Sustainable Livelihood Evaluation and Influencing Factors of Rural Households: A Case Study of Beijing Ecological Conservation Areas

Abstract

Rural households’ livelihood sustainability is the core issue that affects their production and life standards, and it is a necessary evaluation index for rural sustainable development. As a sensitive area of urban–rural integration development in Beijing, the environmental protection measures and industrial structure adjustments in ecological conservation areas (ECAs) have influenced the sustainability and stability of local rural households’ livelihood. First, based on livelihood capital quantification data, this study established an evaluation model of rural households’ livelihood sustainability, which employed the combined weighting approach and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Second, this study investigated the influencing factors of rural households’ livelihood using the methodologies of regression analysis and the mediating effect. The results showed the following: (1) the overall livelihood sustainability of rural households was at a medium level, scoring 0.4436; (2) the sanitation conditions of the community were rated as the critical factor with a positive impact on rural households’ livelihood, which was followed by the frequency of online shopping, family expenditure, and management capability of village cadres; (3) improving one’s rural household income can enhance rural livelihood sustainability indirectly. Finally, effective livelihood strategies were explored and put forward for ECA development.