Antecedent Configurations of Farmers’ Climate Adaptation Behaviors in China: Based on Sustainable Livelihood Framework

The impact of climate change on agricultural production is becoming increasingly pronounced, making it imperative to promote farmers’ climate adaptation to safeguard food security and livelihood stability. Grounded in the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), this study employs a mixed-method approach integrating fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to investigate the configurations of livelihood capital that drive or hinder farmers’ adoption of climate adaptation behaviors. The study further analyzes how these behavior-facilitating configurations affect farmers’ income loss. The fsQCA results reveal that the combination of high information, financial, natural, and human capital promotes adaptation, with high social capital showing a substitutive effect. Conversely, configurations characterized by low social, human, and physical capital inhibit adaptation, demonstrating causal asymmetry. Moreover, all adaptation-promoting configurations reduce income loss, with the combination of high information, financial, and physical capital exhibiting superior mitigation effects. These findings provide a configurational perspective on farmer decision-making and offer targeted policy implications for enhancing climate resilience, particularly in resource-poor rural areas.