Herders’ living strategy is a function of the capitals at their disposal which also serve as a buffering mechanism when shocks arise. An insight into the connection between livelihood strategies and capitals owned by herders provides guidance to recognize their living situation. This study evaluated the different livelihood capitals of herders across the five ecological types (meadow, typical, desert, sandy, and desert steppe) in Inner Mongolia region of China, using the sustainable livelihood framework approach. An evaluation index was developed and used to investigate how the livelihood capitals of herders affects preferential selection of livelihood strategies using multinomial logit model. Results indicate that: (1) The stocks of human and social capitals were higher while those for natural, physical, and financial capitals were lower. (2) There were significant regional differences in the livelihood capital stock of herders’ families with zonal horizontal decrease from east to west. (3) Natural capitals affects the preferential selection of livelihood strategies by herders positively implying that possession of more natural capitals by herders leads to selection of livelihood strategies that are devoid of pastoral production; the preferred livelihood strategy of herders was significantly negatively affected by physical and financial capitals, an indication that, when herders possess more physical and financial capitals, they tend to choose livelihood strategies that involve pastoral production. The living strategy of herders was not affected by human and social capitals. (4) Production of rented pasture capital index affected the preferential selection of livelihood strategies by herders positively while cash income capital index had negative influence on how pastoralists select their livelihood strategies. In conclusion, the total livelihood capital of herders in Inner Mongolia is low, and there is perceived benefit in the differentiation of herders families into petty-herders and non-grazing families from the perception of natural resource management and sustainability. This requires income diversification programs such as capacity building and business education that will aid the smooth transition of households to these less resource exploiting livelihood strategies.

Livestock husbandry insurance (LHI) is increasingly gaining acceptance in developing countries, relative to its efficacy in mitigating the covariate risks faced by households in vulnerable agrarian communities. However, this risk-mitigating tool has received little research attention in the context of Chinese herders. The current study focused on the status, and determinants of herders’ willingness to purchase LHI. We used a contingent valuation approach to collect data from 450 households across three grassland types in Inner Mongolia. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression models were used to analyze the collected data. We show that herders’ level of awareness and acceptance of LHI are below expectations. Our results further indicated that herders with higher education level, livestock number, risk perception level, awareness, and contracted grassland area are more likely to purchase LHI. Policymakers and insurers should design programs that will educate herders on LHI while taking cognizance of other critical factors that influence households to purchase insurance. This will go a long way in scaling-up the attractiveness of LHI to herders and the agrarian community at large.

Apiculture is an important industry closely related to the national economy and people’s livelihoods. Beekeepers’ behavior is an important factor affecting the yield, quality, and benefits of apiculture. However, there is a lack of a systematic understanding of the long-term changes in beekeeping decisions made by beekeepers. Using panel data, we analyzed the dynamic trends and related influencing factors of decisions made by beekeeping models, honey source plant selection, and the migration flow space of beekeepers from 2009 to 2020. The results showed that the proportion of the LMB model decreased, while the PAB and SMB models continued to increase, the frequency of utilization of the main nectar source plants for honey collection decreased, and the concentration of migratory flow of beekeeping increased. Behavior of beekeepers from 2009 to 2020 showed a certain degree of spatial contraction, which seriously restricted the effective use of nectar plant resources. Family attributes, economic status, beekeeping models, and disaster conditions directly or indirectly affected beekeepers’ decisions. We propose a series of recommendations to facilitate the transformation and advancement of the Chinese bee industry. This study promotes an understanding of sustainable development of the bee industry in China and other countries worldwide.