IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0273816.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dynamic livelihood impacts of COVID-19 on different rural households in mountainous areas of China

Author

Listed:
  • Chengchao Wang
  • Xiu He
  • Xianqiang Song
  • Shanshan Chen
  • Dongshen Luo

Abstract

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has brought about severe negative livelihood consequences for rural households worldwide. However, the heterogeneity and dynamics of livelihood impacts have been under-researched. There is also lacking a livelihood assessment of the pandemic based on a whole pandemic cycle. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic and heterogeneous livelihood impacts of COVID-19 pandemic for rural households in 2020 based on a case study of Southeast China. Methods: The pandemic in China had experienced a complete cycle from initial outbreak, to intermediate recovery and finally new normal stage in 2020. We conducted face-to-face interviews with 95 rural households randomly drawn from 2 rural villages in Xunwu County, Jiangxi Province, Southeast China. The sampled households are interviewed with a questionnaire through face-to-face surveys in February and March, 2021 to evaluate the overall livelihood impacts of the pandemic during 2020. The survey collected data on demographic and economic characteristics, governmental control measures, and effects of the COVID-19 on agricultural production, employment, income, education, and daily life. In-depth interviews are also conducted to clarify the livelihood impacts of COVID-19 on villages. Results: Results showed that the pandemic tremendously caused substantially negative livelihood impacts, including decreasing household income, and disorders in daily lives. The average income loss of all survey households is 6,842 RMB, accounting for 13.01% of the total household income in 2020. Containment measures also resulted in a series of disturbances in daily lives, such as rising food price additional expenditures, travel restrictions, party restrictions, closure of schools and deceasing living standards. There is remarkable household heterogeneity in the livelihood impacts. Results also revealed that the livelihood strategies of rural households to cope with the threat of COVID-19 were different in various pandemic stages. Conclusion: Our findings have illustrated the severity and heterogeneity of livelihood impacts on rural households induced by COVID-19 pandemic. The dynamics of livelihood impacts is also highlighted in the study. Several policy suggestion was proposed to mitigate these negative consequences of the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Chengchao Wang & Xiu He & Xianqiang Song & Shanshan Chen & Dongshen Luo, 2022. "Dynamic livelihood impacts of COVID-19 on different rural households in mountainous areas of China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(9), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0273816
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273816
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273816
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0273816&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0273816?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mohammad Imran Hossain, 2021. "COVID-19 Impacts on Employment and Livelihood of Marginal People in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned and Way Forward," South Asian Survey, , vol. 28(1), pages 57-71, March.
    2. Dan Pan & Jiaqing Yang & Guzhen Zhou & Fanbin Kong, 2020. "The influence of COVID-19 on agricultural economy and emergency mitigation measures in China: A text mining analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Lindsay M. Jaacks & Divya Veluguri & Rajesh Serupally & Aditi Roy & Poornima Prabhakaran & GV Ramanjaneyulu, 2021. "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural production, livelihoods, and food security in India: baseline results of a phone survey," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(5), pages 1323-1339, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Wupeng Yin & Niliarys Sifre-Acosta & Daisy Chamorro & Susmita Chowdhury & Nan Hu, 2025. "Impact of Physical Activity on Health Behavior Change and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Epidemic Among Chinese Adults: China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 22(2), pages 1-21, January.
    2. T. Ramanathan & T. Veerapandi & P. Palanikumar, 2023. "Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Indian Agriculture," Shanlax International Journal of Economics, Shanlax Journals, vol. 12(1), pages 110-113, December.
    3. Lotanna E Emediegwu & Obianuju O Nnadozie, 2023. "On the effects of COVID-19 on food prices in India: a time-varying approach," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(2), pages 232-249.
    4. Nitya Mittal & Janina Isabel Steinert & Sebastian Vollmer, 2023. "COVID-19 pandemic, losses of livelihoods and uneven recovery in Pune, India," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Kumar, Bezon & Kamal, Raihana Sayeeda & Parvin, Rawnaq Ara & Waresi, Noushin Mouli, 2021. "Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable Populations in Bangladesh," SocArXiv 7d8gc, Center for Open Science.
    6. Martin Paul Jr. Tabe‐Ojong & Bisrat Haile Gebrekidan & Emmanuel Nshakira‐Rukundo & Jan Börner & Thomas Heckelei, 2022. "COVID‐19 in rural Africa: Food access disruptions, food insecurity and coping strategies in Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(5), pages 719-738, September.
    7. Yang Yu & Jesús Rodrigo-Comino, 2021. "Analyzing Regional Geographic Challenges: The Resilience of Chinese Vineyards to Land Degradation Using a Societal and Biophysical Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-15, February.
    8. Ebenezer Kwabena Frimpong & Peter Yamoah & Ebenezer Wiafe & Patrick Hulisani Demana & Moliehi Matlala, 2022. "Market Women’s Perspectives on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): The Case of Ghana and South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, August.
    9. Saripalle, Madhuri & Subramanian, Vijaya C., 2022. "Production, Prices and Supply Chain disruption among farmers during Covid-19: Empirical Evidence from India," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322395, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Assem Abu Hatab & Lena Krautscheid & Mohamed Elsayied & Franklin Amuakwa-Mensah, 2024. "COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 16(4), pages 989-1008, August.
    11. Tomas Baležentis & Mangirdas Morkūnas & Agnė Žičkienė & Artiom Volkov & Erika Ribašauskienė & Dalia Štreimikienė, 2021. "Policies for Rapid Mitigation of the Crisis’ Effects on Agricultural Supply Chains: A Multi-Criteria Decision Support System with Monte Carlo Simulation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-31, October.
    12. Giulia Borghesi & Piergiuseppe Morone, 2023. "A review of the effects of COVID-19 on food waste," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(1), pages 261-280, February.
    13. Elizabeth Ransom, 2025. "Disaster response and sustainable transitions in agrifood systems," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 42(1), pages 121-138, March.
    14. Shameena Gill & Alia Maisara Adenan & Adli Ali & Noor Akmal Shareela Ismail, 2022. "Living through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact and Lessons on Dietary Behavior and Physical Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-23, January.
    15. Peng, Panyu & Li, Mingyang & Ao, Yibin & Deng, Shulin & Martek, Igor, 2024. "Spatial-temporal evolution of driving mechanisms of city resilience: A Sichuan-based case study," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    16. Husain, Zakir & Ghosh, Saswata & Dutta, Mousumi, 2022. "Changes in dietary practices of mother and child during the COVID-19 lockdown: Results from a household survey in Bihar, India," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    17. Shuai Qin & Hong Chen & Tuyen Thi Tran & Haokun Wang, 2022. "Analysis of the Spatial Effect of Capital Misallocation on Agricultural Output—Taking the Main Grain Producing Areas in Northeast China as an Example," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-17, May.
    18. Hausmann, Ricardo & Schetter, Ulrich, 2022. "Horrible trade-offs in a pandemic: Poverty, fiscal space, policy, and welfare," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    19. Verena Preusse & Manuel Santos Silva & Linda Steinhübel & Meike Wollni, 2024. "Covid‐19 and agricultural labor supply: Evidence from the rural–urban interface of an Indian mega‐city," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 391-415, April.
    20. Wenyi Yang & Xueli Wang & Keke Zhang & Zikan Ke, 2020. "COVID-19, Urbanization Pattern and Economic Recovery: An Analysis of Hubei, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-21, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:plo:pone00:0273816. 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: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    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.