Rural Living Environment Governance: A Survey and Comparison between Two Villages in Henan Province of China

Cuicui Xiao (), Jingbo Zhou (), Xingxing Shen, Jonathan Cullen, Susie Dobson, Fanran Meng and Xiaoxia Wang
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Cuicui Xiao: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Jingbo Zhou: School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100086, China
Xingxing Shen: Administration and Management Institute, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 102208, China
Jonathan Cullen: Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Susie Dobson: Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Fanran Meng: Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK
Xiaoxia Wang: School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100086, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: Rural living environment governance is an issue of great importance in global economic development. It is also a significant facet of the rural revitalization strategy pursued by the Chinese government. Henan Province is a major agricultural province in the inland Central Plains region and is one of the most populous provinces in China. In this study, we take two villages in the underdeveloped areas of Henan Province in central China as case studies. We use field investigations and in-depth interviews to analyze the feelings of farmers in the case study villages towards the efforts to improve the rural environment, and explored the factors that affect levels of satisfaction with the rural living environment from the perspective of grassroots governance. The results showed that there were significant differences in the perceptions and satisfaction levels of rural residents in the two villages. The grassroots government has great influence over the rural human settlement environment, and its deployment capacities and management level are the key factors that affect overall levels of farmer satisfaction. China’s experience in improving rural human settlements provides reference for rural governance in other developing countries and regions around the world.

Keywords: rural living environment; underdeveloped areas in central China; grassroots rural governance; survey interview (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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