|
|
Environment and Development Research Group |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Risk and Subsistence-Oriented Households
in Agro-pastoral communities in northwest Yunnan province, China, face many
types of risk, including environmental risk (such as climatic variability and
animal disease), and economic risk However, some risk-coping strategies are likely to aggravate households’ vulnerability in the long-run by decreasing some forms of assets in the short-run. The internal vulnerability and the external risks could easily trap subsistence-oriented households into a vicious cycle of poverty. The dynamic, causal relationship between vulnerability, poverty, and risk requires an approach to poverty reduction and risk management that focuses on building sustainable livelihoods and empowering individuals, households, and communities. By combining participatory methods for data collection with statistical tools in data analysis, the study aimed to inform policy by drawing inference from the localized study subjects to the broader population. Results also provided a window for the self-reflection and empowerment of local communities. Publications/Presentations: Xue,
H. 2006. Assessing the role of risk in the agro-pastoral systems
of |
||||
(such as fluctuating produce prices). The ambient policy environment also has
an uncertain impact on households by lifting or imposing various constraints,
such as financial constraints. In risky environments, subsistence-oriented
households manage their livelihoods to best support their unique objectives
and lifestyles, given their perceptions of the risks and constraints they
face.
|
|
last updated: May 2009 |