood resource and capability want to get rich livelihood results, convert of structures and institutions is need. While, public goods supply is a fundamental contents of convert of structures and institutions. Villagesof different livelihood endowments cause villagers live in different ways. Rich or poor can be their livelihood results. Through investigation and analysis of our cases, some conclusions can be got. Herdsmen and farmer will have abundant livelihood capital, live by diverse livelihood, and get strong capability when the villages where they live have rich resources, well-built infrastructures and plenty public goods supply. Instead, Herdsmen and farmer will have less livelihood capital, live by single livelihood, and get low capability when the villages where they live have poor resources and lack of well-built infrastructures and public goods supply. Most herdsmen in pasturing area are destitute before they move into the settlements for them. On the other side, villagers in agricultural area are rich when they have abundant natural capital, agricultural production, wage economy and the collective economy and sideline. Meanwhile, villages where they live also have well-built infrastructures that includes roads, communications equipments and public goods supply such as health care and education. On the contrary, villagers will be poor. It is worth noticing that livelihood results could be affected by some policies, such as funding for poverty reduction and village advancement.Here is another puzzle, farmers and herdsmen living in the same village, sharing common endowments, why different livelihood result between them? By analyzing household survey we choose, there are some conclusions can be got. Rich families always have abundant capitals; have strong capability; live by diverse livelihoods. Poor families always have poor capability; live by single livelihood; and lack of one or several kinds of capitals. Medium families always have one or some capitals; have limited capability; and live by relatively diverse livelihood. It is worth noticing that some families which have only one means of livelihoods are rich. Having abundant one kind of capital is the cause.The core path to breakthrough livelihood poverty is get poverty reduction effects by providing a large amount of public goods to farmers and herdsmen to improve their livelihood and capability. Government of Ganze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture provides six kinds of public goods to farmers and herdsmen including basic public services, infrastructure construction, basic living facilities, basic social security, production and living allowance and production public goods supply. Each of the six kinds of public goods supply has a specific effect on poverty reduction. First of all, basic public services which include basic education and vocational training can expand herdsmen and farmers’means of livelihood by teaching them modern production techniques and methods. Secondly, infrastructure constructions including roads, water supply and communication equipments supply. Road and communication equipment supply have an impact on their communication for information and increase their employment opportunities; Electricity and water supply can improve their production and living conditions. Thirdly, basic living facilities supply which includes housing and alternative energy sources supply can improve their living environment, strengthen their physical fitness, and enhance their human capital. It is worth noticing that herdsmen’s living have been changed after they move into settlements for them although animal husbandry is still their means of livelihood. Some of them even complete urbanization by moving into the counties. Fourth, the production and living allowance supply directly increase their cash resource and funding capital. Fifth, the basic social security supply not only directly increase farmers and herdsmen’s income, but also relieve sick, old worries after. Sixth, production public goods supply not only develops the condition and output of agricultural and pastures production but also indirectly increases their income.