IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i18p11524-d913742.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Heterogeneous Effects of Skill Training on Rural Livelihoods around Four Biosphere Reserves in China

Author

Listed:
  • Qi Sun

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Yunli Bai

    (Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    United Nations Environment Programme-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, China)

  • Chao Fu

    (Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    United Nations Environment Programme-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, China)

  • Xiangbo Xu

    (Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    United Nations Environment Programme-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, China)

  • Mingxing Sun

    (Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    United Nations Environment Programme-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, China)

  • Baodong Cheng

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China)

  • Linxiu Zhang

    (Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    United Nations Environment Programme-International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, China)

Abstract

The growing contradiction between protection and livelihood is a common challenge for most protected areas in developing countries. Skill training is an important way to increase household income and alleviate the dilemma between conservation and development. However, its effects on household income around protected areas have rarely been explored. This paper aims to evaluate the effect of skill training on the income of households around four Biosphere Reserves in China and explore its mechanism. Based on the information collected from 381 households through face-to-face interviews, this study adopted descriptive analysis and multiple regression to yield consistent results. The results showed that agricultural and off-farm skill training had no impact on the total household income. The results from the mechanism analysis found that participation in off-farm skill training had a significant and positive effect on the total income of the households outside protected areas and participation in agricultural training had a positive effect on agricultural income. The findings indicate that the local government and protected area administration should increase the publicity for skill training, enrich the types training, appropriately supply livelihood support projects that reconcile conservation and development, and strengthen the infrastructure development around protected areas to promote off-farm employment and the circulation and sale of agricultural products. However, the impacts of any associated intensification should be carefully monitored.

Suggested Citation

  • Qi Sun & Yunli Bai & Chao Fu & Xiangbo Xu & Mingxing Sun & Baodong Cheng & Linxiu Zhang, 2022. "Heterogeneous Effects of Skill Training on Rural Livelihoods around Four Biosphere Reserves in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-22, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11524-:d:913742
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11524/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11524/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thondhlana, Gladman & Muchapondwa, Edwin, 2014. "Dependence on environmental resources and implications for household welfare: Evidence from the Kalahari drylands, South Africa," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 59-67.
    2. Zhang, Yaxin & Zhang, Bo & Xie, Yi, 2021. "Can Protected Area Have Positive Effects on Community Livelihood?–Evidence from Wuyi Mountain National Nature Reserve, China," Journal of Forest Economics, now publishers, vol. 36(1-2), pages 53-77, February.
    3. Norsida Man & Sami Ismaila Sadiya, 2009. "Off-farm employment participation among paddy farmers in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority and Kemasin Semerak granary areas of Malaysia," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 16(2), pages 141-153, December.
    4. Tao Yang, Dennis, 2004. "Education and allocative efficiency: household income growth during rural reforms in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 137-162, June.
    5. Canavire-Bacarreza, Gustavo & Hanauer, Merlin M., 2013. "Estimating the Impacts of Bolivia’s Protected Areas on Poverty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 265-285.
    6. Ng, Ying Chu, 2005. "Training determinants and productivity impact of training in China: a case of Shanghai," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 275-295, June.
    7. Zhang, Xiaobei & Wang, Xiaojun, 2021. "Measures of human capital and the mechanics of economic growth," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Shackleton, Charlie M. & Shackleton, Sheona E. & Buiten, Erik & Bird, Neil, 2007. "The importance of dry woodlands and forests in rural livelihoods and poverty alleviation in South Africa," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(5), pages 558-577, January.
    9. Sarojini Hirshleifer & David McKenzie & Rita Almeida & Cristobal Ridao‐Cano, 2016. "The Impact of Vocational Training for the Unemployed: Experimental Evidence from Turkey," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 126(597), pages 2115-2146, November.
    10. Wiji Narendranathan Arulampalam & Alison L. Booth, 2001. "Learning and Earning: Do Multiple Training Events Pay? A Decade of Evidence from a Cohort of Young British Men," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 68(271), pages 379-400, August.
    11. Chesterman, Nathan S. & Entwistle, Julia & Chambers, Matthew C. & Liu, Hsiao-Chin & Agrawal, Arun & Brown, Daniel G., 2019. "The effects of trainings in soil and water conservation on farming practices, livelihoods, and land-use intensity in the Ethiopian highlands," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    12. Mbanze, Aires Afonso & Vieira da Silva, Carina & Ribeiro, Natasha Sofia & Santos, José Lima, 2021. "Participation in illegal harvesting of natural resources and the perceived costs and benefits of living within a protected area," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Cacho, Oscar J. & Milne, Sarah & Gonzalez, Ricardo & Tacconi, Luca, 2014. "Benefits and costs of deforestation by smallholders: Implications for forest conservation and climate policy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 321-332.
    14. Estifanos, Tafesse Kefyalew & Polyakov, Maksym & Pandit, Ram & Hailu, Atakelty & Burton, Michael, 2020. "The impact of protected areas on the rural households’ incomes in Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    15. Orazio Attanasio & Arlen Guarín & Carlos Medina & Costas Meghir, 2017. "Vocational Training for Disadvantaged Youth in Colombia: A Long-Term Follow-Up," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(2), pages 131-143, April.
    16. William F. Laurance & D. Carolina Useche & Julio Rendeiro & Margareta Kalka & Corey J. A. Bradshaw & Sean P. Sloan & Susan G. Laurance & Mason Campbell & Kate Abernethy & Patricia Alvarez & Victor Arr, 2012. "Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas," Nature, Nature, vol. 489(7415), pages 290-294, September.
    17. van den Berg, Marrit, 2010. "Household income strategies and natural disasters: Dynamic livelihoods in rural Nicaragua," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 592-602, January.
    18. Gutiérrez-Zamora, Violeta & Hernández Estrada, Mara, 2020. "Responsibilization and state territorialization: Governing socio-territorial conflicts in community forestry in Mexico," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    19. Wallace E. Huffman, 1977. "Allocative Efficiency: The Role of Human Capital," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 91(1), pages 59-79.
    20. De Pourcq, K. & Thomas, E. & Arts, B. & Vranckx, A. & Léon-Sicard, T. & Van Damme, P., 2017. "Understanding and Resolving Conflict Between Local Communities and Conservation Authorities in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 125-135.
    21. Ana S. L. Rodrigues & Sandy J. Andelman & Mohamed I. Bakarr & Luigi Boitani & Thomas M. Brooks & Richard M. Cowling & Lincoln D. C. Fishpool & Gustavo A. B. da Fonseca & Kevin J. Gaston & Michael Hoff, 2004. "Effectiveness of the global protected area network in representing species diversity," Nature, Nature, vol. 428(6983), pages 640-643, April.
    22. Haiqing Zhang & Linxiu Zhang & Renfu Luo & Qiang Li, 2008. "Does Education Still Pay Off in Rural China: Revisit the Impact of Education on Off‐farm Employment and Wages," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 16(2), pages 50-65, March.
    23. Bown, Natalie K. & Gray, Tim S. & Stead, Selina M., 2013. "Co-management and adaptive co-management: Two modes of governance in a Honduran marine protected area," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 128-134.
    24. Hans G. P. Jansen & John Pender & Amy Damon & Willem Wielemaker & Rob Schipper, 2006. "Policies for sustainable development in the hillside areas of Honduras: a quantitative livelihoods approach," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 34(2), pages 141-153, March.
    25. Dash, Madhusmita & Behera, Bhagirath, 2018. "Biodiversity conservation, relocation and socio-economic consequences: A case study of Similipal Tiger Reserve, India," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 327-337.
    26. Jiao, Xi & Walelign, Solomon Zena & Nielsen, Martin Reinhardt & Smith-Hall, Carsten, 2019. "Protected areas, household environmental incomes and well-being in the Greater Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 1-1.
    27. Kumeh, Eric Mensah & Kyereh, Boateng & Birkenberg, Athena & Birner, Regina, 2021. "Customary power, farmer strategies and the dynamics of access to protected forestlands for farming: Implications for Ghana's forest bioeconomy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    28. Wu, Jiayu & Wu, Gefei & Kong, Xinyu & Luo, Yiling & Zhang, Xiaobin, 2020. "Why should landowners in protected areas be compensated? A theoretical framework based on value capture," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    29. Farkas, Jenő Zsolt & Kovács, András Donát, 2021. "Nature conservation versus agriculture in the light of socio-economic changes over the last half-century–Case study from a Hungarian national park," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    30. Soltani, Arezoo & Angelsen, Arild & Eid, Tron & Naieni, Mohammad Saeid Noori & Shamekhi, Taghi, 2012. "Poverty, sustainability, and household livelihood strategies in Zagros, Iran," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 60-70.
    31. Liao, Liuwen & Long, Hualou & Gao, Xiaolu & Ma, Enpu, 2019. "Effects of land use transitions and rural aging on agricultural production in China’s farming area: A perspective from changing labor employing quantity in the planting industry," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    32. Angelsen, Arild & Jagger, Pamela & Babigumira, Ronnie & Belcher, Brian & Hogarth, Nicholas J. & Bauch, Simone & Börner, Jan & Smith-Hall, Carsten & Wunder, Sven, 2014. "Environmental Income and Rural Livelihoods: A Global-Comparative Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(S1), pages 12-28.
    33. Duan, Wei & Hogarth, Nicholas J. & Shen, Jinyu, 2021. "Impacts of Protected Areas on Income Inequality: Evidence from the Giant Panda Biosphere Reserves in Sichuan Province, China," Journal of Forest Economics, now publishers, vol. 36(1-2), pages 27-51, February.
    34. Rastogi, Archi & Hickey, Gordon M. & Anand, Anupam & Badola, Ruchi & Hussain, Syed Ainul, 2015. "Wildlife-tourism, local communities and tiger conservation: A village-level study in Corbett Tiger Reserve, India," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 11-19.
    35. Nchanji, Yvonne Kiki & Ramcilovic-Suominen, Sabaheta & Kotilainen, Juha, 2021. "Power imbalances, social inequalities and gender roles as barriers to true participation in national park management: The case of Korup National Park, Cameroon," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    36. Nuthall, P.L., 2006. "Determining the important management skill competencies: The case of family farm business in New Zealand," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 88(2-3), pages 429-450, June.
    37. Shin Takada & So Morikawa & Rika Idei & Hironori Kato, 2021. "Impacts of improvements in rural roads on household income through the enhancement of market accessibility in rural areas of Cambodia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2857-2881, October.
    38. Jansen, Hans G. P. & Pender, John L. & Damon, Amy & Schipper, Rob, 2006. "Rural development policies and sustainable land use in the hillside areas of Honduras: a quantitative livelihoods approach," Research reports 147, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    39. Mbanze, Aires Afonso & Viera da Silva, Carina & Ribeiro, Natasha Sofia & Silva, João F. & Santos, José Lima, 2020. "A Livelihood and Farming System approach for effective conservation policies in Protected Areas of Developing Countries: The case study of the Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    40. Gershon Feder & Rinku Murgai & Jaime B. Quizon, 2004. "The Acquisition and Diffusion of Knowledge: The Case of Pest Management Training in Farmer Field Schools, Indonesia," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(2), pages 221-243, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Qi Sun & Chao Fu & Yunli Bai & Ayub M. O. Oduor & Baodong Cheng, 2023. "Livelihood Diversification and Residents’ Welfare: Evidence from Maasai Mara National Reserve," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-21, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qi Sun & Chao Fu & Yunli Bai & Ayub M. O. Oduor & Baodong Cheng, 2023. "Livelihood Diversification and Residents’ Welfare: Evidence from Maasai Mara National Reserve," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-21, February.
    2. Dehghani Pour, Milad & Motiee, Naser & Barati, Ali Akbar & Taheri, Fatemeh & Azadi, Hossein & Gebrehiwot, Kindeya & Lebailly, Philippe & Van Passel, Steven & Witlox, Frank, 2017. "Impacts of the Hara Biosphere Reserve on Livelihood and Welfare in Persian Gulf," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 76-86.
    3. Bolier Torres & Jhenny Cayambe & Susana Paz & Kelly Ayerve & Marco Heredia-R & Emma Torres & Marcelo Luna & Theofilos Toulkeridis & Antón García, 2022. "Livelihood Capitals, Income Inequality, and the Perception of Climate Change: A Case Study of Small-Scale Cattle Farmers in the Ecuadorian Andes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    4. Yang Liu & Qing Zhang & Qingfu Liu & Yongzhi Yan & Wanxin Hei & Deyong Yu & Jianguo Wu, 2020. "Different Household Livelihood Strategies and Influencing Factors in the Inner Mongolian Grassland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Nguyen, Trung Thanh & Do, Truong Lam & Bühler, Dorothee & Hartje, Rebecca & Grote, Ulrike, 2015. "Rural livelihoods and environmental resource dependence in Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 282-295.
    6. Fengchun Wang & Hua Zheng & Xiaoke Wang & Wenjia Peng & Dongchun Ma & Cong Li, 2017. "Classification of the Relationship between Household Welfare and Ecosystem Reliance in the Miyun Reservoir Watershed, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Shanta Paudel Khatiwada & Wei Deng & Bikash Paudel & Janak Raj Khatiwada & Jifei Zhang & Yi Su, 2017. "Household Livelihood Strategies and Implication for Poverty Reduction in Rural Areas of Central Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, April.
    8. Walelign, Solomon Zena & Jiao, Xi, 2017. "Dynamics of rural livelihoods and environmental reliance: Empirical evidence from Nepal," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 199-209.
    9. Barad, Richard & Fletcher, Erin K. & Hillbruner, Chris, 2020. "Leveraging existing household survey data to map livelihoods in Nigeria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    10. Gil, J.M. & Diaz-Montenegro, J. & Varela, E., 2018. "A Bias-Adjusted Three-Step approach for analysing the livelihood strategies and the asset mix of cacao producers in Ecuador," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277215, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    11. Yuchen Du & Junfeng Chen & Yi Xie, 2023. "The Impacts of the Asian Elephants Damage on Farmer’s Livelihood Strategies in Pu’er and Xishuangbanna in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-14, March.
    12. Lan, Xiao & Zhang, Qin & Xue, Haili & Liang, Haoguang & Wang, Bojie & Wang, Weijun, 2021. "Linking sustainable livelihoods with sustainable grassland use and conservation: A case study from rural households in a semi-arid grassland area, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    13. Chuan Liao & Christopher Barrett & Karim-Aly Kassam, 2015. "Does Diversification Improve Livelihoods? Pastoral Households in Xinjiang, China," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 46(6), pages 1302-1330, November.
    14. Solomon Zena Walelign & Mariève Pouliot & Helle Overgaard Larsen & Carsten Smith-Hall, 2015. "A novel approach to dynamic livelihood clustering: Empirical evidence from Nepal," IFRO Working Paper 2015/09, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.
    15. Tran Quang Tuyen & Steven Lim & Michael P. Cameron & Vu Van Huong, 2014. "Farmland loss and livelihood outcomes: a microeconometric analysis of household surveys in Vietnam," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 423-444, July.
    16. Zhang, Jian & Mishra, Ashok K. & Zhu, Peixin, 2019. "Identifying livelihood strategies and transitions in rural China: Is land holding an obstacle?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 107-117.
    17. Van Hoang, Cuong & Quang Tran, Tuyen & Hai Thi Nguyen, Yen & Duc Nguyen, Kien, 2019. "Is landholding a potential barrier to adopting profitable livelihoods in the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam ?," MPRA Paper 95936, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Feb 2019.
    18. Longjunjiang Huang & Cong Liao & Xuan Guo & Yanlin Liu & Xiaojin Liu, 2023. "Analysis of the Impact of Livelihood Capital on Livelihood Strategies of Leased-In Farmland Households: A Case Study of Jiangxi Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-29, June.
    19. Ali Akbar Barati & Milad Zhoolideh & Mostafa Moradi & Eydieh Sohrabi Mollayousef & Christine Fürst, 2022. "Multidimensional poverty and livelihood strategies in rural Iran," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12963-12993, November.
    20. Wenjia Peng & Hua Zheng & Brian E. Robinson & Cong Li & Fengchun Wang, 2017. "Household Livelihood Strategy Choices, Impact Factors, and Environmental Consequences in Miyun Reservoir Watershed, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-12, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11524-:d:913742. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.