农户收入差异对生活用能及生态环境的影响--以江汉平原为例

以江汉平原为例,通过入户调查方式获取基础数据,利用层次分析法考察农村居民收入差异对生活用能选择的影响,并采用生态足迹模型测算不同收入农户生活能源消费的生态环境效应。研究发现:(1)能源属性对不同收入农户的选择行为影响较大,高收入农户对舒适性、卫生性较强的电力能源消费较多;中、低收入农户则消耗了较多的薪柴、秸秆等非商品能源,比较关注能源的经济性;(2)能源消费数量及生态环境效应因农户收入不同而存在显著差异,高收入农户每年人均消费数量较多,为533.89千克标准煤,分别比低收入和中收入农户高出25.24千克标准煤、7.32千克标准煤;高收入农户每年人均用能足迹最多,为2.1569hm²,分别是低收入和中收入农户的5.87倍、2.58倍;(3)随着收入水平的不断提高,农户生活用能数量增多和消费结构的"商品化"、"高碳化"倾向十分明显,总足迹的增长主要来源于商品能源的消费增长。研究成果有助于理解和解决当前日趋严峻的能源供需矛盾和温室气体减排问题,为制订合理的节能减排策略、优化农村用能结构提供参考依据。     

生计方式对农户生活能源消费模式的影响——以甘南高原为例

生计方式变迁对农户的生活能源消费模式产生深远影响,从而给农村能源与环境问题带来新的挑战。以地处青藏高原东缘的甘南高原为研究区,基于农户调查资料,采用STIRPAT模型与二元logistic模型分析了生计方式对农户的生活能源消费量及生活能源消费模式选择的影响。结果发现:(1)随着非农化水平的提高,甘南高原农户的生活能源消费量显著下降,但它引起的生活能源消费量下降速度低于其自身的变化速度;此外,家庭规模扩大、收入提高将使农户的生活能源消费量增加;(2)生计方式对农户能源消费模式选择的影响远高于其他因素,随着非农化水平的提高,农户选择以商品性能源为主消费模式的概率将增大,收入增加、受教育程度提高及商品性能源的可得性改善亦会如此,但生物质能源的可得性增强会降低农户选择以商品性能源为主消费模式的概率。最后,提出了优化农户生活能源消费模式的建议。     

城市居民食物磷素消费变化及其环境负荷——以厦门市为例

城市磷代谢不但关系到居民食品安全,还影响到城市生态系统的环境质量.快速的城市化进程及由此带来的居民生活水平的提高,会改变食物消费的数量、质量和结构,从而对城市磷代谢产生重要影响.分析了1988-2010年厦门市经食物消费进入城市系统的磷素变化动态,在此基础上对人均食物磷消费量与相关社会经济因子进行了Spearman相关分析,并计算了居民食物磷素消费的环境负荷.研究结果表明:(1)随着厦门城市化进程的推进,食物磷素消费总量波动上升;人均食物磷素消费量呈M型变化,两个峰值分别出现在1998年和2003年;高磷含量食物如奶制品、水产品,在人均食物磷素消费量中所占比例剧增,分别由0.3％和6.8％上升至14.9％和15.5％.(2)人均粮食磷素消费量与恩格尔系数、平均家庭人口数呈高度正相关,与人均可支配收入、食物价格指数以及具有大学学历以上人口比重呈高度负相关;而植物油、瓜果、畜禽肉、蛋类、奶类和水产品磷素消费量则与粮食所呈现的相关性相反.(3)随着食物磷素消费总量的增加,磷素的环境负荷总量也呈剧增趋势,尤其进入土壤的磷素量剧烈上升,所占比例由59.7％增至85.1％,这可能与禁磷措施的实行、污水处理率的提高、处理工艺的改进等有关.     

北京城市化进程中家庭食物碳消费动态

不可持续的家庭消费是造成全球环境问题的主要原因,食物碳消费研究是促进可持续家庭消费的重要内容。基于政府宏观统计数据,分析北京城市化进程中城市家庭食物碳消费的变化趋势和影响因素。结果表明,与1979年相比,1999年北京城市家庭人均及户均食物消费量分别减少了15.2%和38.6%,而食物碳消费总量增加了28.5%,食物碳消费结构由“以粮食为主”转变成“以粮食和肉类为主”。城市化进程中,以1993年为界,家庭食物人均及户均碳消费量均由明显减少趋势转变为明显增长趋势,变化的主要原因由“食物消费结构变化引起的人均谷物类碳消费量的减少”转变为“人均食物消费量增加引起的人均肉类碳消费量的增加”。北京城市家庭已基本完成食物消费结构的转变,人均食物消费量仍继续增加。GDP指数是影响人均食物碳消费量的主要经济因素,经济的继续增长可能带来人均食物碳消费量的增加,北京城市家庭食物碳消费尚未达到稳定状态。     

甘南高原不同生计方式农户的碳足迹分析

二氧化碳增加导致的全球气候变暖已成为当前人类社会面临的最严峻挑战,减少碳排放迫在眉睫。以地处青藏高原东缘的甘南高原为研究区,基于农户调查数据,采用生命周期评价法估算了甘南高原不同生计方式农户的生活直接能源消费碳足迹和间接能源消费碳足迹,并运用最小二乘法分析了影响农户碳足迹的关键因素。结果发现:(1)甘南高原农户年人均碳足迹达2.67 t CO2,其中,生活直接能源消费碳足迹比例达76.53%,间接能源消费碳足迹比例仅占23.47%;(2)随着非农化水平的提高,甘南高原农户的碳足迹依次下降,其中,纯农户人均碳足迹达4.32 t,兼业户与非农户分别为2.37 t和1.07 t;(3)随着农户家庭规模的增大、收入水平的提高、距县城距离的增加和消费水平的提高,农户碳足迹不断增加;随着劳动力受教育程度的提高、恩格尔系数的增加和非农化程度的提高,农户碳足迹不断减少。     

城镇家庭居民蔬菜消费实证研究——基于北京市1 000户家庭样本数据

基于北京市1 000户城镇家庭样本数据,分析和研究了北京市城镇居民家庭蔬菜消费特点及消费行为。通过统计模型和截面数据半对数回归模型分析显示,城镇居民具有冬春蔬菜消费量高于夏秋蔬菜消费量的季节性;品种消费偏好表现在大白菜、黄瓜、番茄等10个品种,其消费占到全部蔬菜消费量的50%以上;家庭人口每增加1人,人均蔬菜消费量减少8.58%;蔬菜购买场所对蔬菜消费影响显著,选择农贸市场和菜市场购买蔬菜较其他场所少消费3.58%。应加强对重点品种和重点时期的监测,并做好蔬菜销售终端网点布局,提高居民购买蔬菜的便利性,科学宣传和引导市民辨别蔬菜安全性。     

生态补偿对大熊猫栖息地周边农户生态足迹的影响

大熊猫栖息地正面临破碎化和人类活动干扰的威胁,如何减少这些威胁成为保护大熊猫这一生态旗舰物种的关键.通过实施生态补偿项目,充分考虑当地弱势群体生存和发展的权利,帮助其进行生计替代和能源替代,以减小生态系统所承受的压力.以120个项目农户作为研究对象,利用生态足迹方法,探讨了生态补偿项目对生活在关键生态区域内农村人口的影响.结果表明,在各种生态生产性土地中,农户对林地和草地生态占用最大,能源替代可以大幅降低农户的薪柴消耗水平,从而降低农户对林地的生态占用.通过调整农户的牲畜养殖模式,减小了放牧对草地资源的压力和对草地的生态占用.农户人均生态足迹由2005年的2.7346hm2减小至2007年的1.6325 hm2,对周边环境的压力降低,有利于保护和恢复珍稀野生动植物栖息地.     

农户生计与生态系统服务关系的区域差异及驱动机制——以密云水库上游流域为例

深入揭示生态系统与农户福祉之间的关系,对实现农户差异化管理及区域可持续发展具有重要意义。本研究以密云水库上游流域(包括北京市和河北省的部分区域)为研究区域,基于1754份农户调查问卷数据,通过统计计量方法对比分析了流域内北京市、河北省农户福祉水平(以家庭总收入表示)与生态系统服务依赖性(以生态系统依赖性指数表示)的关系。结果表明: 流域内京冀农户生计与生态系统的互作模式均可分为4类,但京冀两地不同模式占比差异较大。北京农户样本中,占比最高的是高福祉-低依赖模式(33.9%),农户人均年收入显著高于河北农户,农户的各项生计资本也较河北省农户高;河北农户中,不提倡的低福祉-高依赖模式仍占比39.1%,对提升农户福祉水平至关重要的人力资本素质、社会资本、金融资本等均显著低于北京农户;河北农户主要依赖农业生产收入(41.2%),对土地的开发利用程度显著较高;相对于北京农户,河北农户的自然资源条件、人力资本素质对农户生计的影响更加显著。保持适当家庭规模、不断提高劳动力教育水平、提高低收入家庭的生态补偿标准是形成农户与生态系统良好互动关系(高福祉-低依赖型)的关键因素。     

农户生活消费对环境影响的空间差异及其原因——基于张掖市2010年调查数据

农户是农村最主要的行为主体,其生活消费对环境有重要影响,然而农户的生活消费模式等因素的差异导致对环境的影响在空间上存在差异,为了缓解农户生活消费对环境的压力,需要研究其消费对环境影响的空间差异。基于张掖市2010年调查数据和统计资料研究了农户生活消费对环境影响空间差异,并分析了原因,研究结果显示:(1)张掖市2010年人均生态足迹为1.056hm2/人,人均生态承载力为1.705hm2/人,人均生态盈余0.649hm2/人;(2)从生态足迹的构成看,当地的生活消费主要是以生物资源和化石能源消耗为主,占总生态足迹的81%,而建筑用地和水域消耗最少,占总生态足迹的1.2%。;(3)张掖市五县(区)农户生活消费对环境的影响总体差异较小,Gini系数为0.309。但是区域间的差异远远大于区域内的差异,区域间的差异为0.442,占总差异的71.1%,区域内的差异为0.18,占总差异的28.9%。其中,甘州区农户生活消费对环境影响差异最大,Theil指数为0.078;(4)农户消费模式、家庭规模和人均年收入增多,将加剧农户对环境的压力,劳动力受教育程度、社会资本存量和非农化程度提高,将在一定程度上减缓农户对环境的影响。     

汉、藏、回族地区农户的环境影响——以甘肃省张掖市、甘南藏族自治州、临夏回族自治州为例

农户作为我国最主要的经济活动主体与最基本的决策单位,已成为影响生态环境的最重要单元,当前急需理解农户的环境影响,并依此为依据找寻缓解环境压力的对策.以甘肃省张掖市、甘南藏族自治州、临夏回族自治州为研究区,以生态足迹作为测度环境影响的指标,利用入户调查资料,基于成分法核算了农户的生态足迹,对比分析了汉、藏、回族地区农户的环境影响,并利用STIRPAT模型分解了各因素对农户环境影响的作用.研究发现:(1)甘南州农户的人均生态足迹高于张掖市与临夏州,其中甘南州农户的人均草地足迹远高于张掖市与临夏州,而张掖市农户的人均化石能源地足迹远高于甘南州与临夏州;(2)3个地区农户对耕地影响的差距均较小,但对水域、林地、草地影响的差距都较悬殊;(3)农户的家庭规模、富裕水平、受教育程度、非农化水平是影响生态环境的主要驱动因子,扩大家庭规模、提高富裕水平将加剧对环境的影响,而提高农户的受教育程度及非农化水平将减缓对环境的影响,但它们引起的环境影响变化速度均低于其自身的变化速度;(4)民族属性对农户的环境影响具有显著作用,张掖市、甘南藏族自治州、临夏回族自治州的现有样本数据支持环境Kuznets曲线假说.     

丽江市家庭能耗碳排放特征及影响因素

现代社会中人类活动对碳排放的影响日益显著.家庭作为人类社会的基本单元,其消费活动产生的碳排放是全社会碳排放的重要组成部分.通过对丽江市农村和市区家庭生活用能的调查数据进行分析,发现农村家庭生活用能以木柴为主,沼气和电为辅;市区家庭的生活用能以电为主,其次是液化气和蜂窝煤.从碳排放构成来看,农村地区木柴消费为家庭能源碳排放的主要来源,占总碳排的83.6％;市区电力消费为家庭能源碳排放的主要来源,占总碳排的88.4％.农村地区家庭的碳排放远高于市区家庭,主要原因是木柴的碳排放因子(1.87 kg CO2/kg)远高于电能的边际排放因子(0.7134 kg CO2·kW-1·h-1).从各影响因素与家庭主要能源消费碳排放的回归结果来看,在农村地区,家庭规模、家庭收入、教育水平均对家庭木柴消费碳排放有显著的影响,但影响方向和程度有一定的差别;在市区,年龄结构、教育水平、家庭规模、住房面积均会不同程度增加家庭电能消费碳排放.建议政府在完善“家电下乡”政策、增加农村家庭收入、加强农村居民教育等方面加大投入力度,以减少丽江市整体的家庭能耗碳排放.     

Rural-to-Urban Labor Migration,Household Livelihoods,and the Rural Environment in Chongqing Municipality,Southwest China

Rural migration and its relationship to the rural environment have attracted increasing research interest in recent decades. Rural migration constitutes a key component of human population movement, while rural areas contain most of the world’s natural resources such as land and forests. This study empirically evaluates a conceptual framework incorporating rural household livelihoods as an integrative mediating factor between rural migration and the rural environment in the context of rural-to-urban labor migration in Chongqing Municipality, Southwest China. The analysis draws on data collected through household surveys and key informant interviews from four villages. Results confirm the hypothesis that labor-migrant and non-labor-migrant households differ significantly in livelihood activities including agricultural production, agricultural technology use, income and consumption, and resource use and management. Implications for the subsequent environmental outcomes of rural labor out-migration and corresponding natural resource management and policy in rural origin areas are discussed.     

Nontimber forest product extraction, utilization and valuation: A case study from the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve, southern India

We evaluated the diversity, social, and economic aspects of nontimber forest product (NTFP) collection in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), in southern India. The NBR is a region known for its floral andfaunal diversity, as well as an area with increasing human pressure. Fifty to 75% of the households (HH) in rural areas gather a diversity of forest products. Dominant NTFPs contributed 25–60% of the average annual per capita household income from NTFPs. The mean annual per capita household income from NTFPs ranges between Rs. 134 and Rs. 4955. The mean annual income per hectare ranges from Rs. 93 in the montane zone to Rs. 3780 in the moist deciduous. NTFPs contribute 15–50% of the annual per capita income of rural households. Ethnicity plays an important role in the collection of NTFPs and ethnic tribes derive a large proportion of their annual per capita income from NTFPs.     

Machine learning based modeling of households: A regionalized bottom‐up approach to investigate consumption‐induced environmental impacts

As major drivers of economy, households induce a large share of worldwide environmental impacts. The variability of local consumption patterns and associated environmental impacts needs to be quantified as an important starting point to devise targeted measures aimed at reducing household environmental footprints. The goal of this article is the development and appraisal of a comprehensive regionalized bottom‐up model that assesses realistic environmental profiles for individual households in a specific region. For this purpose, a physically based building energy model, the results of an agent‐based transport simulation, and a data‐driven household consumption model were interlinked within a new probability‐based classification framework and applied to the case of Switzerland. The resulting model predicts the demands in about 400 different consumption areas for each Swiss household by considering its particular circumstances and produces a realistic picture of variability in household environmental footprints. An analysis of the model results on a municipal level reveals per‐capita income, population density, buildings' age, and household structure as possible drivers of municipal carbon footprints. While higher‐emission municipalities are located in rural areas and tend to show higher shares of older buildings, lower‐emission communities have larger proportions of families and can be found in highly populated regions by trend. However, the opposing effects of various variables observed in this analysis confirm the importance of a model that is able to capture regional distinctions. The overall model constitutes a comprehensive information base supporting policymakers in understanding consumption patterns in their region and deriving environmental strategies tailored to their specific population.     

Impact of Illness and Medical Expenditure on Household Consumptions: A Survey in Western China

Background

The main goal of this study is to examine the associations between illness conditions and out-of-pocket medical expenditure with other types of household consumptions. In November and December of 2011, a survey was conducted in three cities in western China, namely Lan Zhou, Gui Lin and Xi An, and their surrounding rural areas.

Results

Information on demographics, income and consumption was collected on 2,899 households. Data analysis suggested that the presence of household members with chronic diseases was not associated with characteristics of households or household heads. The presence of inpatient treatments was significantly associated with the age of household head (p-value 0.03). The level of per capita medical expense was significantly associated with household size, presence of members younger than 18, older than 65, basic health insurance coverage, per capita income, and household head occupation. Adjusting for confounding effects, the presence of chronic diseases was negatively associated with the amount of basic consumption (p-value 0.02) and the percentage of basic consumption (p-value 0.01), but positively associated with the percentage of insurance expense (p-value 0.02). Medical expenditure was positively associated with all other types of consumptions, including basic, education, saving and investment, entertainment, insurance, durable goods, and alcohol/tobacco. It was negatively associated with the percentage of basic consumption, saving and investment, and insurance.

Conclusions

Early studies conducted in other Asian countries and rural China found negative associations between illness conditions and medical expenditure with other types of consumptions. This study was conducted in three major cities and surrounding areas in western China, which had not been well investigated in published literature. The observed consumption patterns were different from those in early studies, and the negative associations were not observed. This study may complement the existing rural studies and provide useful information on western Chinese cities.     

Evaluating the role of livelihood assets in suitable livelihood strategies: Protocol for anti-poverty policy in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Although numerous studies have been conducted on the relationship between livelihood assets and strategies, only a few quantitative studies exist on the topic for anti-poverty policies with regard to the Tibetan Plateau. This study investigated 357 households in the upper reaches of the Dadu River watershed in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau, China, using the participatory rural appraisal method. Then, applying a multinomial logistic regression model, we quantitatively analyzed the relationship between livelihood assets and livelihood strategies, the findings of which have implications for local agricultural policy interventions. The preliminary results indicate that of the four classifications of livelihood strategies used in this study, the main livelihood strategy is that of the non-farming-dependent household type (i.e., Type III in our study) that combines agricultural and non-farm activities or practices self-employment for wages. There are significant differences in the livelihood assets owned by households with different livelihood strategies. Human, natural, and financial assets have significant influences on livelihood strategies, and the choice of livelihood strategy varies by livelihood assets. Further, with improvements in household labor capacity and cash income per capita, the livelihood strategies of non-agricultural and non-farming households may shift away from agriculture, while an increase in farmland cultivated per capita, cash income per capita, and household labor capacity may encourage households to adopt agriculture-dependent livelihood strategies. These findings contribute to research on livelihood and related development strategies and anti-poverty policies in not only the Eastern Tibetan Plateau but also other regions with similar livelihood strategies.     

Changing Realities—Perspectives on Balinese Rice Cultivation

This paper discusses issues of agrarian change in south-central Bali. The proximity to urban areas, especially the tourist centers along the southern coast, provides many off-farm employment opportunities for small-scale farming households. Although rice farming continues, for many households it has become a side business. The flexible nature of rice farming in terms of labor input and available casual off-farm work allows farming households to allocate their available labor to a variety of on-farm and off-farm income generating activities. The subak which unites farmers in the irrigation and cultivation of the rice crop plays an important role in supporting this flexibility. Still, the future of rice farming and the organization behind it looks rather dim with a younger generation unwilling to work in the “mud” and little appreciation of the many benefits the subak provides not only to the farming but to the wider community.     

Factors Affecting Domestic Water Consumption in Rural Households upon Access to Improved Water Supply: Insights from the Wei River Basin,China

Comprehensively understanding water consumption behavior is necessary to design efficient and effective water use strategies. Despite global efforts to identify the factors that affect domestic water consumption, those related to domestic water use in rural regions have not been sufficiently studied, particularly in villages that have gained access to improved water supply. To address this gap, we investigated 247 households in eight villages in the Wei River Basin where three types of improved water supply systems are implemented. Results show that domestic water consumption in liters per capita per day was significantly correlated with water supply pattern and vegetable garden area, and significantly negatively correlated with family size and age of household head. Traditional hygiene habits, use of water appliances, and preference for vegetable gardening remain dominant behaviors in the villages with access to improved water supply. Future studies on rural domestic water consumption should pay more attention to user lifestyles (water appliance usage habits, outdoor water use) and cultural backgrounds (age, education).