Research on World Agricultural Economy

Research on the Current Situation of Overall Rural Poverty in China and Countermeasures—Empirical Evidence from Practice in Yunnan Area

Qiangjing Zhang

Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650000, China

Shuya Zhang

Faculty of Economics and Management, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650000, China

Nenglong Xu

Faculty of Economics and Management, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650000, China

Zhu Zhou

Faculty of Economics and Management, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming 650000, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v7i1.2593

Received: 6 August 2025 | Revised: 2 September 2025 | Accepted: 23 September 2025 | Published Online: 9 February 2026

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Abstract

Eradicating regional poverty constitutes a cornerstone of China’s strategy to achieve a moderately prosperous society in all respects. As one of the nation’s most poverty-stricken regions, Yunnan Province epitomizes the complexities of this endeavor. Geographically, Yunnan encompasses 4 of China’s 14 Contiguous Extremely Poverty-Stricken Regions (CEP), accounting for nearly 30% of the country’s most disadvantaged areas. Administratively, 27 classified as deep poverty counties—the highest number nationally. Socioeconomic data reveal that over 60% of the province’s impoverished population resides in 4277 registered poverty villages, underscoring the spatial concentration of deprivation.This paper employs the “S-curve” theory and integrates the micro-behavioral “poverty trap” theory (including initial fixed costs of inter-job transitions and social interactions among impoverished groups). It aims to explain the evolutionary process of regional overall poverty alleviation from both macro-regional and micro-individual perspectives, using household income as the primary thread, and elucidates the formation mechanism of regional overall poverty in Yunnan.The aim is to answer three core questions: first, what are the formation mechanisms and salient features of overall regional poverty in Yunnan? Secondly, what are the structural challenges in the fight against poverty? Third, how to build targeted strategies to break through the ‘poverty trap’ and ‘middle-income trap’? By analysing Yunnan's practice, we will put forward precise policy suggestions to provide reference for poverty eradication in deeply impoverished areas.

Keywords: Regional Overall Poverty; “Sigmoid‑Curve” Theory; Scarcity Trap; Poverty Alleviation Strategies

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