Impact of policy measures on smallholders’ livelihood resilience: Evidence from Hehuang Valley, Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Enhancing livelihood resilience is an effective approach for smallholders to cope with climate change in which governments play an important role. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the impact of policy measures on smallholders’ livelihood resilience (SLR), especially for the case of vulnerable Tibetan Plateau. Based on a longitudinal survey of 321 households in the semiagricultural and semipastoral region of Hehuang Valley during 2017–2022, this study assesses the changes in SLR. By adopting the multinomial logistic model, the impact of policy measures on SLR was been further explored. The results show that SLR in the focal area increased from 0.100 in 2017 to 0.122 in 2022. Policy measures of low-interest loans, irrigation facilities, improved seed and information sharing play a significant positive role in enhancing SLR, whereas training on skills and subsidies have no significant influence on SLR. In addition, the coverage of irrigation facilities and the promotion of training on skills need to be improved. The results not only help local government understand the effectiveness of existing policy measures on SLR but also provide recommendations for improving SLR.

Keywords

• Small-scale farming
• Resilience
• Government support
• Multinomial logistic regression