Livelihood resilience and strategies of rural residents of earthquake-threatened areas in Sichuan Province, China

Potential factors associated with resilience among older adults in rural China: a multilevel analysis

BACKGROUND

Resilience is crucial for older adults who experience adversities, but research on the issue in rural China remains limited. This study aims to examine factors associated with resilience among older adults in rural China, as related to different types of resilience, and under different levels of adversity.

METHODS

Data were taken from the eight-wave (2001-2021) Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province, China. We used data from the eighth wave (2021) for the outcome variables and lagged predictors (2018) to avoid reverse causal effects. The study sample included individuals 60 years and above, excluding new participants from 2021, those without any adverse events, and any respondents with incomplete analytic data. Resilience was operationalized as residuals of the regressions of life satisfaction (Life Satisfaction Scale) and depressive symptoms (CES-D) on adversity, referred to as Type-1 and Type-2 resilience respectively. These two types of resilience were then treated as the outcome variables in subsequent multilevel regressions, with the predictors focusing on individual, social, and environmental characteristics and resources. This study adheres to STROBE guidelines.

RESULTS

43% of rural older adults exhibited both Type-1 and Type-2 resilience, whereas 18% exhibited only Type-1 resilience and 7% exhibited only Type-2 resilience. Common factors associated with both types of resilience included self-rated health, satisfaction with one's own financial situation, and the prestigiousness of social networks. Predictors for higher levels of Type-1 resilience included higher levels of financial and emotional support and more options for places of leisure. Predictors for higher levels of Type-2 resilience included greater access to medical care. The prestigiousness of social networks, higher levels of emotional support and instrumental support, access to medical care, and more options of places of leisure were positively associated with resilience in the low-adversity group (first tertile of adversity), only satisfaction with financial situation was positively correlated with the resilience of the middle-adversity group (second tertile), while better self-rated health, satisfaction with financial situation, and financial support yielded greater resilience in the high-adversity group (third tertile).

CONCLUSIONS

We examined two types of resilience among older adults in rural China, and found that they have shared and unique associated factors. In addition, the potential factors influencing resilience varied with the level of adversity.

Impact of livelihood capital and rural site conditions on livelihood resilience of farm households: evidence from contiguous poverty-stricken areas in China

Farm households around the world are increasingly exposed to both external and internal shocks and stressors. Enhancing the resilience of farm households to frequent disturbances holds paramount importance in fostering the sustainability of their livelihoods and the revitalization of rural areas. Based on 1500 household samples from 14 contiguous poverty-stricken areas (CPSA) in China, this study explores the causal pathways between livelihood capitals of farm households and rural site conditions of rural communities, as well as quantifying their impacts on farm households' livelihood resilience using structural equation models. In particular, the livelihood resilience of farm households is measured based on the "Exposure-Sensitivity-Adaptability" framework. The results show that livelihood resilience is positively represented by exposure and adaptability, but is negatively correlated with sensitivity. Specifically, households with lower mean health and higher dependency ratio are more sensitive to risks, while exposure to agroforestry pests and diseases will lead farm households to diversify their livelihood activities and increase crop and livestock variety to enhance their adaptability. The livelihood capital of farm households has a significant positive effect on livelihood resilience (β = 0.874, p < 0.001). Rural site conditions have both significant direct and indirect impacts on livelihood resilience, with the direct impact (β =  - 0.207, p < 0.05) being negative and a bit larger than the positive indirect impact (β = 0.163, p < 0.05), as mediated by livelihood capital. The government should, therefore, invest more in health insurance, education and training, financial support, and infrastructure, and implement village planning to enhance both the quality of household livelihood capitals and rural site conditions in CPSA.

Building rural community disaster resilience in developing countries: insights from a Chinese NGO's Safe Rural Community programme

As rural areas in developing countries are generally more vulnerable to disasters triggered by natural hazards than urban areas, it has become critical to strengthen rural community disaster resilience (CDR) to reduce the risks. Using follow-up interviews, surveys, and secondary data, this study reviewed the Safe Rural Community (SRC) programme implemented by the One Foundation, a Chinese civilian non-governmental organisation (NGO), after the 2013 Lushan earthquake in China. The study focused on five key resilience aspects: networks; infrastructure; institutions; capacity; and culture. It found that the SRC programme successfully developed five standardised, systematic, interrelated, and practical elements: localised volunteer rescue teams; adequate emergency supplies; practical disaster reduction training; community emergency plans; and regular emergency rescue drills. Third-party evaluations and a 2022 Lushan earthquake test revealed that this NGO-led, community-based, and team-oriented initiative had been effective. Consequently, the study provides some guidance for the development of effective CDR programmes in rural communities in developing countries.

Heterogeneity and threshold in the effect of agricultural machinery on farmers' relative poverty

Machinery is commonly used in the modernization of agricultural industries and is a pivotal way to eliminate poverty among farmers. However, there are still disputes regarding the effects of agricultural machinery on farmers' relative poverty. Neither the heterogeneity nor the thresholds in agricultural machinery-led poverty reduction efforts have been discussed in depth. To address those gaps, this study considers farmers' livelihood factors and resource (in)divisibility to investigate how agricultural machinery affects farmers' relative poverty as well as the heterogeneity of and thresholds in that influence. This study collected data from 1118 Chinese farming households. 2SLS-IVTobit regression results show that a 1% increase in the overall level of agricultural machinery leads to a 3.3% increase in farmers' income and a 0.523% decrease in their relative poverty. Furthermore, the three pathways of cost-saving, production efficiency, and labor allocation efficiency are identified as explaining 25.4%, 21.9%, and 21.3% of relative poverty reduction, respectively. The heterogeneity of these effects across different farming stages (i.e., plowing, sowing, and harvesting) is also examined, and the results show that plowing machinery has the largest effect. Then, a threshold analysis is conducted, which shows that farmers are influenced more when the scale of their farms surpasses the threshold of 1.12 hm2. Theoretically, this study establishes an integrated model that depicts how agricultural machinery affects farmers' relative poverty through production (in)divisibility. Practically, this study recommends additional investment in agricultural machinery (especially plowing machinery), farmland integration, and taking targeted measures to facilitate resource divisibility.

Compensation mechanisms for fishermen quit fishing: A case of Jiangsu province, China

The 'Ten-year Ban on Fishing' policy was designed by the Chinese government to protect the biodiversity of the Yangtze River basin. Fishermen are the ultimate implementers of the fishing ban policy. Therefore, a scientific compensation mechanism for fishers to stop fishing is the basis for ensuring the continuous implementation of the policy. First, we conducted a survey with 309 fishermen in eight cities along the Yangtze River in Jiangsu province. We also analyzed living conditions of fishermen before and after quitting fishing based on descriptive statistical analysis. Based on the theory of sustainable livelihood, a binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between fishermen's willingness to quit fishing and five types of livelihood capital (natural, material, human, financial, and social capital). The results showed that fishermen face severe livelihood sustainability issues after ceasing to fish and that their willingness to quit is closely related to the five types of livelihood capital. Based on this, and according to different age groups, this study constructed a compensation mechanism for retired fishermen from two aspects: monetary and social security compensation. The research results can provide a theoretical framework for other provinces in the Yangtze River basin to formulate a compensation system for fishermen.

Measuring Community Resilience and Its Determinants: Relocated Vulnerable Community in Western China

With the full implementation of poverty alleviation resettlement (PAR), the restoration and improvement of the comprehensive living standards of relocated households have received increasing attention from policy researchers. The measurement of resilience and its determinants provides new ideas for PAR at the community level. This article proposes a method for examining community resilience in the context of PAR through a survey of 459 relocated households in western China and uses regression analysis to identify the determinants of community resilience. The results showed that the four dimensions of community resilience, in descending order, included: environmental resilience, economic resilience, management resilience, and social resilience. Income level and livelihood diversification were positively correlated with the community resilience index. Relocation time, relocation type, and resettlement mode were all essential determinants of the community resilience of relocated households. Finally, some suggestions were put forward, such as the need to build an interpersonal relationship network, guide pure farmers and non-farmers to transform into diversified livelihood households, and formulate a unified community action plan and interest protection mechanism so as to provide a reference for decision-making among managers to make decisions.

Effects of Conformity Tendencies on Farmers' Willingness to Take Measures to Respond to Climate Change: Evidence from Sichuan Province, China

Encouraging farmers to respond to climate change is very important for agricultural production and environmental governance. Based on the data of 540 farmers in Sichuan Province, China, the effects of conformity tendencies on farmers' adaptive behavior decisions to climate change were analyzed using the binary logistic model and propensity score matching method (PSM). The results show that (1) relatives' and friends' adaptive behaviors to climate change positively affect farmers' adaptive behaviors to climate change. (2) Compared with relatives and friends who do not visit each other during the New Year (weak ties), the climate change adaptation behavior of relatives and friends who visit each other during the New Year (strong ties) has a more significant impact on the climate change adaptation behavior of farmers. (3) Farmers with higher education levels and agricultural products without disaster experience are more significantly affected by peer effects and more inclined to take measures to respond to climate change. (4) Social networks and social trust play a partially mediating role in the peer effects of farmers' adaptation to climate change, but there are differences between relatives and friends with different strong and weak ties.

Spatio-Temporal Variation and Decomposition Analysis of Livelihood Resilience of Rural Residents in China

The key to sustainable rural development and coordinated regional development is to properly measure the livelihood resilience of rural residents (LRRR), and investigate its regional differences, distribution characteristics, and evolutionary patterns. This study combined the entropy method, the Dagum Gini coefficient and decomposition, kernel density estimation, and convergence analysis to measure the LRRR in 30 provinces of China from 2006 to 2020, and to analyze its regional differences and sources, dynamic distribution, and characteristics of convergence. The LRRR in China overall declined 2006-2020, with an east-to-west spatial gradient toward lower livelihood resilience. Intra-regional differences in LRRR narrowed in the Eastern and Central Regions, while those in the Western Region widened. Inter-regional differences were the main source of differences in LRRR. The LRRRs in most provinces in China were gradually reaching the same level over time (i.e., σ convergence and β convergence). This research provides a factual reference for policies related to reducing inter-provincial differences in the LRRR in China.

Impact of Natural Disaster Shocks on Farm Household Poverty Vulnerability—A Threshold Effect Based on Livelihood Resilience

Poverty caused by disasters poses a great challenge to consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation. Livelihood resilience is the key factor for farmers to resist risks and get rid of poverty. Therefore, this study used the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) database. Firstly, we examined the impact of natural disasters on the poverty vulnerability of farmers. Secondly, taking livelihood resilience and its decomposition dimensions as threshold variables, we examined the mechanism of livelihood resilience between natural disasters and poverty. The results show that natural disaster shocks, natural disaster intensity, and natural disaster frequency all had a significant positive effect on farm households’ vulnerability to poverty. The threshold test shows that natural disasters had larger effects on the poverty vulnerability of the farmers with lower buffer capacity, self-organizing capacity, and learning capacity. When the livelihood resilience value exceeded the third threshold, the impact of natural disasters on the poverty vulnerability of farmers turned from positive to negative. When the buffer capacity exceeded the third threshold, the impact of natural disasters on poverty vulnerability turned from positive to negative; when the self-organizing capacity exceeded the first threshold, the impact of natural disasters on poverty vulnerability turned from positive to negative; when the learning capacity exceeded the third threshold, the impact of natural disasters on poverty vulnerability turned from positive to negative. Therefore, it is suggested that appropriate policies should be needed to support farmers’ livelihood resilience and address disaster-induced poverty by improving farmers’ buffer capacity, self-organizing capacity, and learning capacity. Focusing on farmers’ livelihood resilience, government should establish a policy support system aimed at improving farmers’ buffer capacity, self-organizing capacity, and learning capacity, that will help farmers to escape from disaster-induced poverty.

Livelihood Resilience of Rural Residents under Natural Disasters in China

The impact of natural disasters on rural areas has recently increased, the question of how to effectively improve the livelihood resilience of rural residents has therefore become an essential issue. In this context, a livelihood resilience evaluation index system for rural residents was constructed in four dimensions: livelihood quality, livelihood promotion, livelihood provision, and disaster stress. A structural dynamics model was used to analyze the changing characteristics of the livelihood resilience of rural residents in China between the years 1980 and 2020, and a livelihood resilience trend from 2021 to 2030 was predicted based on the ARIMA model. The main factors influencing livelihood resilience were explored using ridge regression analysis. The results show that: (1) livelihood resilience of rural residents in China fluctuated significantly between 1980 and 2020, tending generally to increase; (2) livelihood resilience is positively correlated with livelihood quality, livelihood promotion, and livelihood provision, while it is negatively correlated with disaster stress; (3) livelihood quality, livelihood promotion, and livelihood supply will still increase between the years 2021 and 2030, while the increase of livelihood resilience will tend to slow down; and (4) six variables have a significant positive impact on livelihood resilience, and provide a basis for the subsequent enhancement of livelihood resilience.

Evaluation of Cropland System Resilience to Climate Change at Municipal Scale Through Robustness, Adaptability, and Transformability: A Case Study of Hubei Province, China

A cropland system is one of the most sensitive socio-ecological systems to climate change, such as drought and flood. Facing frequent extreme weather events worldwide, how to improve cropland system resilience to climate change (CSRCC) and thus ensure food production has been concerned. Although a small number of studies have attempted to evaluate CSRCC through single or multiple indicators, few studies have considered the perspective of the three basic capacities of resilience (i.e., robustness, adaptability, and transformability), which could ignore the dynamic characteristics of cropland system resilience against shocks within a certain period. Therefore, this study first constructs an evaluation index system from the three capacities of system resilience. Then, taking Hubei province, China, as a case and comprehensively using the methods of Delphi, AHP, and TOPSIS to assess the spatio-temporal characteristics of CSRCC at the municipal scale from 2011 to 2018. On this basis, the regional disparities of CSRCC are analyzed by using the Theil coefficient. The results show that the CSRCC of Hubei province fluctuates on a downward trend, with the lowest in 2017 and the highest in 2013. Most municipalities have witnessed a pattern of fluctuated decline, except for a few ones in the plains, such as Wuhan and Jingmen. Generally, municipalities in the plains have greater scores, while some municipalities in the southern and eastern hilly regions show higher adaptability and transformability. In addition, adaptability contributes the least to the CSRCC at the municipal scale. At last, indicator selection against different research objects, influencing mechanism of CSRCC, and policy implications are discussed. This study is expected to provide a reference for the practice in sustainable management and utilization of cropland systems.

Do Livelihood Strategies Affect the Livelihood Resilience of Farm Households in Flooded Areas? Evidence From Hubei Province, China

Hubei Province, located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, is a complex area of fragile ecological environment and traditional agricultural production in China. With the further intensification of the impact of global warming, flood disasters have brought a more severe threat to the sustainable development of farmers’ livelihoods. This paper therefore examines the livelihood resilience of farmers with different livelihood strategies in the region by constructing a livelihood resilience evaluation system based on three target levels: buffering capacity, Adaptation and restoration, and using a contribution model to identify the main contributing factors affecting the livelihood resilience of fa rmers. The following three conclusions were found: (1). The overall level of livelihood resilience of farmers in flood-affected areas in Hubei Province is not high, and the difference in livelihood resilience indices between farmers with different livelihood strategies is large; (2). Farming-led farmers and part-time balanced farmers can better adapt to external shocks brought about by floods; (3). The main contributing factors affecting the livelihood resilience of various types of farmers have Convergence.

Livelihood Capital Effects on Famers' Strategy Choices in Flood-Prone Areas-A Study in Rural China

The global climate change has resulted in huge flood damages, which seriously hinders the sustainable development of rural economy and society and causes famers’ livelihood problems. In flood-prone areas, it is imperative to actively study short and long-term strategies and solve farmers’ livelihood problems accordingly. Following the sustainable development analysis framework proposed by the Department for International Development (DFID), this study collects empirical data of 360 rural households in six sample villages in the Jialing River Basin of Sichuan Province, China through a village-to-household field questionnaire and applies the Multinominal Logit Model (MNL) to explore the influence of farmer households’ capital on livelihood strategy choice. Research results show that: (1) In human capital category, the education level of the household head has a significant positive impact on the livelihood strategies of farmers’ families; (2) In physical capital category, farmer households with larger space have more funds to choose among flood adaptation strategies; (3) In natural capital category, house location and the sale of family property for cash have the greatest negative impact on farmers’ livelihood strategies; (4) Rural households with more credit opportunities in financial capital are more willing to obtain emergency relief funds; (5) Farmers’ families helped by the village for a long time will probably not choose to move to avoid floods, but are more likely to choose buying flood insurance. This study provides an empirical reference for effective short and long term prevention and mitigation strategies design and application in rural in flood-prone areas.

Livelihood Resilience or Policy Attraction? Factors Determining Households' Willingness to Participate in Rural Tourism in Western China

Rural tourism in developing countries has been regarded as a means for rural development, environment conservation and poverty alleviation. This study aims to examine the determining factors for rural households’ willingness to participate in rural tourism in western areas under the context of China’s rural revitalization strategy. Based on survey data from 22 tourism poverty alleviation villages located in the poor areas of western China, we characterize our results by stating that rural households’ livelihood resilience “push” on their willingness to participate, and that poverty alleviation policy perception and involvement “pull” on it. Among distinct livelihood adaptive strategy groups, i.e., farming-oriented households, migratory-oriented households and tourism-participating households, this study also revealed that buffer capacity was a significant driving force for the three types of household’s willingness. Positive poverty alleviation policy perception could attract migratory households to return to their hometowns to start tourism businesses; however, better self-organizing capacity decreased their willingness. In addition, both self-organization and learning capacity and positive policy perception and involvement encouraged tourism-participating households to engage in tourism activities continually. Finally, some practical implications and recommendations for further research are also discussed.

Vulnerability Assessment and Spatio-Temporal Difference Analysis of Inland Fisheries Flood Disaster in China

Vulnerability research is an active option for fisheries to adapt to climate change. Based on the vulnerability analysis framework of the vulnerability scoping diagram, a vulnerability evaluation index system for inland fisheries in China was constructed in three dimensions, including exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The entropy method was used to evaluate the flood disaster vulnerability of China’s inland fisheries from 2010 to 2019 and its decomposition. The temporal and spatial differences between vulnerability and its decomposition were analyzed. Kernel density estimation and factor contribution model were used to analyze the changing trend of vulnerability and main influencing factors. The results show that: during the study period, the vulnerability of inland fisheries in China to flood disasters showed a fluctuating downward trend, and the high vulnerability areas were mainly distributed in South China and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; the exposure index first decreased and then increased, and the high-exposure regions were mainly concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; the sensitivity index first decreased and then increased, and the high-sensitivity areas were concentrated in North-east China, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and South China; the adaptive capacity index showed a downward trend, and the areas with lower adaptive capacity were concentrated in the South-west and North-west. From the factor contribution model, the economic losses of fishery floods and the affected area had the greatest impact on the exposure index; fingerling production and freshwater fishery production had the greatest impact on the sensitivity index; the index with a lower contribution to the adaptive capacity index was the total power of fishery machinery and fishery technology promotion. Therefore, building reservoirs, optimizing aquaculture layout and promoting fishery modernization are the keys to reducing the vulnerability of inland fisheries to flood disasters.

Climate Shocks and Farmers’ Agricultural Productive Investment: Resisting Risk or Escaping Production?

Climate shocks can increase uncertainty in agricultural production. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study examines the impact of climate shocks on farmers’ productive investment and its mechanism of village public productive investment. The study found the following: (1) The impact of climate shocks have a significant impact on farmers’ productive investment choices. Farmers who are greatly impacted by climate shocks have a significantly lower probability of increasing their total productive investment. (2) In terms of investment content, climate shocks will reduce farmers’ investment in machinery (invest1) and investment in the cost of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides (invest3) and increase investment in agricultural productive services (invest2). (3) However, there is heterogeneity in the village climate characteristics and farmers’ risk preferences in this result. (4) From the perspective of the transmission mechanism, village public production investment has a moderating effect between climate shocks and farmer agricultural production investment. For total investment and invest3, village public production investment will weaken the main effect of climate shock, significantly reduce the impact of climate shock, and alleviate the inhibitory effect of climate shocks on farmers’ investment. Agricultural productive services (invest2) will strengthen the main effect of climate shocks and promote farmer households’ agricultural productive service investment. The article finally concludes and discusses some policy implications.

Rural Household Differentiation and Poverty Vulnerability: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Field Survey in Hubei, China

Rural family differentiation is an important perspective to analyze farmers’ behavior and poverty. Based on the data of 1673 farm households from rural field survey in 2019 in Hubei Province of China, this paper examines the main influencing factors of farm household differentiation on farm household poverty vulnerability from the perspective of the sustainable livelihoods of farm households. On this basis, the contribution of each influencing factor to farm household poverty vulnerability is analysed using the regression decomposition method. The results of the study show that the variables of farm household differentiation have a significant impact on poverty vulnerability, and the net household income per capita, which reflect the vertical differentiation of farm households, and the proportion of non-farm labor, which reflects the horizontal differentiation of farm households. Both have a significant negative impact on the poverty vulnerability of farm households. The regression decomposition method shows that the proportion of non-farm labor force, which reflects the horizontal differentiation of farm households, has the highest contribution to the poverty vulnerability of farm households. Human capital, natural capital, social capital, and physical capital also influence the poverty vulnerability of farm households to a certain extent.

What catalyzes the proactive recovery of peasants from the COVID-19 pandemic? A livelihood perspective in Ningqiang County, China

The livelihood recovery strategy is utilized for peasants during the COVID-19 pandemic. This strategy serves a salient role to help them recover from the relevant hazardous impacts. Disaster risk has been a major concern among hazards for the increasing likelihood of exposure and vulnerability, especially in the process of poverty alleviation in China. However, few studies have discussed the factors and mechanisms that influence peasants to adopt livelihood recovery strategies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Based on a case study of Ningqiang County, China, this study explores the mechanisms that catalyze the proactive recovery of peasants from the COVID-19 pandemic from a livelihood perspective. Methodologically, the study proposes a framework that integrates the modified pressure-state-response (PSR) framework and the sustainable livelihoods approach (SLA), and it employs structure equation modeling (SEM) approach to examine how specific factors affect peasants to proactively adopt livelihood strategies to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that the COVID-19 pressure significantly increases the risk perception of peasants and decreases their livelihood capital. Further, the decreased livelihood capital, the improvement of risk perception and supportive policy will promote peasants to adopt livelihood recovery strategies. Moreover, the results specify that risk perception and supportive policy mediate the relation between livelihood capital and recovery strategy. The findings will be beneficial for policymakers and researchers to understand the mechanisms that peasants adopt livelihood strategies to recover from disasters, and can serve as references for formulating disaster risk reduction and resilience policies.

Does Trust Help to Improve Residents' Perceptions of the Efficacy of Disaster Preparedness? Evidence from Wenchuan and Lushan Earthquakes in Sichuan Province, China

Disaster preparation can reduce the impact of an earthquake on residents. Residents are more likely to undertake disaster preparedness if they perceive it to be effective. However, few studies have analyzed the influence of trust on this perception. This study surveyed 327 households in areas stricken by the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes to explore these issues. Trust was divided into government trust, emotional trust, and social trust, while the efficacy of disaster preparedness was divided into self-efficacy and response efficacy. A partial least squares structural equation model was used to explore the influence of trust on perceptions of the efficacy of disaster preparedness. The results show that: (1) government trust can directly increase perceived efficacy and indirectly increase self-efficacy via emotional trust; (2) emotional trust can directly increase self-efficacy; (3) social trust can directly reduce self-efficacy while indirectly increasing it by increasing emotional trust. This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between trust and perceptions of the efficacy of disaster preparedness. This study can provide inspiration to improve risk communication and construct systems of community-based disaster-prevention.

Stay in Risk Area: Place Attachment, Efficacy Beliefs and Risk Coping

For residents living in earthquake-threatened areas, choosing suitable risk coping behaviors can effectively reduce the loss of family life and property. However, some residents still choose to continue to live within areas at risk of earthquake disaster. Place attachment may play an important role. Based on place attachment theory and the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM), this study explores the possible relationships among place attachment, efficacy beliefs, and evacuation/relocation intention. Furthermore, it examines the mediating role of efficacy beliefs. The study also used the partial least squares method (PLS-SEM) to test samples of 327 rural households in Wenchuan and Lushan earthquake-hit areas. The results show that: (1) Place attachment has a significant effect on response efficacy (RE), but not on self-efficacy (SE); (2) Place dependence (PD) has a negative and significant effect on relocation intention (RI) but has no significant effect on evacuation intention (EI). However, place identity (PI) can indirectly affect EI by influencing RE; (3) Efficacy beliefs have a significant positive effect on EI and RI. These results help us understand the complex relationships among place attachment, efficacy beliefs, and residents’ risk coping behavior, thus providing decision-making references for the formulation and improvement of regional disaster risk management policies.

Resilience of small-scale marine fishers of Bangladesh against the COVID-19 pandemic and the 65-day fishing ban

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown (March-May) and the conservation-related 65-day fishing ban (May-July) in Bangladesh restricted its small-scale fishing folks from fishing for an unprecedented 130 days. This study assessed the resilience of two small-scale fishing communities in Barguna and Cox's Bazar districts against these subsequent disturbances. The research developed a conceptual framework based on Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance's '5 C-4R Framework', which considers the relationships among a wide range of sources of resilience with livelihood capitals and resilience properties. By analyzing 100 interviews with marine fishers, this paper showed how weakened livelihood capitals affected the resilience of fishing communities. Dependency on a single income source, inadequate access to aid and financial and natural resources, lack of skills and knowledge on alternative livelihood options, absence of strong social protection and social networks, social inequalities, institutional incompetence, and lack of community leadership and cooperation severely affected fishers' resilience. This study revealed that financial capital is directly linked with all resilience properties that require special attention to ensure fishers' well-being. The paper recommended drastic investments in small-scale marine fishers through long-term livelihood improvement and asset creation, skills and knowledge development on natural-resource-based alternative income generation activities, and an exclusive social safety net program for these fisherfolks. The approach and findings of this study can guide other emerging economies who enjoy significant contributions from the marine fisheries sector to understand the resilience of their fishers and to address the prevailing challenges owing to the pandemic and other natural calamities.

Scenario-Based Comprehensive Assessment for Community Resilience Adapted to Fire Following an Earthquake, Implementing the Analytic Network Process and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enriched Evaluation II Techniques

Natural hazards bring significant influences on and socioeconomic loss to cities and communities. Historic events show that fire following earthquake (FFE) is the most influential uncertain disturbance on the urban infrastructure system. Under the FFE scenario, the concept of resilience is widely implemented to make up the shortcomings derived from the traditional disaster management methodology. Resilient cities and communities are required to improve the systemic performance in responding to the FFE. To fulfill these goals, measuring community resilience is an essential work for municipal policy makers. Therefore, this study conducted a comprehensive assessment on community resilience adapted to the FFE scenario. The systematic literature review (SLR) was employed to identify the indicators, and the analytic network process (ANP) technique was implemented to determine their weights. 20 indicators were extracted, and 4 communities that encountered FFE in China were selected for the empirical analysis. Thereafter, the preference ranking organization method for enriched evaluation (PROMETHEE) II technique was selected through using the multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods selection framework to fulfill the comprehensive assessment. The results were discussed and demonstrated with graphical analysis for interactive aid (GAIA) technique. The findings revealed that the G Community won the highest score and had the strongest performance. However, H Community had the lowest score and the weakest performance. The proposed comprehensive methods could benefit the decision-makers and the policy executors achieving the community resilience adapted to the FFE scenario by improving the effective indicators.

Impact of Environmental and Health Risks on Rural Households' Sustainable Livelihoods: Evidence from China

China has entered a “post-poverty alleviation” era, where the achievement of sustainable livelihoods by farmers has become a focus. This study used the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) database, which was constructed based on an analysis of the DFID sustainable livelihood framework, and built a sustainable livelihood index system for farmers using the entropy weight method to measure the weights of sustainable livelihood indexes and calculate a sustainable livelihood index. This study used the Tobit model to discuss the impacts of different types of risk on the achievement of a sustainable livelihood by farmers. The results showed that environmental risk, chronic disease risk, and major disease risk all had significant negative impacts on the ability of farmers to achieve a sustainable livelihood. The impacts of major disease and chronic disease risks on the achievement of a sustainable livelihood by farmers living in plain areas were stronger than those associated with environmental risk. In China, the environmental risks were complex and diverse and were the most important factors that affect the achievement of a sustainable livelihood by rural households in mountainous areas. Chronic disease risk was also an important adverse factor that affected the achievement of a sustainable livelihood by rural households in mountainous areas.

The impact of the spatial configuration of socioeconomic services on rural-urban dependencies in Northern Jordan

This study investigates the actual use of services and accessibility of employment places by rural residents while interacting with their surrounding towns, urban center, and the county rural center. This study reveals the factors contributing to rural-urban dependence in a developing country in terms of services and job utilization. Its pursuit is developing policies for regional sustainability. Therefore, a rural survey was carried out to identify the actual dependence. The study found that rural residents were integrated significantly with the urban center regarding shopping, education, and medical services rather than jobs, with minor interdependencies among rural towns. The continued and mass dependence on the urban center was depleting rural resources creating a rural-urban gap in economic development. The study recommended a development strategy that emphasizes the importance of preserving rural living and jobs. It emphasized the importance of the urban center in providing jobs for the rural people rather than long journeys to obtain services.

Livelihood Capital and Land Transfer of Different Types of Farmers: Evidence from Panel Data in Sichuan Province, China

Farmers’ livelihood and land have been the focus of academic and political attention for a long time. In the process of rapid urbanization in China, as farmers change their livelihood strategies and livelihood capital allocation driven by economic interests, farmland abandonment increases, which is not conducive to the guarantee of food security. This study aims to explore the characteristics of livelihood capital and land transfer of farmers under different livelihood strategies and the effect of livelihood capital on land transfer. Based on the data obtained from Sichuan Province in 2012, 2016 and 2019 by the China Rural Development Survey Group, this paper divides farmers into pure farmers, part-time farmers and non-farmers according to the proportion of non-agricultural income in total income, and constructed the panel binary Logit model and panel Tobit model. The analysis points to the following results: (1) pure farmers tend to shift other capitals toward natural capital, so their livelihood capital total index value decreased. The part-time farmers have different shift characteristics but their livelihood capital total index value both increased first and then decreased. Non-farmers tend to shift natural capital towards other livelihood capitals, so their livelihood capital total index value increased. (2) The higher the natural capital and human capital, the higher the probability of land transfers in. The higher the natural capital, the larger the area of land transfers in. The higher the financial capital, the higher the probability of land transfers out. The higher the financial capital and social capital, the larger the area of land transfers out. It is expected to provide suggestions for the policy of farmers’ land transfer under different livelihood capital endowments.

Social Networks, Trust, and Disaster-Risk Perceptions of Rural Residents in a Multi-Disaster Environment: Evidence from Sichuan, China

Individual perception of disaster risk is not only the product of individual factors, but also the product of social interactions. However, few studies have empirically explored the correlations between rural residents' flat social networks, trust in pyramidal channels, and disaster-risk perceptions. Taking Sichuan Province-a typical disaster-prone province in China-as an example and using data from 327 rural households in mountainous areas threatened by multiple disasters, this paper measured the level of participants' disaster-risk perception in the four dimensions of possibility, threat, self-efficacy, and response efficacy. Then, the ordinary least squares method was applied to probe the correlations between social networks, trust, and residents' disaster-risk perception. The results revealed four main findings. (1) Compared with scores relating to comprehensive disaster-risk perception, participants had lower perception scores relating to possibility and threat, and higher perception scores relating to self-efficacy and response efficacy. (2) The carrier characteristics of their social networks significantly affected rural residents' perceived levels of disaster risk, while the background characteristics did not. (3) Different dimensions of trust had distinct effects on rural residents' disaster-risk perceptions. (4) Compared with social network variables, trust was more closely related to the perceived level of disaster risks, which was especially reflected in the impact on self-efficacy, response efficacy, and comprehensive perception. The findings of this study deepen understanding of the relationship between social networks, trust, and disaster-risk perceptions of rural residents in mountainous areas threatened by multiple disasters, providing enlightenment for building resilient disaster-prevention systems in the community.