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Navigating between Tea and Rubber in Xishuangbanna, China: When New Crops Fail and Old Ones Work

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  • Charlotte Filt Slothuus

    (Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
    East and Central Asia Regional Office, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Kunming 650201, China)

  • Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

    (Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Kunming 650201, China
    Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg University, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany)

  • Ole Mertz

    (Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark)

Abstract

Following the massive expansion of rubber plantations in China, considerable research has been conducted on the impact of these landscape changes. The general consensus is that there have been negative impacts on the environment and positive impacts on local economies. However, since rubber prices dropped after 2011, the economic benefit to the local people is challenged and the impact on the local people and communities remains unclear. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, this longitudinal study investigates how the drop in rubber prices has affected a local community and the local people in Manlin, Xishuangbanna, China. It investigates local coping strategies and the importance of alternative income sources and shows how differentiated access to alternative lands creates increased economic inequality within the village when prices fluctuate. Three general coping strategies were identified amongst local rubber farmers: doing business as usual, changing rubber management practices, and stopping- or decreasing tapping frequency. Differences in coping strategies are linked to factors including access to alternative income sources and rubber perceptions. Moreover, households with access to tea land were found to have experienced negligible impacts of decreasing rubber prices as income from tea has increased more than income from rubber has decreased, leading to increasing intra-village economic inequality. We conclude that while this is a clear case of how income diversification is important for reducing livelihood vulnerability, it also shows that the large focus on rubber farming has created benefits in terms of improved infrastructure and connectivity that has helped expand the market for tea as well.

Suggested Citation

  • Charlotte Filt Slothuus & Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt & Ole Mertz, 2020. "Navigating between Tea and Rubber in Xishuangbanna, China: When New Crops Fail and Old Ones Work," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:1:p:22-:d:308816
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shi Min & Jikun Huang & Hermann Waibel, 2017. "Rubber specialization vs crop diversification: the roles of perceived risks," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(2), pages 188-210, May.
    2. Mertens, Charlotte Filt & Bruun, Thilde Bech & Schmidt-Vogt, Dietrich & He, Jun & de Neergaard, Andreas, 2015. "Rural wood consumption patterns of local and immigrant households with differentiated access to resources in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 112-121.
    3. Guillaume Lestrelin & Jean-Christophe Castella & Qiaohong Li & Thoumthone Vongvisouk & Nguyen Dinh Tien & Ole Mertz, 2019. "A Nested Land Uses–Landscapes–Livelihoods Approach to Assess the Real Costs of Land-Use Transitions: Insights from Southeast Asia," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-20, January.
    4. Wadley, Reed L. & Mertz, Ole, 2005. "Pepper in a time of crisis: Smallholder buffering strategies in Sarawak, Malaysia and West Kalimantan, Indonesia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 289-305, September.
    5. Huafang Chen & Zhuang-Fang Yi & Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt & Antje Ahrends & Philip Beckschäfer & Christoph Kleinn & Sailesh Ranjitkar & Jianchu Xu, 2016. "Pushing the Limits: The Pattern and Dynamics of Rubber Monoculture Expansion in Xishuangbanna, SW China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(2), pages 1-15, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Traldi, Rebecca & Silva, Julie A. & Potapov, Peter & Tyukavina, Alexandra & Epprecht, Michael & Gore, Meredith L. & Phompila, Chittana, 2023. "Cultivating inequality? Regional rubber dynamics and implications for voluntary sustainability programs in Lao PDR," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    2. Jue Wang & Haiwei Jiang & Yuan He, 2023. "Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Income-Generating Activities in Rubber Monoculture Dominated Region Based on Sustainable Livelihood Framework," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-17, January.

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