Study On The Impacts Of The Rural Informatization On Rural Households' Livelihoods In Ningxia

The Rural informatization is considered to be one of the most important parts and measures of rural development in China. Proper assessment not only contribute to evaluate the rural informatization effects, uncover its effect mechanism on rural livelihoods, but also help to improve the rural informatization work in future, provide policy implications for using informatization to promote rural development. The essay is based on the work of a joint program funded by IFAD and IDRC. Ningxia, the first provincial rural informatization demonstration in China, is adopted as the research area. Sustainable livelihoods analysis framework is introduced into the research of rural informatization's effects. The impact mechanism of rural information project on rural household's5livelihoods capitals (natural capital, human capital, financial capital, social capital and physical capital) are examined in depth. Based on principal component analysis, ordinal logit analysis and statistical analysis of the first hand data collected by field survey and related materials, quantitative analyze results are explored in the essay, which provide further insights for policy implications for rural informatization work. The major conclusions of the essay are listed as follows:1. It is found out that rural informatization strengthened the rural households'human capital, financial capital and social capital in short term. Firstly, more education and training chances, improved medical and health services are provided via rural information projects. Secondly, the financial capital of rural households is enhanced via promoted income, less loan and investment cost, and increased availability of loan and investment. Thirdly, the rural households'social capital is strengthened by participated more cooperative organizations, more involved in village management, more communication with government via information platform.2. The households'characteristics affect their ability to make use of the rural information platform. The young male farmers can make better use of the platform. The non poor households that have more land, and more off farm income can make better use of the platform.3. Rural informatization has more impact on the households with high livelihoods index. Base on the livelihoods index, the households are divided into2groups, the households in the group with higher livelihoods index not only have more knowledge on rural informatization, but also eager for more rural information services and have higher praise for the present information services.4. The improvement of rural informatizaion on the households'livelihoods depends on the original local livelihoods strategy. As a new factor, the effect of rural infromatization plays various roles in different areas. Self-sufficient traditional agriculture dominated in south and central of Ningxia, the effect of rural informatization mainly reflect in improve the planting and fostering technology, contribute to the increase of the production, while agricultural product trade dominated in the income of the rural households in northern Ningxia, promote sale and integrated the rural market in to a greater on is the major function of the rural informatization there.Based on the research findings given above,5policy recommendations are put forwards in order to further improve rural information construction work:1. Promote the successful practices of Ningxia rural information construction.2. Enhance the farmers'capacity building.3. Increase the services concern to the rural information construction, and promote the farmers'employment opportunities and incomes.4. Provide proper information according to the households'features and their livelihoods capital situation.5. Provide specific information services according to local livelihoods strategy.