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Article

The Influence of Social Capital on Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Willingness—A Study on Goulanyao Village

by
Huiling Zhou
1,
Yu Guo
2,3,*,
Yajun Jiang
2 and
Ke Wu
1,*
1
School of Economics & Management, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou 425199, China
2
College of Tourism & Landscape Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541004, China
3
School of Business, City University of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou 452370, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 9751; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229751
Submission received: 4 October 2024 / Revised: 5 November 2024 / Accepted: 6 November 2024 / Published: 8 November 2024
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Abstract

:
Based on social capital theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with farmers in Goulanyao Village, and content analysis was used to sort out the social capital status of local farmers and how social capital shaped their tourism livelihood willingness. The results show that farmers affect their tourism livelihood willingness through four paths: the social network path, social norm path, social trust path, and cultural identity path. The mutual promotion and restriction relationship between the social network path, social norm path, and social trust path leads to the gradient difference in farmers’ own social capital perception. Social capital and cultural identity jointly affect and determine the four modes of farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness: rapid acceptance, hesitant acceptance, hesitant rejection, and rapid rejection. The research results supplement the achievements of social capital in rural tourism research and provide a reference for promoting farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness and livelihood diversification.

1. Introduction

Ethnic villages are an important part of China’s rural system, and their unique ethnic characteristics and historical deposits provide unique resources for the development of tourism [1]. Along with the development of tourism, farmers in ethnic villages have shifted from traditional agricultural livelihoods to new livelihoods, such as tourism, and the traditional single agricultural livelihood has shifted to diversification [2]. With the promotion of urban–rural integration, the relationship structure and economic structure of rural society are constantly changing, and the traditional rural pattern is constantly impacted by rural development [3]. Ethnic villages in China have a long history that is based on blood relations and patriarchal groups, and belong to the human society with an obvious “differential pattern” [4]. The tourism industry plays a crucial role in driving the development of ethnic villages, and farmers’ social capital exerts a significant influence on their willingness to engage in tourism livelihood. Conducting a systematic investigation on this matter is beneficial for enhancing farmers’ livelihood structure, improving their quality of life, and further promoting sustainable rural development.
At present, most academic studies on farmers’ tourism livelihood are based on the sustainable analysis framework established by the British Department for International Development (DFID) in 2000 [5], which discusses the changes in farmers’ household livelihood capital before and after tourism [6], including natural capital, physical capital, financial capital, human capital, and social capital. As one of farmers’ livelihood capital, social capital has an impact on livelihood choices [7], farmers’ livelihood adaptation behavior [8], sustainable livelihood [9], and other livelihood outcomes as well as on farmers’ livelihood strategies [10] and their willingness to participate in democratic decision-making [11]. In recent years, there has been a considerable amount of literature focusing on the impact of culture on the sustainable livelihood of rural tourism [12]; however, based on social capital theory, there is still room for progress in the research on the impact of various dimensions of social capital on farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness by integrating culture with social capital.
Based on the three elements of social capital (social networks, social trust, and social norms) [13,14], this paper focuses on the process of the influence of rural social capital on tourism livelihood willingness. Three goals are expected to be achieved: (1) To clarify the evolution of social networks, social trust, and social norms in the social capital of farmers in ethnic villages and their impact on farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. (2) To clarify the mechanisms of social capital’s impact on farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. (3) To clarify how to shape and regulate farmers’ social capital to promote their tourism livelihood. This paper probes into the mechanisms of social capital’s influence on the tourism livelihood willingness of farmers in ethnic villages, provides academic experience for fully encouraging and driving farmers to make a living in tourism, stimulates the endogenous driving force of the development of farmers in ethnic minority areas, and provides intellectual support for the government to formulate tourism development incentive policies and tourism employment regulation policies in ethnic villages.

2. A Literature Review

2.1. Social Capital

The concept of social capital was first proposed by French sociologist Bourdieu, who believes that social capital is a collection of potential or actual resources obtained by individuals or collectives through social relations networks [13]. Putnam argued that the characteristics of social organization include social trust, social norms, and social networks, which could promote cooperative behavior to improve social efficiency [14]. China’s social capital is derived from the network of human relationships in life and work, in which formal institutions are constantly replacing informal institutions [15]. The related concepts of the three dimensions of social capital are summarized as shown in Figure 1 below.
Social network refers to a network formed by interpersonal interactions of social members, which can realize effective information transmission and communication [16]. At present, traditional and new social networks coexist in ethnic tourism villages, which have a profound impact on farmers’ economic behavior with tourism. The human relationship aspects of society display the pattern of difference sequences, which is the social essence of rural China. As most ethnic villages are located in remote areas, their social operation mainly relies on strong ties represented by kinship and geography but their scope of contact and information is relatively small, and long-term stable human relations are the main. With the progress of the times, non-agricultural industries such as tourism have settled in rural areas, and new social networks—represented by weak ties such as business ties and network ties—have developed continuously. Social relations in rural areas have become more diversified and complex, and social connections have become more extensive, thus enabling farmers to communicate and collect information more effectively. A social network consists of association strength, association pattern, and network centrality, forming strong and weak social networks. Interactions between individuals or organizations (celebrating festivals together, chatting, helping each other, taking the lead, etc.) can also help behavioral agents expand the range and scope of access to and integration of information resources.
Social trust refers to the expected behavior judgment of the credit grantor on the ability, honesty, and goodwill of the trustor within a certain range [14]. A high degree of social trust can effectively reduce market transaction costs and avoid uncertainty risks. Many problems in the development of traditional village tourism are related to the trust among stakeholders and the structural effect of interest relationships [17]. In the long-term development of Chinese social relationship orientation, “acquaintance trust” with a “circle spirit” is formed. This kind of “special trust”, based on kinship and quasi-kinship, is the action logic of Chinese farmers toward cooperation. Along with the progress of the economic system and social structure, the true cooperative economic organization needs to be supported by “universal trust” based on modern institutions such as contracts and property rights [18].
Social norms refer to certain norms or standards (which do not have legal effect) reached between a certain group or group members on a certain matter in a specific situation [19]; this occurs so that members can generate tangible or intangible pressure and control the words and deeds of group members by non-coercive means to promote the consistency between members and the group [20]. Some scholars divide social norms into descriptive social norms and imperative social norms [21]. Descriptive social norms refer to specific behaviors that have been implemented or are being implemented that activate individual goals through the driving effect of people around them and individual conformity psychology. Imperative social norms refer to the specific behaviors that group members believe should or should not be carried out, emphasizing “doing the right thing”, so that individuals have the perception of mandatory social pressure that then guides the occurrence of individual behaviors. The most representative examples in ethnic villages are the village regulations and folk conventions, which are usually formulated by the villagers through their own cultural traditions, mutual supervision, and common observance of the code of conduct, which have the binding role of descriptive social norms and imperative social norms.

2.2. Tourism Livelihood Willingness

Livelihoods are defined as “a way of making a living based on capabilities, assets, and activities” [22]. The concept of livelihood focuses more on “the link between the assets people own and the choices they make in raising the level of income needed for survival” [23]. The development of rural tourism has gradually become an important driving force for rural residents’ income growth and livelihood changes, and tourism livelihood is a way for farmers to participate in tourism-related livelihood activities. The relevant research contents of rural tourism livelihood mainly focus on five aspects: background, livelihood capital, policy system, livelihood strategy, and livelihood result [24]. In this study, tourism livelihood willingness refers to the willingness of farmers to engage in local tourism-related activities as one of their livelihood methods. The development degree of rural tourism is closely related to the willingness of local villagers to make a living on tourism, and the participation in tourism and living activities is conducive to the realization of livelihood freedom, that is, farmers have the resources and ability to choose a combination of livelihood strategies and transfer from one livelihood activity to another [25]. The tourism development mode will have an impact on the change in farmers’ livelihood and the community [26]. The difference in the degree of local residents’ participation in tourism livelihood and the type of tourism they engage in will lead to the difference in the ability to accumulate livelihood capital [27], and the type, quantity, and utilization effectiveness of livelihood capital will have a significant impact on farmers’ choices of livelihood strategy and income level [28].
In the development of rural tourism in recent years, some groups believe that tourism has boosted the local economy, helped rural areas get rid of poverty, and made the composition of farmers’ livelihood capital more reasonable and balanced [6] so that farmers have more rights to choose their livelihood. The other groups believe that tourism exacerbates the regional wealth gap, and the difference in the total amount of farmers’ livelihood capital leads to a wide gap between the rich and the poor, which is not conducive to the choice of tourism livelihood for relatively disadvantaged farmers [29]. In the initial stage of tourism development, social capital—such as cooperation and exchange among farmers, guidance from government organizations, and sharing and reciprocity among participants—is crucial for farmers to identify tourism livelihood opportunities and participate in tourism livelihood activities [30]. Social capital, mainly characterized by social networks, social trust, and social norms, reflects farmers’ communicative competence and social cognition and is an important carrier of farmers’ social participation [31], which has a significant impact on farmers’ willingness to participate. On the basis of social capital, considering the uniqueness and importance of ethnic village culture, farmers’ recognition and pride in local culture will affect their attitudes and behaviors to a certain extent [32]. Cultural identity explains the situation to a certain extent when investigating farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness.

3. Research Design

3.1. Case Site

Goulanyao Village is located in Jiangyong County, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China, as shown in Figure 2. It is a 4A-level scenic spot in China, a characteristic ethnic village, and a key village of national rural tourism. There are now twelve family names such as Jiang, Ouyang, Huang, and He, each family name extending and arranging houses along the alleys set up around the main road and the secondary road, forming a living pattern dominated by ties of blood. Guolanyao Village is a typical defensive-castle-style ancient village of the Yao nationality. The cultural elements of the Yao nationality, such as singing and dancing, costumes, architecture, food and festivals, and gathering together, present a vivid national cultural world for tourists. In recent years, under the strong guidance of the local government, Goulanyao Village has actively developed tourism and farmers’ social capital has also changed imperceptibly. It is of practical significance to understand the social capital status of local farmers and their tourism livelihood willingness; therefore, it is a typical and reliable representation to choose Goulanyao Village as the case study site.

3.2. Data Collection and Sampling

With Goulanyao Village, Jiangyong County, Hunan Province, China as the case site, in-depth interviews were conducted mainly among farmers living in the village with household heads as representatives. On site surveys and telephone interviews were conducted by random sampling and snowball sampling. The main investigation includes two interviews conducted between January and March 2022. The first interview took place from 3 to 15 January 2022, with the purpose of understanding the situation of Goulanyao Village (including the government, organization, tourism development, and the overall situation of the village), conducting face-to-face interviews with farmers, and retaining the basic information and contact information of relevant farmers. Each of the two researchers collected data using a semi-structured interview guide with the farmers over a period lasting approximately 45 min (Table 1). The methods of the semi-structured interview and non-participatory observation were mainly adopted for an exploratory summary. The semi-structured interview method helps to maintain the relevance of the interview content while allowing the interviewees to speak in detail about various events; it also helps to create an informal interview atmosphere, making it easier for the interviewees to express their views and opinions. Generally, the non-participatory observation method does not destroy or affect the original structure and internal relations of the observed object and can obtain material about deeper structures and relations; at the same time, it is easier to get closer to the interviewees, to the nature of causality, and to grasp the truth of the underlying relationships. The second in-depth interview was conducted from 6 February to 19 March 2022 to further refine the information and determine whether the data have reached saturation based on the previous interviews.

3.3. Research Method

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the social capital of farmers in ethnic villages and their tourism livelihood willingness. Through qualitative research, in-depth interviews were conducted with farmers in ethnic villages participating in tourism livelihood to obtain first-hand information. The research goal was not to predict or control objective existence but to understand and establish a framework system on the basis of objective reality. By asking questions, solving problems, and actively listening to the participants’ stories, the researchers critically reflect on the whole process, deeply understand the farmers’ participation process, enter their spiritual world, and combine personal experience to promote the development of the theory rather than just discussing the thoughts and intentions of the research subjects.
The previous interview recordings were transcribed into scripts, content analysis was carried out, and each piece of data was compared with all the other data during the study, focusing on the overall induction process and gradually refining the categories that appeared in the data. To minimize the impact of researchers’ knowledge and experience on code and category formation, all researchers were asked to read 2–3 interview transcripts and talk about their initial impressions. Each interview was first-hand-coded into four code sets and each substantive sentence was assigned to a category by reviewing sentences from all interviews. Next, the code was reevaluated, sorted, and combined to identify key categories and corresponding subcategories. Saturation was reached once all new categories and subcategories exhibited high internal homogeneity and external heterogeneity. Differences were resolved through consultation until a consensus was reached. Four themes were presented and verified by the literature review after analysis and sorting in the end. Three of the coding topics were identified as being consistent with social capital theory: the social network path, the social trust path, and the social norm path. Another topic identified an additional topic based on data attributes is the cultural identity path. All interviews were interpreted and assigned to one of the four themes to comprehensively explore the relationship between the four themes and their effects on farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. All the coding was performed in Chinese and then translated into English. To ensure a reliable translation, another fluent English speaker reverse-translated the text and checked, discussed, and finalized it with the first author.

3.4. Data Analysis

After conducting two interviews, a total of 30 households were surveyed, comprising 20 farmers engaged in tourism livelihood and 10 farmers not involved in tourism livelihood. The sample size of 30 effectively encompasses farmers with varying degrees of willingness to participate in different types of livelihoods, proportionate to the number of participating and non-participating farmers in Goulanyao Village. These 30 samples achieved information saturation, ensuring both data richness and diversity while avoiding redundancy, thereby facilitating the researchers’ ability to conduct comprehensive interviews and detailed analyses. Participants knew the purpose of this study and were encouraged to share their views freely, while the confidentiality of their responses was maintained in an anonymous form. The demographic data of the participants are shown in Table 2. The gender distribution of the participants was relatively balanced, with 53.3% being females and 46.7% being males. Participants mainly belonged to the age group of 40–60 years old, accounting for 60.0%, which aligns with the age characteristics of the current rural population distribution. The majority (90%) had an education level of high school or below, consistent with their age profile as middle-aged and elderly individuals in ethnic villages who often face limitations in accessing higher education due to various constraints. Among rural households engaged in tourism livelihood, homestay catering and local performances were commonly chosen industries by farmers in ethnic villages who tended to have longer participation periods. Specifically, 55% of farmers involved in tourism livelihood had participated for more than five years while those not participating mostly relied on arable land cultivation and migrant work as their primary means of livelihood.

4. Results

4.1. Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Formation Path

The tourism livelihood willingness of farmers in ethnic tourism villages is affected by four paths, the social network path, social trust path, social norm path, and cultural identity path, as shown in Figure 3.

4.1.1. Social Network Path

In traditional ethnic villages, the social network is based on the strong relationship network of blood and geography, and the villagers usually keep close contact with their relatives and friends and transmit and receive information through them. Studies have shown that the interaction between individuals can help subjects to expand the range and scope of acquiring and integrating information resources, and at the same time, they are affected by the behavior and attitude of the information transmitters, who enhance or weaken the positive attitude toward a certain affair [32]. Through investigation, it was found that the first group of farmers involved in tourism livelihood in Goulanyao Village are closely connected with the government and tourism companies, who then have an impact on the attitude of their relatives and friends.
Some farmers expressed the following: “My uncle was the village head in 2015 when the tourism industry in Goulanyao Village just started. He suggested that we open a homestay to increase our income.” (H12)
“I started my homestay business in 2017 mainly because my nephew started his business in 2015 and the income was not bad. I asked him for some advice, then engaged in as a side business to increase income.” (H15)
In August 2015, Goulanyao Village Tourism Development Company Limited was established. The village committee took the lead in absorbing capable people from the village to run the business together. Every Saturday, the village puts on folk performances such as “Mud washing” and “Celebrating a Bountiful Year”. The personnel involved in the performance are relatively concentrated, most of whom are from the same clan.
One of the farmers who participated in the folk performance said “I am mainly responsible for the folk performance in the tourism company, as there are not many young people in the village. At the beginning, people from the tourism company participated first, then joined their relatives and friends around them, and finally the personnel was basically fixed after rehearsal.” (H17)
From being in contact with the core tourism activities of Goulanyao Village, the staff of the tourism company have a stronger ability to obtain information. Following the strong relationship network path of blood, they will first share information with their relatives and friends around them so that most of the performers are members of the same clan. With the implementation of policies such as urban–rural integration and rural revitalization, the establishment of tourism companies, and the return of elite talents, the weak relationship network of ethnic villages has been formed on the basis of the original strong relationship network so that farmers have access to more information and resources, such as “agricultural training”, “tourism training”, and “performance rehearsal”; this can expand the scope of local farmers to make friends, thus obtaining more information and knowledge.
“Our performance is rehearsed by the director from the county. In addition to the daily folk performances in the village on weekends, we also participate in various competitions.” (H21)
“The government will invite some experts to conduct agricultural training, such as planting fruit trees, flue-cured tobacco and other professional knowledge, so we can learn a lot. We do not participate in the tourism industry, and our relatives and friends at home are less related to tourism.” (H8)
“Tourists who come here will come to us on WeChat to buy local products such as summer oranges, and I am very happy that I can connect with tourists on the Internet to expand my social circle, and I am also very happy that local products can be liked by tourists.” (H26)
In general, there are two main ways that social networks affect farmers’ tourism livelihood: First, farmers acquire information and resources through social network interactions, which further affects their tourism livelihood willingness. Second, different social network strengths and social connection levels further affect farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. Village committees and other village elites first understand all aspects of rural tourism development information through their social networks and then promote it to the village. However, the situation that blood and geography are still the main social connections in the village determines that information sharing also abides by the closeness or distance of ties of blood. With the support of the external environment, quick access to information or help from relatives and friends makes it easier for them to participate in the tourism industry. The interaction between farmers and the government and tourists gives farmers more resources and information channels to a certain extent, helping them to improve rapidly. Social networks play an important role in the process of motivating local farmers to participate in tourism. It is precisely the result of the role of social networks in social capital theory that farmers seek ways to transform their livelihoods and obtain benefits through their own network connections.

4.1.2. Social Trust Path

Social trust can enhance the communication and exchange of information, reduce transaction costs, and better develop tourism. At the beginning of tourism development, farmers’ understanding and acceptance of emerging industries were limited and their enthusiasm to change from agricultural livelihood to tourism livelihood was low. Under the leadership of the government and village cadres, the first group of farmers engaged in tourism livelihood were mostly motivated by their trust in government policies. With the support of various subsidy policies and the external support of infrastructure investment, farmers try to put into tourism livelihood production and operation. In the process of development, “acquaintance trust” plays a full role, and village cadres and other people who participate in tourism and receive dividends will have further influence on their relatives and friends around them. The full trust of relatives and friends in this part of the tourism practitioners with blood ties further promotes them to enter the tourism industry. Farmers’ trust in the government and their relatives and friends is a necessary factor for the further development of tourism.
“At first, the township government thought that the location of our house was very good, and suggested that we open a homestay and would give us support. After the development of tourism, the village began to be hold performances, and the villagers could get 50 yuan for a performance, and the income from the performance was still very considerable. The environment and economy in the village have improved, and I think the government must want to make us better and better, so it is definitely right to follow the policy.” (H10)
“I used to be a village leader, but now I am retired. When the policy of tourism development was just implemented, I followed the homestay. The government invested heavily in the beginning, building ponds, addressing sanitation, and the environment has become better. The government must also hope that farmers can develop well, and the general direction of these policies is definitely good. And then my sister was among the ones I suggested to open a homestay.” (H9)
The trust of farmers who operate food and snacks in government policies encourages farmers to achieve a win–win situation with the government and contribute to the development of the village while developing themselves. Respondents said “In 2015, we came back home quitting working in Guangdong. At that time, the village just started tourism, the government encouraged us to set up specialty snack shops, and we began to try to make some special snacks, such as pumpkin pancake, shuttle-shape rice cake, bean jelly, wild chrysanthemum tea, etc. At first, the township government would introduce customers to us and help with publicity, so our marketing was okay. Now we live mainly on this shop, and there are several shops like ours in the village. It was the government that helped us the most, and we would not have succeeded without their support at first.” (H13)
In short, due to the development and change in social network structure, social trust gradually coexists with general trust from the initial special trust. In the beginning, farmers could only rely on the encouragement and drive of elites such as local government and village committees when they were initially exposed to tourism, which is quite different from the traditional livelihood mode. The development of general trust makes tourism grow, while the existence of special trust makes tourism more stable. There are two ways for social trust to affect farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness: First, social trust weakens farmers’ vigilance and enhances their acceptance of tourism and willingness to adopt tourism livelihood. Second, social trust promotes farmers to establish a cognitive path of cooperation with others, achieving mutual benefit and win–win results, and then enhances farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. Farmers generally believe that the government will lead everyone to better development in life and can provide farmers with a more comfortable living environment and more jobs. Trust in people who are close to them is an innate instinct of human beings. In the process of tourism development, farmers will still attach importance to and believe the information provided by relatives and friends who have contact with tourism development, thus promoting their tourism livelihood willingness.

4.1.3. Social Norms Path

Social norms refer to the code of conduct observed and maintained by villagers. Although it may not have a legal effect, it is universally binding and established by all villagers after discussion and agreement. The social norms in ethnic villages include traditional norms, village rules and covenants, and moral constraints. Traditional norms mainly refer to the cultural inheritance related to ethnic villages, which is engraved in the blood of local villagers, such as the national traditions of festivals, sacrifices, and folk customs. The Mud-washing Festival and Panwang Festival in Goulanyao Village are unique local festivals that are social norms recognized and inherited by local farmers.
“Our Mud-washing Festival is a very important day, just like the New Year. Although the performance every Saturday is not a rule handed down by ancestors, it also inherits the cultural tradition of the Yao nationality to a certain extent.” (H1)
Village rules and covenants are to restrain the bad behavior of villagers to a certain extent so that the tourism industry of ethnic villages can develop healthily and sustainably. The village regulations revised in 2018 contain 12 articles, the main purpose of which is to prevent the occurrence of bad order such as illegal construction, free livestock, damage to the local environment, facilities, and order, and other related rules.
“There are rules in our village, and every family signed. For example, the “Adhering to the three responsibilities for general sanitation in the gate area” card you see on the door requires each household to manage their own sanitation in front of the door. Now animals like chickens, dogs are also kept in captivity, otherwise it will affect the beauty. The guesthouses and restaurants in our village all have unified business licenses, which is convenient for unified management.” (H22)
Farmers who have not participated in tourism said “Tourism development has indeed improved the environment of the village in all aspects, and also improved the visibility of the village. However, in order to unify the architectural style, arbitrary expansion is not allowed, resulting in my family not being able to open a homestay except for self-residence. When the accommodation of our own family is a problem, we are unable to receive tourists, so some village rules and regulations should be changed in a timely manner, and should not be too rigid.” (H25)
In general, social norms will be constantly adjusted in different processes of tourism development, and codes of conduct will be established to lead the healthy development of local tourism while inheriting fine traditions. The first way that social norms affect farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness is to guide farmers to become “the figure in the scene” and naturally accept the tourism livelihood mode. The second way is that under the requirements of improving the overall environment, this gradually attracts and enhances the tourism livelihood willingness of farmers. Although some participants expressed that they did not adapt to some rules after the development of tourism in the village and felt that the management was too strict, they all undeniably said that the formulation of rules was conducive to keeping clean and tidy, making the living environment more comfortable. When most farmers in the village abide by the social norms of keeping chickens and dogs in captivity and maintaining cleanliness and tidiness, a small number of farmers who violate the rules may feel guilty out of herd mentality or driving effect—reflecting the role of social norms—while the relevant system of tourism companies use coercive social pressure to guide individual behavior to conform to the norms.

4.1.4. Cultural Identity Path

China is a multi-ethnic country, and one of its unique charms is the lifestyle and cultural heritage of different ethnic groups. At present, tourists’ affection and curiosity for traditional lifestyles and cultural customs is a development opportunity for ethnic tourism areas. Cultural identity includes material culture identity, institutional culture identity, and spiritual culture identity. Material culture is the way of production and life created by people in the process of development. Institutional culture is the ethics and etiquette norms established to maintain the stability and social order of rural society. Spiritual culture is usually represented by the personality and values of residents (Ma et al., 2020). Guolanyao Village belongs to the Yao nationality, and its tangible or intangible cultural assets such as costumes, Yao songs, festivals, buildings, and martial arts all belong to its unique cultural connotation. Local farmers can use their traditional livelihood knowledge and cultural skills to obtain jobs.
The restaurants and specialty snack shops in Goulanyao Village are the reproduction of local food culture, which can increase tourists’ food experience while inheriting the material culture. Respondents said, “Some snacks have been handed down from generation to generation, and I am proud to continue to pass them on. I think it is worthwhile to bring different food experience to tourists.” (H5)
Clothing rental belongs to the commercialization of traditional minority costumes, enhancing tourists’ sense of experience and leaving a good memory. Respondents said, “Visitors who come here all like our traditional ethnic costumes and will rent them to take photos.” (H18)
Tour guiding is a profession that presents the local culture, architectural origin, and historical development and is the most important occupation to carry forward and inherit local characteristics. Respondents said, “Tourists are very interested in the historical stories, characteristic buildings and customs of the Yao nationality. If I have the opportunity, I would like to be a guide to introduce our Yao culture to tourists and let the Yao culture flourish.” (H28)
Folk performance is the embodiment of traditional culture, which can effectively retain and present the cultural spiritual connotation. Some respondents said, “We have traditional Yao martial arts, as well as festival customs different from other nationalities, and I think that presenting these customs in the performance can make these cultures more deeply rooted and conducive to their continuous inheritance and promotion.” (H21)
In general, the survey found that farmers with a better understanding of their cultural traditions and higher cultural literacy were more willing to engage in tourism livelihood, more likely to obtain economic benefits, and maintained better social relationships. The influence of cultural identity on farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness is as follows: Firstly, farmers fully grasp cultural resources, enhance cultural self-confidence, and have the willingness to display, and thus enhance their tourism livelihood willingness. Secondly, farmers transform cultural knowledge into skills that they can earn a living with—these skills in tourism become a form of livelihood.

4.2. Influence Relationship of the Four Paths

4.2.1. The Promotion Relationship of Social Capital Path

The stronger the farmers’ social relationship network, the more resources and assistance that can help them achieve their own goals, and the more conducive it is to enhance trust in others and the recognition of social norms [33]. For example, “At the beginning, my family and friends in the tourism company were more favorable to the tourism policy. I thought opening a homestay was an opportunity, and I also believed that the government’s policy really considered the villagers, and I was willing to do my part to make the village better. More than half of my income is now travel-related, and my quality of life has improved a lot.” (H7). Weak social network connections based on trust in government policies can act as a bridge and intermediary to help people in different circles establish connections, expand social networks, and facilitate the smooth implementation of social norms. Social norms also guarantee trust among farmers and provide an orderly environment. In the context of clear social norms, it is easier to expand safe and efficient social networks. Social networks, social trust, and social norms jointly promote farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. In short, social trust can promote the willingness of tourism livelihood to the greatest extent. In the early stage of tourism development, farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness was mainly affected by government policies and institutions, and social trust played a major role. Furthermore, the tourism livelihood willingness of some farmers is driven by relatives and friends, and the role of social networks is highlighted. Social norms, as a guarantee measure for the willingness of tourism livelihood, further promote the social networks and social trust of farmers.

4.2.2. The Restriction Relationship of Social Capital Path

Farmers make decisions on tourism livelihood behavior according to different dimensions. When they perceive the strength of their own advantages in different dimensions, the restrictive relationship between paths will be generated. The social capital of farmers in ethnic villages is based on the background of ethnic culture. When a farmer has a wide social network and the ability to obtain all-round information but he lacks trust in the people and things around him or does not agree with the social norms in the village, he will think that external forces cannot help his development in the tourism industry and thus have doubts about his livelihood in tourism. When farmers have a high level of social trust but their social network scope is small, they cannot agree with social norms and their tourism livelihood willingness will be weakened due to their narrow information scope and intolerance of relevant rules. When farmers have a high recognition of social norms, a small social network scope, weak social trust, and they think that there is no external help, farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness will weaken. When farmers have a wide social network and a high degree of social trust, their willingness to engage in tourism livelihood is relatively strong. However, when social norms contradict their living needs or development opinions, farmers will become dissatisfied, weaken their trust in policymakers, and thus exert a restrictive effect, weakening their willingness to engage in tourism livelihood to a certain extent.
For example, “The current policy of the state is ‘one family, one house’, requiring farmers to consciously maintain the style of the ancient village and not allow illegal buildings, which may be able to protect the style of the village to a certain extent, but from the perspective of villagers, it is not conducive to the improvement of their living environment, and the lighting and facilities of the old house will be worse than that of modern buildings (H16)”; “As the villagers of Goulanyao Village, we definitely want it to get better and better, and the general direction of the village rules and conventions is definitely good, and we must abide by them. However, the rules always require us to do something, but when the rules are not suitable, it is often difficult for the villagers’ opinions to be taken on board (H14).” When farmers have a wide social network and agree with social norms, their tourism livelihood willingness will also be weakened due to weak social trust. When there is a high level of social trust and recognition of social norms, a small range of social networks will weaken the amount of information and weaken farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness.
The tourism livelihood of farmers in ethnic tourism villages has developed with the support of the government, and the role of three paths of social capital cannot be ignored. The social networks, social trust, and social norms jointly determine the farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. The closer the relationship network, the stronger the intensity of trust, and the more reasonable the norms, the stronger the motivation of the management body to fulfill the social responsibility [34]. The three-dimensional mutual promotion and restriction relationship of social capital causes the gradient difference in the perception of farmers’ own social capital, thus affecting the farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness.

4.2.3. The Influence Relationship of Cultural Identity on Social Capital

The cultural identity of farmers in ethnic villages is an important influence condition for tourism livelihood. The identification of local culture will invisibly affect farmers’ perception of social capital. The rural covenant with strong local characteristics is the basic social norm, and a tight social network and social trust among members in the social structure of ethnic minorities is a guarantee. It will jointly contribute to the social management and development of ethnic minority areas. Local cultural patterns influence business development by shaping the operation mode of social networks [35]. The traditional family name system and clan consciousness of ethnic villages form a unique social network when they blend with foreign cultures, thus playing a role in various decisions of farmers. For example, “Every family name in the village has an ancestral hall, and the whole village will conduct wedding and funeral activities in each ancestral hall.” (H29)
The institutionalized cultural capital is determined and recognized by the formal or legal system. The governance of ethnic villages not only relies on formal laws and regulations but also needs to seek informal institutional norms established from the local culture and local knowledge to maintain basic rural order. Local farmers have formed a close social connection in their long-term production and life, and the values among the members are highly recognized. Farmers with a high degree of local cultural recognition will pay more attention to the inheritance and development of traditional culture, and then trust the government and elite groups that play a huge role in community management. For example, “Tourists come to us for nothing more than to experience culture and relax. The traditional Yao characteristics are also very important in addition to the presentation of tour guides, performances and other ways. Only by fully displaying our culture can tourists have a better experience, which requires the organization and operation of the government and tourism companies.” (H27)
However, farmers with a slightly lower cultural identity show less willingness to display local culture. For example, “We often work outside, and our children also go to school outside to learn to speak Mandarin from an early age, and we almost don’t use our local dialect (Yao), and the atmosphere of traditional festivals is not strong in our hometown, gradually diluting the memory of traditional culture, and not thinking about attracting tourists through national culture.” (H29) It profoundly indicates that in the context of ethnic villages, the formation of various dimensions of social capital cannot be separated from cultural inheritance and accumulation, and farmers’ cultural identity will indirectly affect the degree of social capital’s effect on the tourism livelihood willingness.

4.3. Social Capital, Cultural Identity, and Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Willingness

The strength of farmers’ social capital and the degree of their personal cultural identity will affect their tourism livelihood willingness. After organizing and integrating the judgment results of farmers’ social capital from the three dimensions of social capital, five gradient differences in farmers based on social capital are determined: strong (all three dimensions promote the willingness of tourism livelihood), relatively strong (any two dimensions promote the willingness of tourism livelihood while the other dimension restricts the willingness of tourism livelihood), general (no obvious promotion and restriction in all three dimensions), relatively weak (any two dimensions restrict the willingness of tourism livelihood while the other dimension promotes the willingness of tourism livelihood) and very weak (all three dimensions restrict the willingness of tourism livelihood), as shown in Figure 4. The vertical axis represents the strength of farmers’ social capital from strong to weak and the horizontal axis represents the degree of farmers’ cultural identity. Based on the interaction of social capital and cultural identity, farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness can be divided into four modes, corresponding to four quadrants. Each tourism livelihood willingness can be further divided into two levels using these two matrices. The larger matrix indicates a higher degree to which social capital is perceived as strong or weak. The intensity of acceptance/rejection of tourism livelihoods has thus become stronger. The smaller matrix shows the opposite pattern, indicating a weaker degree of perception of social capital and cultural identity, and a weaker intensity of acceptance/rejection of tourism livelihoods. In short, the intensity of acceptance gradually decreases from the top, and the response speed slows down. The opposite pattern also holds true for rejected behavior. The willingness to “accept quickly” indicates that farmers have strong social capital and strong cultural identity, thus preventing conflict in this form of interaction. In other words, farmers can quickly choose to engage in tourism without hesitation. In general, this interaction promotes farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. “Hesitant to accept” means that farmers hesitate to engage in tourism livelihood out of consideration of social capital, which limits the choice of tourism livelihood, while strong cultural identity promotes the choice of tourism livelihood. In essence, this type of interaction encourages tourism livelihood choices under certain constraints, to a lesser extent than “quick acceptance”. “Quick rejection” means that farmers’ social capital and cultural identity are weak, and farmers will quickly refuse to choose to engage in tourism livelihood. In short, this interaction limits tourism livelihood choices. “Hesitant refusal” means that strong social capital promotes the choice of tourism livelihood, while cultural identity restricts the choice of tourism livelihood. In short, this interaction limits the behavior prompted by social capital, and although it is more moderate than “quick rejection”, it still leads to rejection of the choice to engage in tourism livelihood.
In conclusion, the relationship between the influence of social capital and cultural identity on tourism livelihood willingness is shown in Figure 5.

5. Conclusions and Implications

5.1. Conclusions

Based on the theory of social capital, semi-structured interviews were carried out among farmers in Goulanyao Village to undertake a qualitative study by employing content analysis to establish the social capital status of local farmers and explore how social capital shapes the tourism livelihood willingness of ethnic village farmers. This study is aimed at clarifying the mechanisms through which social capital influences farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness.
(1)
In ethnic tourism villages, social capital can exert a significant influence on farmers’ behavior, with weak ties in social networks taking a leading role and strong ties playing a facilitating one. This conclusion is in line with the perspective of Xu et al. that social capital affects residents’ environmentally friendly behavior [36]. Research also reveals that social participation, social trust, and social networks all have a significant positive impact on farmers’ willingness to adopt green technologies [37], confirming the crucial influence of social capital on farmers’ behavior and attitudes. People’s cognition and behavior are influenced by social capital [38], which can promote cooperative behavior and enhance social efficiency. The majority of farmers involved in tourism-related livelihoods, regardless of whether they have weak social networks with the government, social forces, etc., or strong social networks with relatives and friends, can, to a certain extent, influence farmers’ willingness to engage in tourism-related livelihoods and provide them with more resources and channels. Social networks serve as channels for the flow of useful information, facilitating the development of organizations and individuals [39]. Weak ties of social networks assume a leading role, while strong ties play a promotional one. This conclusion differs from Granovetter’s “weak ties, strong power” perspective [40]. Currently, “strong ties, strong power” remains the dominant pattern in rural society in China. This suggests that the impact of strong and weak social relationships on the behavior of the subject varies in different national contexts;
(2)
There exists an internal correlation among the three dimensions of social capital, namely social networks, social trust, and social norms, which complement one another. The lack of any one dimension may turn into a weakness, and taking measures to enhance the overall social capital of farmers can boost their willingness to undertake tourism-based livelihoods and stimulate their participation. Social networks can offer a wide range of information resources while robust social trust and social norms can reduce social transaction costs, mitigate risks, and achieve mutual benefits and win–win results. The stronger the social network of farmers is, the more conducive it is to enhancing recognition of trust in others and social norms [24]. Highly trusting individuals will reciprocate the expected behavior of others to achieve cooperation, and both the norm activation theory (NAM) and the attitude–behavior–context theory (ABC) consider social norms as an important factor influencing behavior [37]. The tighter the social network is, the stronger the level of trust is, and the more reasonable the norms are, the greater the incentive for the operating entity to fulfill its social responsibility [34]. The conclusion once again validates the interaction among social networks, social trust, and social norms, jointly influencing farmers’ behavior and attitudes;
(3)
Ethnic village culture constitutes a significant cultural resource. The shaping of individual farmers’ personal values and their cultural identities will influence their inclination to undertake tourism-related activities. Furthermore, social networks, social trust, and social norms that are cultivated within the context of ethnic culture will constitute distinctive forms of social capital. Hence, it is essential to attach significance to the cultural resources of ethnic regions and consider them as a crucial factor in tourism development. Social networks, social trust, and social norms evolve within the framework of national culture and can constitute localized social capital. Ethnic village culture constitutes a significant cultural resource, and the formation of farmers’ individual values and cultural identity can exert an impact on their tourism livelihood willingness [12]. Cultural patterns determine the mode of operation of social networks and exert an influence on business development [35]. Shared cultural backgrounds and values assist people in establishing robust social networks and trust relationships, furnishing essential impetus and resources for the formation, consolidation, and renewal of social capital, which, in turn, affects farmers’ attitudes and behaviors.

5.2. Management Implications

Enhancing and maintaining farmers’ social capital represents an innovative means for facilitating the livelihood transformation of rural tourism farmers and the sustainable development of tourism. To fully stimulate farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness, the following suggestions are presented:
(1)
Strengthen the social capital of farmers, promote the mutual reinforcement of social networks, social trust, and social norms, and stimulate farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness.
Firstly, the tourism livelihoods of ethnic village farmers are primarily guided by weak ties, while strong ties are utilized to consolidate and stabilize them. Therefore, the government should take the lead in establishing a cooperation platform for farmers to collaborate with tourism enterprises, financial institutions, and other non-governmental organizations. Regular policy exchange sessions, loan guidance meetings, and tourism service skills training should be conducted to construct a connection platform between farmers and the government, financial institutions, and tourism enterprises to deepen the connection intensity and promote information sharing and resource complementation. Through incentive policies, attract professional talents and technical forces to ethnic villages, encourage enterprises to invest in ethnic village tourism projects, provide more employment opportunities and entrepreneurial support for farmers, and expand farmers’ social networks. A farmer mutual aid organization can also be set up to enhance communication among farmers, encourage the farmers who participated earlier to lead those who participated later, and form a favorable demonstration effect.
Secondly, social trust is the cornerstone upon which all activities can proceed smoothly. In the ethnic village communities where people are well-acquainted with each other, strong social networks typically exhibit greater trust while weak social networks can enhance trust through traditional strong social networks. Therefore, local administrators ought to enhance the entrepreneurial support system in ethnic villages; concentrate on improving the living environment of farmers; offer low-interest loans, entrepreneurship training, and other forms of support to minimize the risk of entrepreneurship and boost farmers’ confidence; increase infrastructure investment to improve rural road, water supply, and power supply conditions, gradually gaining the trust of farmers during the process of change; implement transparent management in the planning, implementation, and distribution of tourism project benefits to guarantee that farmers’ interests are safeguarded; and strengthen the trust between farmers and the government, thereby stimulating farmers’ participation in tourism livelihoods.
Thirdly, when formulating social norms, full account should be taken of the indigenous culture and actual needs of rural communities. Therefore, when establishing and enhancing the implementation and supervision mechanisms for social norms, it is crucial to extensively solicit the opinions of farmers to enhance the rationality and acceptability of the norms. Social norms should also be disseminated among farmers through various means such as bulletin boards, radio, and the internet to assist them in understanding the content and significance of the norms, clarifying their rights and obligations, and providing legal aid to encourage them to actively safeguard their own rights and boost their sense of identification and willingness to comply. To a considerable extent, social norms can allay farmers’ apprehensions, broaden their social networks, augment trust, and further enhance their overall perception of the social capital hierarchy, thereby stimulating their tourism livelihood willingness and motivating them to follow the trend of the times, be innovative, and strive for progress and development;
(2)
With the support of traditional culture, it is necessary to optimize the social capital of farmers promptly. Social capital can fully incorporate cultural connotations to stimulate farmers’ willingness to pursue tourism livelihoods.
Firstly, showcase the allure of ethnic village culture and create a tourism ambiance where every household is familiar with and comprehends the local culture. Ethnic villages should fully leverage their cultural resources advantage and collaborate with official media and cultural and artistic teams to hold cultural and artistic activities that demonstrate distinctive ethnic characteristics. Make use of the internet and social media platforms to enhance the promotion of ethnic village culture by presenting the natural scenery, human landscapes, and folk customs of the village to boost its popularity. Actively seek government support to transform ethnic villages into unique cultural brands and further expand their popularity and influence.
Secondly, government administrators are supposed to organize learning activities on science, culture, and knowledge on a regular basis to enable farmers to fully comprehend local culture and inherit traditional skills. Encourage and support farmers in the acquisition and inheritance of traditional skills. Conduct traditional skills competitions and other activities to stimulate young people to actively engage in cultural inheritance.
Finally, tourism enterprises can enhance farmers’ service skills and professional ethics by conducting training and guiding farmers to incorporate their cultural advantages and life experiences into tourism services, fully exerting the role of farmers as a “figure in the scene” to bring culture to life. When visitors hear and witness all the distinctive cultural experiences, a positive cycle of “cultural attraction—flow multiplication—farmers’ participation” will be formed.

5.3. Limitations and Prospects

Despite the contributions made, this study still has some deficiencies that can be further discussed in the future. Firstly, according to the life cycle theory of tourist destinations and the impact of the epidemic in recent years, this case site is in the early stages of development. Different development stages may lead to differences in farmers. In the future, a longitudinal study on a time series of this case can be further conducted, or ethnic villages with different life cycles can be selected for comparative study. Secondly, this study should have further investigated additional factors beyond social capital that influence farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness. Farmers’ investment in the development of the related tourism industry not only needs an asset status as the cornerstone but also requires their own ability and willingness, which depends on personal asset status, personality traits, and other factors. In addition to farmers’ cultural identity, social networks, social trust, and social norms in social capital theory, it is also necessary to further study other factors affecting farmers’ tourism livelihood willingness, including personal personality traits and knowledge transfer. Finally, the research on the tourism livelihood of ethnic villages is rich in connotation, and in the future, it will be possible to further explore the behavior of farmers’ participation in tourism so as to obtain more diversified regulation schemes.

Author Contributions

H.Z.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Writing—review and editing. Y.G.: Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing—original draft. Y.J.: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing—review and editing. K.W.: Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Nos. 72064006, 72462013], and Basic Scientific Research Ability Improvement Project of Young And Middle-Aged Teachers In Guangxi Colleges [Grant No. 2022KY0231].

Institutional Review Board Statement

This study was reviewed and approved by the Academic Ethics Committee of Hunan University of Science and Engineering, with the approval number: HUSE20220103001.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in this study.

Data Availability Statement

Data related to this research are not deposited in publicly available repositories but are included in this article. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Figure 1. Three dimensions of social capital.
Figure 1. Three dimensions of social capital.
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Figure 2. Geographical location and jurisdiction of Goulanyao Village. Source: map data from Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China. Figure number GS (2023) 2763.
Figure 2. Geographical location and jurisdiction of Goulanyao Village. Source: map data from Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China. Figure number GS (2023) 2763.
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Figure 3. Influence path of social capital. “ ↔ ” represents the constraint relationship between paths; “ → ← ” represents the facilitating relationship between paths; “ → ” indicates the influence relationship between paths.
Figure 3. Influence path of social capital. “ ↔ ” represents the constraint relationship between paths; “ → ← ” represents the facilitating relationship between paths; “ → ” indicates the influence relationship between paths.
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Figure 4. Tourism livelihood willingness under the interaction of social capital and cultural identity of farmers. The “+ –” sign represents the degree.
Figure 4. Tourism livelihood willingness under the interaction of social capital and cultural identity of farmers. The “+ –” sign represents the degree.
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Figure 5. Influence of social capital and cultural identity on tourism livelihood willingness.
Figure 5. Influence of social capital and cultural identity on tourism livelihood willingness.
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Table 1. Semi-structured interview guide.
Table 1. Semi-structured interview guide.
Interview Questions
  • What are the main types of livelihood in the family at present?
  • Do most of your relatives and friends live in the village at present? How do you keep in touch with them?
  • What attitude do your relatives and friends hold toward tourism?
  • How did you first think of engaging in tourism? Affected by what? When did it start?
  • How do you get information in your daily livelihood? Is there much help from people in the tourism industry, the government, or relatives and friends?
  • How much do you trust the information provided by your relatives, friends, tourism organizations, or the government? Will you take action accordingly?
  • Do you have any relatives, friends, or acquaintances who are engaged in the related tourism industry? (Including catering, accommodation, tour guide, etc.)
  • What do you think about tourists?
  • What are your thoughts on the development of tourism in the local area?
  • What kind of government support for local tourism development do you know of?
  • What are the social norms or village rules and conventions of the village, and what do you think of these norms?
  • Do you have any plans to engage in (or continue to engage in) tourism in the future? How do you plan to do it?
  • Do you know about the local culture and the history of the village? How have these cultures influenced you?
Table 2. Sample demographic characteristics.
Table 2. Sample demographic characteristics.
ClassN%
GenderMale1446.7%
Female1653.3%
Age18–40826.7%
40–601860.0%
Over 60 years old413.3%
Level of educationPrimary school and below1240.0%
Junior high school1033.3%
Senior high school516.7%
College graduate310.0%
OccupationHomestay620.0%
Catering/specialty516.7%
Actor/Guide723.3%
Clothing rental13.3%
Cleaner13.3%
Other1033.4%
Years in tourismUnder three years26.7%
Three to five years723.3%
More than five years1136.7%
Other1033.3%
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Zhou, H.; Guo, Y.; Jiang, Y.; Wu, K. The Influence of Social Capital on Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Willingness—A Study on Goulanyao Village. Sustainability 2024, 16, 9751. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229751

AMA Style

Zhou H, Guo Y, Jiang Y, Wu K. The Influence of Social Capital on Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Willingness—A Study on Goulanyao Village. Sustainability. 2024; 16(22):9751. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229751

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhou, Huiling, Yu Guo, Yajun Jiang, and Ke Wu. 2024. "The Influence of Social Capital on Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Willingness—A Study on Goulanyao Village" Sustainability 16, no. 22: 9751. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229751

APA Style

Zhou, H., Guo, Y., Jiang, Y., & Wu, K. (2024). The Influence of Social Capital on Farmers’ Tourism Livelihood Willingness—A Study on Goulanyao Village. Sustainability, 16(22), 9751. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16229751

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