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ABSTRACT
Minqin oasis, located at the lower reaches of the Shiyang River in northwest China, is one of the driest regions in the world. Severe water shortage has exacerbated the vulnerability of local ecosystems and the agricultural livelihood of farmers, and ecological failure threatens the environmental security of the region. Since 2007 China has implemented a range of strategic programmes and policies on water management which involve governments at all levels and include a diversity of adaptive actions in this region. However, rural households do not benefit equally from the policies and programmes. This study addresses two questions: first, how are inequality issues addressed in water-related policies and programmes? And second, what demographic and socio-economic factors at the household level are significantly related to the inequality in benefit sharing arisen from the implementation of these policies? The study employs a mixed method approach, integrating a qualitative approach that investigates policy documents with a quantitative approach that analyses primary data collected from a household survey in Minqin in 2012. The study finds that there are inadequate financial and instrumental resources put in place to address the causes of inequality. Unequal holdings of household capital, especially social capital and political status, significantly influences whether or not farmers can benefit from the water-related policies and schemes as practiced in the study area. Addressing the root causes of unequal benefits from water-related policies is urgent if China aims to achieve policy goals and sustainable development in this ecologically vulnerable region.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. The national Governing Plan for Focal Issues in the Shiyang River Basin is a document with cross-cutting themes, focusing on both areas of ‘ecosystem and environment’ and ‘water management’. Therefore, this major document is considered as two policies, one is an ecosystem and environment policy whilst the other is a water management policy.
2. The interview material used in this paper is derived from our large survey, entitled Chinese Rural Residents’ Perceptions of and Adaptations to Climate Change, in August–October 2012. The interview content is not included in the paper due to space limitation and is available upon request.
3. Specific aspects of benefit include: reduced damage and loss from desertification and water scarcity; improved access to irrigation water or increased efficiency of water use; diversified livelihood resources and increased income from agricultural activities, such as growing grapes and vegetables and developing livestock husbandry (especially mutton sheep), through the building of facilities such as greenhouses and barns; improved skills through attending training in water-saving techniques such as the application of no-tillage and re-used plastic film mulching, and training in the cultivation of water-saving species such as gouji (Chinese wolfberry), grapes for wine-making, red dates, sunflowers, fennel and forage grass (especially alfalfa); improved housing and livelihood reconstruction and improved access to water after resettlement; and use of clean energy.
