Snow Disasters and Relief Efforts: A Case Study of Tibetan Pastoral Areas in Southern Qinghai

The Tibetan pastoral area in southern Qinghai is often subjected to snow disasters which can severely damage the income of herders' and can bring about other related hazards. The breaking down of the relationship between snow disasters and poverty constitutes an important part of the local poverty-alleviation strategy. Based on fieldwork conducted by the author, this chapter examines the relief efforts of herders and the government during and after a disaster and presents an analysis and assessment of these efforts. Although efforts have improved over time, the local relief mechanism still has some defects and needs further work in order to achieve a modicum of perfection. In order to improve this mechanism, one needs to understand that the material losses as a result of a snow disaster are different for pastoralists as opposed to agriculturalists. In addition to understanding this difference, it is important to comprehend the difference between those who are victims of snow disasters, and those who are more generally poverty-stricken.