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Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2018, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (2): 180-186.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2018.00180

• Articles • Previous Articles    

Cash gifts, perception of social sphere and distribution of water resources for rural farmers in a typical oasis area in Northwest China

QianTao Zhu1,2, WenZhi Zhao1,2, Jian Guo1, Hu Liu1   

  1. 1. Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730001, China;
    2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100864, China
  • Received:2017-08-23 Published:2018-11-22
  • Contact: QianTao Zhu,zhuqiantao@lzb.ac.cn E-mail:zhuqiantao@lzb.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study is supported by Social Science Foundation of China (17CGL032), Gansu Provincial key research and development foundation (17YF1FA134).

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Abstract: Face-to-face interviews (n=860) were conducted to determine cash-gift behavior, cognition and complexity of social relations, and family water consumption for agricultural production in a typical oasis area in Northwest China. The survey results revealed cash gifts to be the second-largest expenditure (1,330 Yuan) for rural households, far beyond the average spending on health (854.1 Yuan) or education (890.8 Yuan). The amount of cash-gift expenditures indirectly reflects a family's social relations level, and our developed Social Relations Extent Coefficient—based on cash-gift and food expenditures—can directly reflect the extent or level of these relationships. Different types of farmers or farming families have different coefficients. The coefficient also shows how social station affects a family's water resource utilization, and how water is distributed among different types of farmers. Despite the current inequities, however, promotion of better agricultural techniques and large-scale cultivation in this area could help distribute water resources more equitably and effectively.

Key words: cash gift, social relationship, water resources distribution, perception, survey

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