Tropentag, September 14 - 16, 2010 in Zurich "World Food System – A Contribution from Europe"

A Village Social Accounting Matrix for Mountainous Southwest China: A Case Study in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Agricultural Policy and Market Research, Germany

Abstract

Xishuangbanna is known for its biological diversity and included in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Besides, it is enriched by diverse ethnic groups and culture. However, rapid modernisation such as large infrastructure and investment projects and great dependence on rubber plantation significantly challenges the local socio-economy, inherited landscapes, environment with all consequences for mankind and nature. This study focuses on a presentation of a village economy and society, and aims to detect sustainable modes of exchanges in the community which reduce the need for more rubber as means of development, since rubber has increasingly negative effects on the environment. The idea is to implement village social accounting matrix (SAM) in China in order to lay the foundation for further analysis. The village SAM is a model that comprehensively describes national and regional economic structures in a certain period. It combines input-output tables with macro-economic accounts into a balanced and closed structure to provide a data base for economy-wide analysis. An aggregated SAM includes six accounts, such as activities, factors, households, village government, investment and rest of world (ROW). Furthermore, the SAM will be disaggregated into a detailed model to reflect interactions among various farm-household groups within villages as well as external relationships. Activities which take place in the village will be divided into eleven sub-accounts covering on-farm, off-farm and public activities. Factors are divided into eight production factors referring to three kinds of labour and land as well as two types of credit. Three groups of households and government's two fiscal separate flows are used to disagreggate the institution account. The ROW is specified as three different institutions interacting with villagers inside the community. The model emphasises the mutual impacts of farming activities and construction of public infrastructure on the village socio-economy.

Keywords: Farming activities, public infrastructure, SAM, Southwest China

Contact Address: Yan Liu, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Institute of Agricultural Policy and Market Research, Senckenbergstrasse 3, D-35394 Giessen, Germany, e-mail: Yan.Liuagrar.uni-giessen.de