Bibliometric Analysis of Sustainable Livelihoods Research in China

The Sustainable Livelihoods (SLs) is a significant subject and concept within the sustainable development research and it also has the potential to deal with the fundamental challenge in terms of inequalities between inter-generation and intra-generation, now and in the future. This paper adopted bibliometrics to conduct the quantitative analysis of the development, hot topics, and collaboration network in terms of SLs researches. Moreover, the analyzed parameters included publication output, distribution of publications by authors and organizations, subject classification of publication, etc. Some 809 papers were analyzed on various aspects of publication, and the results show that publication output has increased promptly over the past two decades; however, the cooperation network among different organizations and authors on the topic of SLs has not been closely linked. The hot topics of SLs involve three categories, which are ①theoretical research in terms of sustainable livelihoods; ②the research on livelihood strategy (problem-orientated); ③the research of ecological vulnerability. It is important for Chinese scholars to continue the future SLs researches in accordance with the strategy of target poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. Additionally, it is also vital to broaden the theoretical horizons by transitioning from the research on agricultural economy to the exploration of relationship of SLs-ecological environment, SLs-biodiversity, SLs-climate change and adaptation, SLs-human capital development, etc.; to strengthen the academic cooperation and exchanges; to innovate research approach; to improve both quantity and quality of research output for the purpose of providing long-term and scientific decision for the decision makers.     

The Dynamic Pathways of Agrarian Transformation in the Northeastern Thai–Lao Borderlands

ABSTRACT

Rural livelihoods in the northeastern Thai borderlands have moved away from being predominantly agrarian, yet farming remains a desirable alternative for many people. The empirical findings from fieldwork in a village in the northeastern Thai–Lao borderlands indicate how dependence on agriculture is determined by family contexts, such as land ownership, education level of household members, their gender and age. Cheap Lao labour and government price-support policies have enabled farmers to remain in production and diversify. Some educated rural people have successfully found employment opportunities outside the village as migratory wage labour, and are able to attain higher social status back in the village. Successful migrants have invested their earnings on cash-crop production and become rural entrepreneurs. Conversely, less educated migrants were unsuccessful in finding good jobs in the city and viewed agriculture as a more favourable alternative and valuable security. Geographical, cultural and economic specificities conditioned rural transformation and contributed to increasingly diverse and geographically extended livelihoods.     

Social Networks as Livelihood Strategies for Small-scale Traders on the Thai–Lao Border

ABSTRACT

Small scale cross-border trade on the Thai–Lao border has come under increasing pressure with the construction of a new Mekong bridge that has expanded formal trade between the two countries. Most small-scale traders are women who, with assistance from family and friends, have developed small businesses from childhood, and created social networks across the border with other traders, and relevant actors such as drivers and government officials. Such networks, trust, experience and familiarity enabled superior access to information and trading concessions that have enabled the continued success of small-scale trade, the maintenance of complex cross-border livelihoods, and the ability of traders across an increasingly regulated border to deal with constraints and risks. A few established traders have developed trade networks and social relationships involving supply chains across several countries.     

The Implementation and Sustainability of Village Conservation Agreements Around Kerinci Seblat National Park,Indonesia

We investigated the implementation and sustainability of village conservation agreements and village conservation grants facilitated by an integrated conservation and development project (ICDP) around the Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia, 5 years after the project closed. Forty-three percent of agreement actions (n = 180) and 30% of grant activities (n = 74) were sustained. Informants identified numerous factors influencing success, but statistical tests failed to detect simple explanations. Conservation-livelihood agreements have a greater chance of success when preexisting factors are understood and the purpose of the agreement itself is clearly defined.     

易地扶贫搬迁对西藏迁入村不同农牧户生计的影响（英文）

作为精准扶贫战略的重大举措——易地扶贫搬迁规划在“十三五”时期（2016–2020年）成功搬迁贫困人口近1000万人。本文基于联合国2030年可持续发展目标,利用西藏易地扶贫的迁入村白郎村的农牧户调研数据,建立了面向农牧户生计和村落可持续发展的综合评价指标体系。该指标体系从生活水平、生计资产、生计策略三个方面定量分析不同农牧户群体生计在搬迁前后发生的变化。研究结果表明：搬迁有助于提高农牧户的生活水平,使生计策略类型丰富;随着搬迁年限的增加,农牧户生活水平稳步上升,尤其在消除贫困方面（SDG1）提升接近100%。搬迁影响搬迁群体的生计策略的选择,搬迁前的纯农户在搬迁后选择了更多元的生计策略方式,并且全村的非农工作比例（SDG8）上升。从村落可持续发展的角度来看,村落可持续发展的各项指标稳定增长,同时对原住民生计影响较小。结果表明易地扶贫搬迁政策在这个地区初步实施较为成功,主要归因于迁入村自然条件较好,政府对搬迁群众进行了物资以及工作方面的扶持。本研究能为后续提高村落可持续性、提高村民生计水平提供政策优化的方向。