Diversification of Livelihoods in a Society in Transition: A Case Study of Tibetan Communities in Southwest China |
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| Authors: | Franz K Huber Yongping Yang Caroline S Weckerle Klaus Seeland |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute for Environmental Decisions, Society, Environment, and Culture, ETH Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland;2. Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Kunming , People's Republic of China;3. Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland |
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| Abstract: | In recent years, large development and market integration programs have altered the socioeconomic structures and cultural identity of rural communities and ethnic minorities in Southwest China and influenced the management of natural resources. This article analyzes livelihood strategies in the Shuiluo Valley, a remote area of the Sino-Tibetan borderlands. Agricultural activities and the management of natural resources were studied in five villages of Muli Tibetan Autonomous County, Sichuan Province. Characteristic for rural societies in transition, livelihoods were found to be flexible, combining subsistence agriculture, off-farm employment, and the exploitation of both renewable and nonrenewable natural resources. Accessibility of villages did not influence household income and livelihood activities, and poorer households were not found to depend more on natural resources or on income from agriculture than wealthier households. The option of gold prospecting constitutes a major difference compared to more nontimber forest product-based livelihoods in adjacent areas of Southwest China. |
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| Keywords: | accessibility gold prospecting natural resources NTFPs Shuhi Southwest China |
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