Value Transformation and Ecological Practice: The Path to Realizing the Value of Ecotourism Products in Heritage Sites—A Case Study of the Qitai Dry Farming System in Xinjiang

Yaping Peng, Weizhong Liu (), Changjiang Xiong () and Xiang Bai
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Yaping Peng: School of Economics and Management, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Weizhong Liu: School of Economics and Management, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
Changjiang Xiong: Institute of Finance and Economics, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai 200434, China
Xiang Bai: School of Economics and Management, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: The analysis of the realization path of the value of ecotourism products in agro-cultural heritage sites from the perspective of farmers’ behaviors can not only provide decision-making references for improving the well-being of farmers and alleviating poverty but also help to provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of ecosystems in agro-cultural heritage sites. Based on the field research data of the Qitai dry farming system in Xinjiang in 2023, this study establishes an evaluation index system for livelihood capital transformed by tourism value, and it analyzes whether there is a significant difference between the livelihood capital held by different types of farmers by using the entropy method and non-parametric tests. This study found that (1) farmers who participated in tourism in alpine grassland pastoral areas possessed advantageous financial, social and cultural capital; those who participated in tourism in rain-fed agricultural areas possessed advantageous human capital; and those who participated in tourism in irrigated agricultural areas possessed advantageous financial and human capital. (2) There are significant differences in the natural, physical and financial capital between farmers in alpine grassland pastoral, rain-fed and irrigated agricultural areas. (3) The different types of farm households are categorized into three representative livelihood types in dryland agricultural and cultural heritage sites: strong financial capital-strong, socio-cultural capital sites, strong human capital-weak natural capital sites, and strong human capital-weak physical capital sites. Depending on the composition of the livelihood capital, different types of farmers in heritage sites can realize the tourism value of ecological products, thus helping them to ameliorate their combined benefits.

Keywords: agricultural cultural heritage site; value of ecotourism products; livelihoods of farmers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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