Livelihood diversification of farmers and its sustainability level driven by land transfer: Based on the survey data of 188 households in Hechuan District in Chongqing

Farmers' livelihood resource reorganization is a response to economic opportunities driven by land transfer. In order to analysis changes of livelihood and its' sustainability before and after cultivated land transformation, the characteristics of both labor force of land transfer farmers and the quantity, quality and tillage radius of transferred cultivated land were analyzed based on questionnaire survey of 188 farmers and 394 cultivated land plots in Chuanning Lemon Demonstration Park, Hechuan District, Chongqing. Based on the sustainable livelihood framework, the evaluation index system of farmers' livelihood sustainability was constructed according to livelihood capital, livelihood strategy and livelihood outcome. Livelihood capital included natural capital, material capital, human capital, financial capital and social capital. Livelihood strategies referred to livelihood diversification index, income diversification index and non-agricultural level indicators. And the livelihood outcomes were replaced by farmers' net income indicators. The results showed that:1) due to the transfer of cultivated land, farmers' natural capital was seriously reduced and family livelihood structure was changed from agricultural predominance type to non-agricultural predominance type. Thus farmers' livelihoods became diversified gradually with increased strategies of farmers' livelihoods, and migrant work dominating livelihood structure. 2) The indexes of material capital, human capital, financial capital, social capital and the comprehensive index of livelihood capital increased after cultivated land transfer. But differences in growth rate among the farmer's livelihood capital attributes and farmers types existed. The human capital of pure agricultural farmer households decreased slightly (the growth rate was -0.15%), while the human capital of the other three types of farmers was increased, among which the growth rate of non-agricultural dominant farmers (4.90%) was the largest. In terms of natural capital, the reduction rate of non-agricultural farmer households (36.73%) was the highest, and that of pure agricultural farmer households (14.91%) was the smallest. On the other hand, the coupling coordination degree of livelihood capital of various types of farmers reduced to varying degrees, among which non-agricultural farmers household changed greatest. 3) Farmers' livelihood buffer capacity was improved, livelihood stability enhanced, livelihood output increased, and the sustainable level of farmers' livelihood was improved overall after cultivated land transfer. The growth rate order of sustainability of farmer's livelihood was non-agricultural predominance farmer households > agricultural predominance farmer households > non-agricultural households > pure-agricultural farmer households. The sustainable level of farmers' livelihood could be restructured, influenced by cultivated land transformation. The change of livelihood capital resulted in the diversification and transformation of farmers' livelihoods, and also contributed to the sustainable development of farmers' livelihoods.