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Features and Socio-Economic Sustainability of Traditional Chestnut Forestry Landscape in China: A Case of Kuancheng County, Hebei Province

Author

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  • Lulu He

    (College of Humanities and Development, China Agricultural University, No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100094, China
    These authors have an equal contribution to this article.)

  • Qingwen Min

    (Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing 100049, China
    These authors have an equal contribution to this article.)

  • Chuanchun Hong

    (School of Management, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
    School of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004, China)

  • Yongxun Zhang

    (Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhongguancun South Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China)

Abstract

Since Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS) were launched by the FAO to protect the sustainable traditional agricultural systems around the world, their conservation has become a new difficult issue under the context of urbanization. Farmers in IAHS sites giving up small-scale traditional farming due to their low economic benefit and high labor intensity are considered as the main cause hindering effective conservation of these heritages. This study takes the Kuancheng traditional chestnut cultivation system (KTCCS) in northern China as a case to assess its economic and socio-cultural sustainability. Based on questionnaires and interviews, this study found that: the traditional ecological farming methods were still used by local farming households to plant chestnut trees; and most farmers support IAHS conservation. KTCCS performs economic and socio-cultural sustainability. For a household, the labor productivity of chestnut cultivation was 1.33 times that of their non-farm jobs because of the low labor input of chestnut cultivation. Farmers widely consider they live in a harmonious social environment but are lower than other households in economic status. Most farmers still lack an understanding of indigenous traditional knowledge and cultures. In the future, secondary and tertiary industries should be developed to provide farmers with employment opportunities in their hometowns for protecting KTCCS.

Suggested Citation

  • Lulu He & Qingwen Min & Chuanchun Hong & Yongxun Zhang, 2021. "Features and Socio-Economic Sustainability of Traditional Chestnut Forestry Landscape in China: A Case of Kuancheng County, Hebei Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-18, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:9:p:952-:d:631541
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yongxun Zhang & Xiande Li, 2022. "Protecting Traditional Agricultural Landscapes by Promoting Industrial Integration Development: Practices from Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS) Sites in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, August.
    2. Sun, Huaping & Tariq, Gulzara & Youn, Ik Joong & Mansoor, Sofia, 2022. "Impacts of green energy finance on eco-friendly environments," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Maolin Li & Yongxun Zhang & Changhong Miao & Lulu He & Jiatao Chen, 2022. "Centennial Change and Source–Sink Interaction Process of Traditional Agricultural Landscape: Case from Xin’an Traditional Cherry Cultivation System (1920–2020)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.

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