Factors affecting household behavior to control rocky desertification based on Logistic-ISM model in karst area

Restoration of rocky desertification by households in karst areas is vital for the ecological security of the Yangtze River and Pearl River Basins. In order to understand the factors affecting household behavior to control rocky desertification, and promote implementation and management in effective prevention of rocky desertification, three typical counties with rocky desertification conditions were selected for the case study: Qinglong, Guanling, and Qianxi. The behavior of 437 households with respect to control of rocky desertification was investigated using the participatory rural appraisal method. Based on the survey data, Logistic regression analysis and the ISM method were used to determine factors affecting household behavior to control rocky desertification and their hierarchy structure. The results indicate that the distance between home and the nearest rural market, voluntary, numbers of contact information, numbers of exchange information are direct factors; the rocky desertification area is an indirect factor; household agricultural income, volunteering for scientific research projects, and the number of visits by experts are root factors. Therefore, low agricultural income, lack of funding and lack of technology for rocky desertification control are the fundamental causes of farmers’ low enthusiasm for rocky desertification control. With that in mind, it is suggested that increasing farmers’ income through multiple channels to promote their enthusiasm for rocky desertification control, increasing investment in rural infrastructure to reduce the cost of rocky desertification control, and improving the technical system of rocky desertification control to advance farmers’ desertification control skills should be priorities.