How the Labor Mobility Impact Farmers’ Sustainable Livelihoods in Mountainous Regions: Evidence from Qinling-Daba Mountains, China

To reduce poverty and promote sustainable development in rural areas, it is crucial to explore the impact of labor mobility on the sustainable livelihoods in mountainous regions. Here, based on a questionnaire survey of farmers and in-depth interview data in the area of the Qinling-Daba Mountains of China in 2021, we analyzed the characteristics of labor mobility, with livelihood capital as the entry point, discussed the impact of labor mobility on farmers’ sustainable livelihood using propensity score matching (PSM). The results showed that labor mobility was common in the Qinling-Daba Mountains area, with some form of labor mobility in 61.97% of households. The majority of households had only male mobility, and labor mobility tended to be small in scale, low in frequency, yet permanent and over long distances. Labor mobility had a significantly positive impact on farmers in mountainous regions, increasing the livelihood sustainability of rural households by 7.83%. However, the impact of labor mobility on different livelihood capital was different, which had the greatest improvement on financial capital, followed by social capital, although it weakened natural capital to some extent. Except for high-frequency mobility, the comprehensive impact of other types of labor mobility was positive. Among them, medium-scale mobility, seasonal mobility, inter-provincial mobility, and low-frequency mobility had more pronounced positive effects on farmers’ sustainable livelihoods. Our study provided a reference to guide policy on rural migration, with the aim of providing support for the sustainable development of mountainous villages.