IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i18p5064-d267758.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Water Resource Utilization and Livelihood Adaptations under the Background of Climate Change: A Case Study of Rural Households in the Koshi River Basin

Author

Listed:
  • Jiangjun Wan

    (Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Xueqian Song

    (School of Management, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China)

  • Yi Su

    (Rural Development Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Social Science, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Li Peng

    (Institute of Mountain Hazard and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Shanta Paudel Khatiwada

    (Institute of Mountain Hazard and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Yawen Zhou

    (Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 610041, China)

  • Wei Deng

    (Institute of Mountain Hazard and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China)

Abstract

In the Koshi River Basin, the effects of climate change have become clear. Agricultural countries, such as Nepal, depend on farmers’ adaptations to climate change for local sustainable development. Limited livelihood options, unequal access to resources and information, and climate change-related floods and droughts have reduced farmer welfare. Few studies have investigated the effects of altitude in rural areas or examined livelihood adaptation strategies in Nepal. Using a survey of farmers in rural areas at high, middle, and low altitudes in Nepal, this article explores the impacts of climate change-related floods and droughts, as well as the water resource utilization, disaster resilience, and livelihood improvement ability of farmers and the influencing factors. This article adopted participatory rural appraisal to obtain survey data from farmers at three altitudes. Through one-way ANOVA and F-tests, farmers’ perceptions of floods and droughts were analyzed, and through field investigations, their production and water consumption patterns were established. Logistic regressions show that college education, farming income, and domestic water consumption have the strongest impacts on households’ disaster resilience, while non-farm income, male laborer rates, and college education have the strongest impacts on households’ abilities to improve livelihoods. Based on our results, we offer countermeasures and suggestions on education, gender equality, and rural infrastructure construction.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiangjun Wan & Xueqian Song & Yi Su & Li Peng & Shanta Paudel Khatiwada & Yawen Zhou & Wei Deng, 2019. "Water Resource Utilization and Livelihood Adaptations under the Background of Climate Change: A Case Study of Rural Households in the Koshi River Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:18:p:5064-:d:267758
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/18/5064/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/18/5064/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marshall, N.A. & Park, S. & Howden, S.M. & Dowd, A.B. & Jakku, E.S., 2013. "Climate change awareness is associated with enhanced adaptive capacity," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 30-34.
    2. Stifel, David, 2010. "The rural non-farm economy, livelihood strategies and household welfare," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 4(1), March.
    3. Siri H. Eriksen & Karen O'Brien, 2007. "Vulnerability, poverty and the need for sustainable adaptation measures," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(4), pages 337-352, July.
    4. Varun Kumar Das & A. Ganesh-Kumar, 2018. "Farm size, livelihood diversification and farmer’s income in India," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 45(2), pages 185-201, June.
    5. Bartlett, R. & Bharati, Luna & Pant, Dhruba & Hosterman, H. & McCornick, P. G., 2010. "Climate change impacts and adaptation in Nepal," IWMI Working Papers H043439, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Thornton, P.K. & van de Steeg, J. & Notenbaert, A. & Herrero, M., 2009. "The impacts of climate change on livestock and livestock systems in developing countries: A review of what we know and what we need to know," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 113-127, 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. Jiangjun Wan & Yi Su & Huanglin Zan & Yutong Zhao & Lingqing Zhang & Shaoyao Zhang & Xiangyu Dong & Wei Deng, 2020. "Land Functions, Rural Space Governance, and Farmers’ Environmental Perceptions: A Case Study from the Huanjiang Karst Mountain Area, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Ran Zhu & Yiping Fang, 2022. "Application of a Water Supply-Demand Balance Model to Set Priorities for Improvements in Water Supply Systems: A Case Study from the Koshi River Basin, Nepal," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, January.

    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. M. Melissa Rojas-Downing & A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi & Mohammad Abouali & Fariborz Daneshvar & Sabah Anwer Dawood Al Masraf & Matthew R. Herman & Timothy Harrigan & Zhen Zhang, 2018. "Pasture diversification to combat climate change impacts on grazing dairy production," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 405-431, March.
    2. Brown, Peter R. & Bridle, Kerry L. & Crimp, Steven J., 2016. "Assessing the capacity of Australian broadacre mixed farmers to adapt to climate change: Identifying constraints and opportunities," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 129-141.
    3. Lenyeletse V. Basupi & Claire H. Quinn & Andrew J. Dougill, 2017. "Pastoralism and Land Tenure Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Conflicting Policies and Priorities in Ngamiland, Botswana," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Shikuku, Kelvin M. & Valdivia, Roberto O. & Paul, Birthe K. & Mwongera, Caroline & Winowiecki, Leigh & Läderach, Peter & Herrero, Mario & Silvestri, Silvia, 2017. "Prioritizing climate-smart livestock technologies in rural Tanzania: A minimum data approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 204-216.
    5. Little, Peter D. & McPeak, John G., 2014. "Resilience and pastoralism in Africa South of the Sahara:," IFPRI book chapters, in: Fan, Shenggen & Pandya-Lorch, Rajul & Yosef, Sivan (ed.), 2013 Global Food Policy Report, chapter 9, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Chalise, Sudarshan & Naranpanawa, Athula & Bandara, Jayatilleke S. & Sarker, Tapan, 2017. "A general equilibrium assessment of climate change–induced loss of agricultural productivity in Nepal," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 43-50.
    7. Stephen Woroniecki, 2019. "Enabling Environments? Examining Social Co-Benefits of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Sri Lanka," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, February.
    8. Dilshad Ahmad & Muhammad Afzal, 2021. "Impact of climate change on pastoralists’ resilience and sustainable mitigation in Punjab, Pakistan," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 11406-11426, August.
    9. Dula Etana & Denyse J. R. M. Snelder & Cornelia F. A. van Wesenbeeck & Tjard de Cock Buning, 2021. "The Impact of Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability on the Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in Central Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-21, June.
    10. Wassie Berhanu & Fekadu Beyene, 2015. "Climate Variability and Household Adaptation Strategies in Southern Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-23, May.
    11. Naveen P. Singh & Bhawna Anand & S. K. Srivastava & N. R. Kumar & Shirish Sharma & S. K. Bal & K. V. Rao & M. Prabhakar, 2022. "Risk, perception and adaptation to climate change: evidence from arid region, India," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 112(2), pages 1015-1037, June.
    12. Md. Mahfuzul Islam & A. Aldrie Amir & Rawshan Ara Begum, 2021. "Community awareness towards coastal hazard and adaptation strategies in Pahang coast of Malaysia," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 107(2), pages 1593-1620, June.
    13. Shannon McNeeley, 2012. "Examining barriers and opportunities for sustainable adaptation to climate change in Interior Alaska," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 111(3), pages 835-857, April.
    14. Sèyi Fridaïus Ulrich Vanvanhossou & Luc Hippolyte Dossa & Sven König, 2021. "Sustainable Management of Animal Genetic Resources to Improve Low-Input Livestock Production: Insights into Local Beninese Cattle Populations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-20, September.
    15. Headey, Derek & Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum & You, Liangzhi, 2014. "Diversification and Development in Pastoralist Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 200-213.
    16. Jean-François Maystadt & Margherita Calderone & Liangzhi You, 2015. "Local warming and violent conflict in North and South Sudan," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 15(3), pages 649-671.
    17. Takasaki, Yoshito, 2016. "Learning from disaster: community-based marine protected areas in Fiji," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 53-77, February.
    18. Zagaria, Cecilia & Schulp, Catharina J.E. & Zavalloni, Matteo & Viaggi, Davide & Verburg, Peter H., 2021. "Modelling transformational adaptation to climate change among crop farming systems in Romagna, Italy," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    19. Iglesias, Eva & Báez, Karen & Diaz-Ambrona, Carlos H., 2016. "Assessing drought risk in Mediterranean Dehesa grazing lands," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 65-74.
    20. Yoshito Takasaki, 2013. "Do natural disasters beget fraud victimization?: Unrealized coping through labor migration among the poor," Tsukuba Economics Working Papers 2013-002, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba.

    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:11:y:2019:i:18:p:5064-:d:267758. 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.