Targeted poverty alleviation is a unique approach adopted in China to help achieve the vision of a moderately prosperous society in all aspects and the “Chinese Dream”.  Industrial development as a means of poverty alleviation is an integral part of the “Five-pronged Poverty Alleviation Measures” Project of targeted poverty alleviation, and a critical foundation for other poverty alleviation measures.  In this study, a comprehensive evaluation method was used to measure farmers’ livelihood based on the framework of sustainable livelihood.  Specifically, the effects of industrial development on farmers’ livelihood capital were estimated by employing the propensity score matching combined with the difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) approach.  Findings suggest that industrial development had a significantly positive effect on the livelihood capital of farmers.  Industrial development can significantly enhance farmers’ human, social and financial capital, while it cannot significantly affect the natural and physical capital.  Industrial development had heterogeneous effects on farmers’ livelihood capital, more efficiently impacting on the non-poor than the poor.  The effects on farmers’ livelihood capital varied across regions, with Guizhou experiencing a larger effect than Sichuan.  However, the effect was insignificant for farmers in Gansu.  To improve farmers’ livelihood capital, it is necessary to take measures to strengthen their human capital, promote the innovation of financial products, and make good use of their social capital; it is also essential to strengthen the support of industrial development to the poor. 

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has been proved a major driving force in prokaryotic evolution.  However, the molecular functions of these transferred genes in pathogenic bacteria especially plant pathogenic bacteria are still not fully investigated.  In this study, the whole-genome in silico analysis was performed and found a syringopeptin synthetase (syp) homolog in Burkholderia glumae, which can cause bacterial panicle blight in rice, was predicted to be horizontally transferred from Pseudomonas ancestor with solid confidence by phylogenetic analysis.  The comprehensive molecular experiments were performed to study the potential role of this gene in B. glumae.  Inoculation of rice panicles with the syp mutant resulted in 60% lower disease index compared with the wild type (WT) parent strain, suggesting the requirement of syp for the full virulence of B. glumae.  Chromatography analysis of exudates from B. glumae showed suppression of synthesis of metabolites analogous to syringopeptin in the mutants.  All these data raise the possibility of HGT phenomenon in shaping the virulence and adaptation of B. glumae over evolutionary time.