An 8-day Socioeconomic Survey Conducted in Hebei Province

Beijing Forestry Society has just finished an 8-day socioeconomic survey in 15 villages in Hebei Province’s northern mountain areas, which are the upstream of the watershed area of the Miyun Reservoir which provides over 60 % of drinking water for Beijing. The questionnaire was administered by over 20 trained interviewers. The survey is designed to identify local socioeconomic conditions and farmers’ willingness to participate in afforestation and reduction in use of agricultural chemicals. 20 households were randomly selected for the interview.

The survey is a preliminary step for developing an initiative for compensation for ecosystem services, to ensure that water supply of the capital can be safeguard and the livelihood of local farmers can be improved at the same time. The initiative will be designed by Beijing Forestry Society and Forest Trends, and sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.