Evaluation of the Spirituality of Village Committees on Integrated Risk Governance of Agricultural Drought: A Case Study in Xindu District, Hebei Province, China

Abstract

The spirituality of stakeholders in cases of drought has gained significant attention in the field of integrated risk governance of agricultural drought. In this paper, based on a field survey and 30 drought response actions in China, we established an indicator system and quantitative model based on concentration and willpower (spirituality, abbreviated as S), considering the aspects of responsibility (R), enterprise (E), and devotion (D) to evaluate the spirituality of the village committee of Xindu District, Hebei Province. We aimed to develop a new method for the quantitative research of multi-stakeholders’ concentration and willpower and to provide a more scientific reference for the formation of consilience in the process of improving risk governance capability. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Condensed connotations of spirituality focus on expressing the spirit state of each stakeholder, which is the embodiment of the stakeholder’s concentration and willpower in the consilience system. (2) An evaluation framework of “deeds information excavating → stakeholder-oriented survey → grading and classification” is formed. Based on Chinese traditional cultural backgrounds and administrative system characteristics, the evaluation indicator system and model of spirituality are constructed and will further promote the visualization and quantification of spirituality research. (3) The spirituality index (S) of village committees on integrated risk governance of drought presents a trend of normal distribution, and the average value of all secondary indices is R > E > D. The mean value of R is 0.93 and the sample range is 0.49. D has the lowest mean value, with a range of 0.37. (4) There is a regional difference in the average values of spirituality index (S) as follows: “plain area > mountain area > hilly area”, from the perspective of geomorphic units, and “high-income area > middle-income area > low-income area”, from the perspective of the regional economy.