非农就业对种植决策的影响*——基于土地地势的研究视角

［目的］农村劳动力非农转移影响农户农业生产方式变迁,土地质量差异造成的生产差异会随着农村劳动力非农转移造成的人力投入减少而更加显现。针对农户的市场经济行为,文章从理论及实证角度探讨农户农业劳动投入减少时农户生产决策的变化,并根据实证结果进一步探讨我国农业种植结构的变化趋势,为相关政策的制定提供决策参考。［方法］该文运用多元回归模型,从土地资源异质性的视角分析了劳动力非农就业后在不同地势耕地的农业生产决策变化。［结果］劳动力非农就业明显影响了农户种植决策,在质量较高的平地上,农户的生产决策是种植机械化生产使用高的粮食作物来减少劳动力投入下降,在质量较差的山坡地上,农户的生产决策是降低对山坡地的使用强度来解决劳动力投入不足问题,具体表现方式是降低粮食种植面积以及抛荒方式来分配家庭农业劳动投入。［结论］不同地势耕地利用强度将会出现不同变化,平原以及交通便利地区,可以通过机械来替代人力投入,交通较为不发达的山区丘陵地区,需要通过加大农业基础设施建设等来解决山区丘陵地区的抛荒问题。政策支持方面,鼓励中低产田提高产品产量与提升降本技术,保障与维护国家粮食安全。     

The Farm Diversification Discount

This article estimates the effect of diversification on farm values, where farms are valued relative to the median specialized farm having the same enterprise. Using data from the Agricultural Resource Management Study, the estimated diversification discount in agriculture is similar to the discount found for corporate firms. The results show that diversified crop/livestock farms had a diversification discount of 5.8% in comparison with specialized crop or livestock farms from 1999 to 2001. Commodity diversified farms had a diversification discount of 9.4% in comparison with commodity specialized farms.     

社会资本对农民工就业区位选择的影响*——来自四川省的实证

[目的]利用四川省400农户710个务工个体调查数据,探究社会资本对农民工就业区位选择的影响,以期加深对农民工迁移选择行为的规律性认识,进而为优化农民工就业环境,合理引导其迁移行为,促进农民工融入城市提供有益借鉴。[方法]在控制务工者个人特征、家庭特征和村落特征基础上,将农户社会资本分为结构性和认知性两类,构建无序多分类logistic回归模型探究社会资本对务工者就业区位选择的影响。[结果]认知性社会资本和结构性社会资本对农民工务工区位选择均有显著影响。就认知性社会资本而言,农户年赠送礼金越多,过年登门拜年朋友数量越多,通过媒体等其他途径就业,农民工越倾向于近距离务工;而过年登门拜年亲戚数量越多,有家人和亲朋好友介绍工作,农民工越倾向于远距离务工。就结构性社会资本而言,有工作网络的农民工更倾向于远距离务工,而有事业单位网络的农民工更倾向于近距离务工。[结论]认知性社会资本和结构性社会资本对农民工务工区位选择均有显著影响。政府在加大三农财政基金投入的同时,应当适度整合农民工社会资本,增强农民工群体抵抗外部风险的能力。     

新型农业生产经营主体生产效率比较研究——基于信阳市调研数据

[目的]比较分析信阳市新型农业生产经营主体生产效率,为信阳新型农业生产经营主体选择合适的经营方向提供参考。[方法]基于2016年对信阳市478个新型农业生产经营主体的微观调研数据,采用DEA方法测算不同类型农业生产经营主体的生产效率。[结果]在小麦、玉米及生猪生产上,家庭农场的综合效率比较高,分别是0.93、0.90及0.82;在油料与蔬菜生产上,龙头企业的综合效率比较高,综合效率值均为0.75。在小麦与生猪的生产上,专业合作社的综合效率值最低,均值分别为0.60与0.73;在玉米的生产上,专业大户的综合效率最低,为0.68;在油料与蔬菜的生产上,家庭农场的综合效率最低,分别为0.49与0.47。[结论]新型农业生产经营主体生产效率比较分析较为客观。     

Government Payments and Farm Business Survival

Using farm-level panel data from recent U.S. Agricultural Censuses, this study examines how direct government payments influence the survival of farm businesses, paying particular attention to the differential effect of payments across farm-size categories. A Cox proportional hazards model is used to estimate the effect of government payments on the instantaneous probability of a farm business failure, controlling for farm and operator characteristics. Results indicate that an increase in government payments has a small but statistically significant negative effect on the rate of business failure, and the magnitude of this effect increases with farm size.     

Agricultural Payments and Land Concentration: A Semiparametric Spatial Regression Analysis

Over the last twenty years, both crop production and agricultural payments have shifted toward larger operations. This study examines whether payments from federal farm programs contributed to increased concentration of cropland and farmland. Using zip code–level data constructed from the microfiles of the 1987–2002 agriculture censuses we examine the association between government payments per acre and subsequent growth in land concentration. A semiparametric generalized additive model (GAM) controls for location and historical concentration, sales per acre, and ratio of cropland area to zip code area. Findings indicate, both with and without nonparametric controls, government payments are strongly associated with subsequent concentration growth.     

The Impact of Coupled and Decoupled Government Subsidies on Off-Farm Labor Participation of U.S. Farm Operators

With the 1996 Farm Act, the United States introduced payments that were designed to be "decoupled." Labor allocation choices are likely to be affected by receipt of payments, and income from off-farm jobs has been the major source of income for most farm households for sometime. This article examines whether the 1996 change has affected the off-farm labor participation of farm households. We conclude that the observed increase in off-farm participation of farm operators who received payments was not the result of the 1996 policy change. Government payments, whether coupled or decoupled, have a negative effect on off-farm labor participation.     

Nonpecuniary Benefits to Farming: Implications for Supply Response to Decoupled Payments

We develop a household model wherein farmers allocate labor to maximize utility from leisure, consumption, and nonpecuniary benefits from farming. The model shows that farmers with decreasing marginal utility of income respond to higher decoupled payments by decreasing off-farm labor and increasing farm labor, resulting in greater agricultural output. We then estimate the difference between farm and off-farm returns to labor using data from three nationally representative farm household surveys. The finding of a large on-farm/off-farm wage differential provides compelling evidence of substantial nonpecuniary benefits from farming.     

Why Farmers Quit: A County-Level Analysis

We identify the effects of alternative explanatory variables on the propensity of U.S. farmers to cease farming, with a particular emphasis on understanding the roles of off-farm employment and federal farm program payments. Conventional ordinary least squares analysis using all counties suggests that off-farm employment has no statistical effect on the (net) number of farmers quitting between 1987 and 1997, ceteris paribus . A more refined analysis, which separates counties losing farmers from those that gained farmers, reveals subtle and less clear-cut effects of off-farm employment (and federal program payments) on farm exits.