Abstract
Analyzing vulnerability and adaptation to soil and water loss is an important part of the study on the human–environment relationship in the Loess Plateau. It has also provided a new perspective for studying the farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology in the soil erosion area of the Loess Plateau. Based on the Turner vulnerability framework, this paper constructs a household-scale index system of soil and water loss vulnerability in the Loess Plateau and evaluates the soil and water loss vulnerability in the Loess Plateau using the field survey data of the Loess Plateau applied entropy method. Finally, we use the binary logistic model to estimate the impact mechanism of farmers’ soil erosion vulnerability on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) In the total sample, susceptibility > exposure > adaptability, whereas in the Shaanxi and Gansu subsample, susceptibility > adaptability > exposure. The Ningxia subsample was similar to the total sample. For each index, Ningxia > Gansu > Shaanxi; (2) The exposure and susceptibility of soil and water loss have a positive impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology, and natural capital has a positive impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. Physical capital has a positive impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of biological measures. Financial capital has a negative impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of biological measures and farming measures. Social capital has a positive impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of engineering measures and biological measures; (3) Overall, the marginal effect of the adoption behavior of farmers’ soil and water conservation techniques, adaptability > susceptibility > exposure. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring of soil and water loss, encourage the government and farmers to respond in time, and reduce the losses caused by soil erosion. Enriching the capital endowment of farmers, breaking through the endowment restriction of farmers’ adoption of soil and water conservation technology.
Highlights
Agriculture is highly dependent on resource conditions and affected by the natural environment [1]
The probability of farmers adopting engineering soil and water conservation technology increased by 5%, and the probability of farmers adopting biological soil and water conservation technology increased by 1%
The probability of farmers adopting soil and water conservation technology of farming increased by 2.7%
Summary
Agriculture is highly dependent on resource conditions and affected by the natural environment [1]. Natural disasters can cause huge losses to agriculture [2], which makes farmers face more uncertainty, instability, and more exogenous production risks in agricultural production [3]. Natural disasters such as precipitation, rainstorm, drought, collapse, landslide, mountain torrent, debris flow, wind and sand, and soil erosion occur from time to time in the Loess Plateau [4], making it one of the areas with the most serious soil erosion and the most fragile ecological environment in the world. Soil erosion of the Loess Plateau, southwest rocky desertification, and desertification in the northwestern part are the three major ecological disasters in China, which seriously restrict the sustainable development of industry and agriculture.
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