IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i8p4608-d792267.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What Affects the Livelihood Risk Coping Preferences of Smallholder Farmers? A Case Study from the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Author

Listed:
  • Yanyan Ma

    (College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)

  • Xueyan Zhao

    (College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

Abstract

As the smallest livelihood unit in rural areas, farmers often face multiple risks. Rational responses to livelihood risks not only prevent households from falling into poverty, but also improve the sustainability of family livelihoods. This is essential to the sustainable development of rural areas. This paper takes the region located in the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China as an example, using household survey data to analyze farmers’ livelihood risk coping strategies and their key factors through a binary logistic model. The results show that 92.80% of farmers face the shock of multiple livelihood risks. The main livelihood risks of farmers are family capacity building risk, health risk and social risk. When faced with multiple livelihood risks, farmers have the strongest preference to give priority to health risks, followed by family capacity building risks and social risks. Among them, farmers’ health risk coping preferences are stronger in farming areas than those in purely pastoral and farming-pastoral areas. There are differences in the factors for farmers’ preferences for coping with different livelihood risks. Human capital is a key factor for health risk coping preferences. Human capital and social capital are key factors for social risk coping preferences. Social capital is a key factor for family capacity building risk coping preferences. Finally, this paper puts forward countermeasures and suggestions to provide reference for farmers rationally coping with livelihood risks.

Suggested Citation

  • Yanyan Ma & Xueyan Zhao, 2022. "What Affects the Livelihood Risk Coping Preferences of Smallholder Farmers? A Case Study from the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4608-:d:792267
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4608/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4608/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Brauw, Alan & Eozenou, Patrick, 2014. "Measuring risk attitudes among Mozambican farmers," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 61-74.
    2. Orduño Torres, Miguel Angel & Kallas, Zein & Ornelas Herrera, Selene Ivette, 2020. "Farmers’ environmental perceptions and preferences regarding climate change adaptation and mitigation actions; towards a sustainable agricultural system in México," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Fang Su & Udoy SAIKIA & Iain HAY, 2019. "Impact of Perceived Livelihood Risk on Livelihood Strategies: A Case Study in Shiyang River Basin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, June.
    4. Quang Nguyen & Colin Camerer & Tomomi Tanaka, 2010. "Risk and Time Preferences Linking Experimental and Household Data from Vietnam," Post-Print halshs-00547090, HAL.
    5. Helena Hansson & Carl Johan Lagerkvist, 2012. "Measuring farmers' preferences for risk: a domain-specific risk preference scale," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(7), pages 737-753, August.
    6. Alison C. Cullen & C. Leigh Anderson & Pierre Biscaye & Travis W. Reynolds, 2018. "Variability in Cross‐Domain Risk Perception among Smallholder Farmers in Mali by Gender and Other Demographic and Attitudinal Characteristics," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(7), pages 1361-1377, July.
    7. Omotuyole Isiaka Ambali & Francisco Jose Areal & Nikolaos Georgantzis, 2021. "Improved Rice Technology Adoption: The Role of Spatially-Dependent Risk Preference," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-13, July.
    8. Mohan, Sarah, 2020. "Risk aversion and certification: Evidence from the Nepali tea fields," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    9. Fang SU & Udoy SAIKIA & Iain HAY, 2018. "Relationships between Livelihood Risks and Livelihood Capitals: A Case Study in Shiyang River Basin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    10. T. Micic, 2016. "Risk reality vs risk perception," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(10), pages 1261-1274, November.
    11. Botzen, W.J.W. & Aerts, J.C.J.H. & van den Bergh, J.C.J.M., 2009. "Willingness of homeowners to mitigate climate risk through insurance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(8-9), pages 2265-2277, June.
    12. Jeanne Dachary-Bernard & Helene Rey-Valette & Bénédicte Rulleau, 2019. "Preferences among coastal and inland residents relating to managed retreat: Influence of risk perception in acceptability of relocation strategies," Post-Print hal-02049356, HAL.
    13. Tomomi Tanaka & Colin F. Camerer & Quang Nguyen, 2010. "Risk and Time Preferences: Linking Experimental and Household Survey Data from Vietnam," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(1), pages 557-571, March.
    14. Campos-Vazquez, Raymundo M. & Cuilty, Emilio, 2014. "The role of emotions on risk aversion: A Prospect Theory experiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 1-9.
    15. Mathew P. White & J. Richard Eiser & Peter R. Harris, 2004. "Risk Perceptions of Mobile Phone Use While Driving," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 323-334, April.
    16. Campbell, Robert M. & Venn, Tyron J. & Anderson, Nathaniel M., 2018. "Heterogeneity in Preferences for Woody Biomass Energy in the US Mountain West," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 27-37.
    17. Remidius Denis Ruhinduka & Yonas Alem & Håkan Eggert & Travis Lybbert, 2020. "Smallholder rice farmers’ post-harvest decisions: preferences and structural factors," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 47(4), pages 1587-1620.
    18. Thea Nielsen & Alwin Keil & Manfred Zeller, 2013. "Assessing farmers’ risk preferences and their determinants in a marginal upland area of Vietnam: a comparison of multiple elicitation techniques," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 44(3), pages 255-273, May.
    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. Julius Uti Nchor, 2023. "Livelihood Strategies and Their Determinants among Informal Households in Calabar, Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, 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. Ahsanuzzaman, & Priyo, Asad Karim Khan & Nuzhat, Kanti Ananta, 2022. "Effects of communication, group selection, and social learning on risk and ambiguity attitudes: Experimental evidence from Bangladesh," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    2. Ihli, Hanna Julia & Chiputwa, Brian & Musshoff, Oliver, 2016. "Do Changing Probabilities or Payoffs in Lottery-Choice Experiments Affect Risk Preference Outcomes? Evidence from Rural Uganda," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 41(2), May.
    3. Freudenreich, Hanna & Musshoff, Oliver & Wiercinski, Ben, 2017. "The Relationship between Farmers' Shock Experiences and their Uncertainty Preferences - Experimental Evidence from Mexico," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 256212, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    4. Géraldine Bocqueho & Marc Deschamps & Jenny Helstroffer & Julien Jacob & Majlinda Joxhe & Ofce Observatoire Français Des Conjonctures Économiques, 2018. "The risk and refugee migration," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03607866, HAL.
    5. Petraud, Jean & Boucher, Stephen & Carter, Michael, 2015. "Competing theories of risk preferences and the demand for crop insurance: Experimental evidence from Peru," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211383, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    6. Menkhoff, Lukas & Sakha, Sahra, 2017. "Estimating risky behavior with multiple-item risk measures," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 59-86.
    7. François-Charles Wolff, 2020. "The intergenerational transmission of risk attitudes: Evidence from Burkina Faso," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 181-206, March.
    8. Ihli, Hanna Julia & Chiputwa, Brian & Musshoff, Oliver, 2013. "Do Changing Probabilities or Payoffs in Lottery-Choice Experiments Matter? Evidence from Rural Uganda," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 158146, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    9. Géraldine Bocquého & Julien Jacob & Marielle Brunette, 2020. "Prospect theory in experiments : behaviour in loss domain and framing effects," Working Papers hal-02987294, HAL.
    10. Matteo M. Marini, 2021. "Does gender moderate the influence of emotions on risk-taking? A robustness check," Working Papers 2021/06, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    11. Pamela Katic & Tim Ellis, 2018. "Risk aversion in agricultural water management investments in Northern Ghana: experimental evidence," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 49(5), pages 575-586, September.
    12. Matteo M. Marini, 2022. "20 years of emotions and risky choices in the lab: A meta-analysis," Working Papers 2022/03, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    13. Stein T. Holden & John Quiggin, 2017. "Climate risk and state-contingent technology adoption: shocks, drought tolerance and preferences," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 44(2), pages 285-308.
    14. Feyisa, Ashenafi Duguma & Maertens, Miet & de Mey, Yann, 2023. "Relating risk preferences and risk perceptions over different agricultural risk domains: Insights from Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Freudenreich, Hanna & Musshoff, Oliver, 2022. "Experience of losses and aversion to uncertainty - experimental evidence from farmers in Mexico," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    16. Nadia A. Streletskaya & Samuel D. Bell & Maik Kecinski & Tongzhe Li & Simanti Banerjee & Leah H. Palm‐Forster & David Pannell, 2020. "Agricultural Adoption and Behavioral Economics: Bridging the Gap," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(1), pages 54-66, March.
    17. Arieska Wening Sarwosri & Oliver Mußhoff, 2020. "Are Risk Attitudes and Time Preferences Crucial Factors for Crop Diversification by Smallholder Farmers?," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(6), pages 922-942, August.
    18. Shuoli Zhao & Chengyan Yue, 2020. "Risk preferences of commodity crop producers and specialty crop producers: An application of prospect theory," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 359-372, May.
    19. Ward, Patrick S. & Singh, Vartika, 2013. "Risk and Ambiguity Preferences and the Adoption of New Agricultural Technologies: Evidence from Field Experiments in Rural India," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150794, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    20. Bruns, Selina JK & Hermann, Daniel & Musshoff, Oliver, 2022. "Is gamification a curse or blessing for the design of risk elicitation methods in the field? Experimental evidence from Cambodian smallholder farmers," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322263, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

    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:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4608-:d:792267. 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.