Abstract
Rural tourism is one of the important ways to achieve rural revitalization and one of the choices for farmers to improve their viability. Therefore, the socio-ecological systems (SES) analysis framework and obstacle factor analysis can provide a new perspective for the evaluation of farmers’ behavior adaptation processes. In order to test the adaptation mechanisms of farmers’ lives in rural tourism destinations, we applied this analysis framework to Ying-Tao-Gou Village in China. The study found that the livelihood adaptation strategies of local farmers can be divided into the categories of “tourism livelihood”, “part-time livelihood”, “worker livelihood”, and “farming livelihood”. The livelihood adaptation of local farmers presented a relatively balanced picture. There were significant differences in the livelihood adaptability of different types of farmers, but tourism farmers had the strongest livelihood adaptability. There were various barriers to the livelihood adaptation of different types of farmers, such as household savings and education level. Finally, to improve the adaptability of farmers’ livelihoods, amendments can be made in policy formulation, tourism development, and by the farmers themselves. This study is of great significance for the government in formulating policies to improve people’s livelihoods, to stimulate the vitality of rural development, and to accelerate the development of rural revitalization.
Highlights
In 2008, the first international theoretical article on sustainable tourism livelihoods proposed a novel sustainable tourism livelihood approach (STLA), emphasizing that the analytical framework for sustainable tourism livelihoods should be placed in a broader tourism context rather than considered merely as a tool [1]
It is based on generic principles, such as the adaptation to nature, and constructs an adaptive evaluation index system for rural households’ livelihoods in rural tourism destinations, including the six evaluation dimensions of the farmers’ natural, material, social, financial, human, and cognitive abilities (Table 2)
We refer to Zhaowenjuan [39], Atticari [40], and others to divide the types of livelihood. They can be classified into four types of livelihood adaptation: “tourism livelihood”, “part-time livelihood”, “worker livelihood”, and “farming livelihood” (Table 3)
Summary
In 2008, the first international theoretical article on sustainable tourism livelihoods proposed a novel sustainable tourism livelihood approach (STLA), emphasizing that the analytical framework for sustainable tourism livelihoods should be placed in a broader tourism context rather than considered merely as a tool [1]. Rural tourism can cause changes to and lead to the building of farmers’ lifestyles, transform a large number of traditional subsistence farmers into modern subsistence farmers, change the farmers’ livelihood capital reserves and their combination of activities [6], alleviate poverty, increase survival opportunities, improve welfare and abilities, ensure the diversification of food supply and livelihood, improve the living environment [7,8], improve the quality of life of ethnic minorities [9], and contribute to the realization of environmental, economic, social, and cultural sustainable development [10]. Farmers are clearly the source of social (re)organizations in any rural social ecosystem How farmers adapt their livelihood to the changes brought by the development of rural tourism and how they use their inherent adaptability have become important subjects to measure the effect of the implementation of the strategy of rural revitalization in China. The purpose of this study is to understand the adaptation mechanisms of farmers’ livelihoods in rural tourism destinations
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