Land tenure (in)security and crop-tree intercropping in rural Xinjiang,China

The relationship between land tenure security and long-term land-related investment is of great importance especially given the current flux in property rights systems of agricultural land in China. This paper empirically examines the role of land tenure security in farmers’ crop-tree intercropping decisions, and is based on a comparative analysis between contract land and wasteland holders in rural Xinjiang, China. Data from a survey, carried out in 2008 among 352 households in Awati County in Xinjiang, is used to estimate the factors that affect the adoption of crop-tree intercropping. The results indicate that, for those households that only have contract land, land tenure security positively affects their adoption of crop-tree intercropping. However, for those that hold both contract land and wasteland, land tenure security negatively impacts upon their adoption of crop-tree intercropping on wasteland, as the crop-tree intercropping on wasteland can increase the perceived tenure security of wasteland. The results also suggest that the comprehensive effect of labor organization on intercropping is moderate as a result of the presence of counteracting effects.     

Land tenure security and its implications for investments to urban agriculture in Soweto,South Africa

Land tenure regime is considered one of the most crucial assets determining viability of urban agriculture, especially in terms of investments. Many authors have built on traditional agricultural theory that only land ownership and (formal) secure land tenure can incite investments into farming, thus stressing the need of secure land tenure for more prosperous urban agriculture. However, these statements are often built on weak or nonexistent empirical evidence. This research aims to contribute to the discussion on land tenure for urban agriculture by mixed-method exploration of the above-mentioned theory. Additionally, we propose a farming investment index which measures the level of investments by using non-monetary information obtained from respondents. The results of our study show that land tenure security for urban farmers is often seen as a rather narrow concept, focusing only on legal tenure security but omitting its other dimensions such as perceived and de facto tenure security. Nevertheless, all three dimensions of tenure security positively influence investments to urban agriculture.     

新一轮集体林改对不同类型农户林业生产投入的影响研究

基于连续跟踪调研获得的9省区18县市1497个样本农户8年的长期平衡面板数据,采用扩展生产函数,分析了集体林产权制度改革主体改革及其配套改革对不同类型农户林业生产投入的影响。结果表明:⑴实施集体林产权制度改革主体改革增加农业兼业户、非农兼业户和非农户单位面积林业劳动力和生产费用投入,但降低了纯农户的林业投入;⑵森林保险对纯农户单位面积林业劳动力和生产费用投入的影响比农业兼业户、非农兼业户和非农户积极;⑶林权抵押贷款对农业兼业户、非农兼业户和非农户林业投入的影响优于纯农户。因此,政策在深入推进的过程中,需因地制宜、因户制宜,最大限度地考虑不同类型农户的利益。     

Does land registration and certification boost farm productivity? Evidence from Ethiopia

According to economic theory, tenure security is an important determinant of agricultural investment and productivity. Land titling has been at the center stage of development efforts of many African countries to boost tenure security. We investigate the productivity impacts of the Ethiopian land registration and certification program, employing propensity score matching method in an effort to create a credible counterfactual. Consistent with theory, we find land registration and certification has robust positive effects on farm productivity. More tentatively, we identify the assurance effect as one probable channel for impact. Households with land certificates are more likely to adopt soil‐fertility management strategies on their plots than households without certificates.     

Impact of farmland characteristics on grain costs and benefits in the North China Plain

Land characteristics in general and socio-economic characteristics in particular are assumed to play important roles in the determination of grain costs and benefits. This study explores the effects of farmland characteristics on grain costs and benefits using a multilevel linear model. The data refer to 1282 grain plots of 566 grain producers in the provinces of Henan, Shandong, and Anhui in the North China Plain. The results show that the coefficients of the variables used to measure plot size and tenure insecurity have different values and signs for households with different grain planted areas. It can be concluded that the effects of plot size and ratio of rented land are closely related to farmers’ total grain planted area, and only farmers with grain areas below 1.33 ha can achieve economies of scale. The effects of tenure insecurity of rented land on grain costs and benefits were negative, but the values became smaller and insignificant when farmers’ total grain area was sufficiently large. Regarding farmland bio-physical characteristics, farmers obtain more profit from plots with water conservancy facilities and have to invest more in poor land, with no output increments.     

Land Tenure,Tenure Security and Farm Efficiency: Panel Evidence from the Philippines

This article tests the relationships among formalised property rights, land tenure contracts and productive efficiency in farming. Using four rounds of panel data from 230 rice farms in the Philippines, we measure the effects of land tenure arrangements on farm efficiency using a stochastic production frontier model. We test for the allocative efficiency of observed land rental markets. We also test how land tenure security affects farmers' investment decisions. Results suggest that, despite the presence of formalised titles, the rental market remains inefficient at allocating land. In contrast, the unformalised tenure contracts used by farmers appear to provide tenure security.     

Chinese land policies and farmers’ adoption of organic fertilizer for saline soils

Soil salinization has become a global concern and poses a great threat to food production and sustainable land use. Land use policies are the main driver of saline soil farmland use in ecosystems. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for analyzing how saline soil farmland use is affected by land use practices of individual farm households. An empirical study, using an ordered probit model, was conducted based on questionnaire responses from farm households in 8 towns and 14 villages in eco-fragile areas in Shandong, Jilin and Xinjiang provinces. The results suggest that land tenure, state systems agricultural support, characteristics of a field parcel and characteristics of the farm households have different influences on farmer's land use in three regions. The adoption of organic fertilizer by individual households is constrained by the lack of stability and integrity in land tenure. Furthermore, the parcel of a field is generally small, sparsely distributed and often fragmented, which increases costs. Even subsidizing organic fertilizer does not necessarily help in its adoption. Given these challenges, this study makes recommendations for different regions that may promote the adoption of improved saline soil farmland cultivation methods by farmers.     

我国集体林权制度改革态势与绩效评估——基于22省(区、市)1050户农户的入户调查

根据2011年对全国22省(区、市)76村1050户农户的调查数据,从微观角度跟踪观察了本次集体林权制度改革村庄实践态势,并对其经济、社会绩效进行了评估。调查显示:近7成的农户领到林权证,与林改前相比,样本户的承包山总面积累计有10%左右的增加;农户对国家林业政策稳定性仍有疑虑;部分地区政策执行不到位;林权抵押贷款政策实施面临一些困难。研究表明:随着集体林权制度改革的深入推进,农户对林地的投入有所增加;林农收入有所增加;社会资金向林产业积聚,社会造林绿化积极性提高;林下经济取得了初步发展。     

Land tenure insecurity in post-certification Amhara,Ethiopia

It is generally believed that tenure security has improved due to the programme of land certification. In this paper I argue the opposite. Tenure security concerns three different rights: possession, renting and latent rights. Rights of possession are believed to have improved, but the evidence is weak and conflicting. Land rentals are expanding and farmers face high tenure insecurity. The main problem, though, is latent rights, with great insecurity and increased conflict levels. Despite rapid economic development there is considerable social malaise, an unfortunate agricultural structure, and considerable pressure for land redistribution due to unresolved land tenure issues. The paper is based on the certification literature and primary material from North Shäwa.     

新农地制度下的土地产权安全性对土地租赁市场发育的影响

研究目的:检验新农地制度下的土地产权安全性对土地租赁市场发育的影响及农户参与土地租赁市场和非农就业市场间的联立性。研究方法:计量经济模型。研究结果:(1)农户租入土地决策与参与非农就业市场间存在联立性,提高土地产权的安全性能够显著激励农户租入土地的积极性;(2)农户租出土地决策与参与非农就业市场间并不存在明显的联立性,提高土地产权的安全性对土地租出决策具有微弱的激励作用。研究结论:新农地制度下的土地产权不安全性成为制约土地租赁市场发育的重要产权因素,土地的社会保障功能放大了农地产权不安全性对土地租赁市场发育带来的负面影响。     

林农生计资本对林地利用方式的影响研究

基于陕西省500户农户的调查数据,在可持续生计分析框架基础上,构建林农生计资本指标体系,运用多元Logit模型实证分析了林农生计资本对林地利用方式的影响。研究表明:第一,不同类型的林农生计资本结构差异会影响其对林地利用方式的选择;第二,在林农林地利用方式的选择上,各生计资本要素的影响存在显著差异,其中金融资本要素是改善林农生计的关键。在此基础上,从林农生计资本要素出发,提出了鼓励林地流转、发展规模经营、加快林业社会化服务体系建设等政策建议。     

土地经营权抵押响应对农户土地转出行为的影响——来自宁夏回族自治区农地产权抵押试点区的证据

本文基于宁夏农地产权抵押贷款试点区777户农户调研数据,剖析土地经营权抵押响应对农户土地转出行为的影响.研究结果表明,土地经营权抵押响应越频繁,越显著抑制农户土地转出,农户每多参与一次土地经营权抵押贷款,其土地转出概率就会降低12.10％.进一步研究发现,土地经营权抵押响应对户主年龄在46岁以下、受教育程度9年以上、无...     

Land acquisition for and local livelihood implications of biofuel development in Zimbabwe

Proponents of “green and clean” fuel argue that land acquisitions for biofuel development could result in significant economic benefits, such as job creation, local development, fuel and energy security, and minimal negative impacts on the environment. With a dominant focus on these purported benefits, comparatively little attention has been given to the processes and impacts of land acquisitions on the local people whose livelihoods depend on land-based activities. Using a case study of bio-ethanol development in Chisumbanje, Zimbabwe, this paper assesses the processes and local livelihood implications of land acquisitions for biofuel development and considers who is likely to bear the costs. Our findings show that local communities felt they were not consulted in the land acquisition process and despite the promises of local livelihood enhancement from biofuel development, displaced households (farmers) perceived that the costs incurred from biofuel development were more than the benefits received.     

Factors influencing the use of alternative land cultivation technologies in Swaziland: Implications for smallholder farming on customary Swazi Nation Land

Poor land preparation and late planting are among the factors responsible for the decline in food production on customary Swazi Nation Land (SNL). While efforts are being made to develop an improved national land cultivation programme, this process can be helped by identifying factors that influence farmers to use alternative technologies for land cultivation. Using cross-section data collected in 2009 from a random sample of 210 farmers in Komati, three land cultivation technologies were identified; (i) use of tractors; (ii) use of draught animals; and (iii) use of hand hoes. For a country like Swaziland where human health problems, particularly HIV/AIDS, make manual labour a scarce resource, the use of tractors is regarded as a modern technology that can achieve time and labour savings. The empirical evidence from this study indicates that the use of tractors is significantly influenced by household wealth and size of arable land used by households. However, given that land holdings on customary land are generally small, sparsely distributed and often fragmented, tractor hire service providers face relatively high overhead and transaction costs. Furthermore, investment in mechanised farming by individual SNL households is constrained by the lack of secure tenure. Given these challenges, this study makes recommendations for creating an enabling environment that could promote the adoption of improved land cultivation methods by smallholders on customary SNL.     

To reallocate or not: Reconsidering the dilemma in China's agricultural land tenure policy

In China, rural land is collectively owned at the village level. Village officials usually have the power to reallocate land property across families on an ongoing basis due to demographic changes in the village. Realizing that frequent land reallocation and abusive land requisition will undermine economic productivity as well as social stability, the “Rural Land Contract Law” passed in 2002 explicitly reads that farmland tenure security must be maintained for at least 30 years since the last nationwide reallocation in 1998. The frequency and magnitude of land reallocation in Chinese villages have decreased as a result. However, failure to allocate land to the newly increased population often induced conflicts among village members if the security of land tenure for 30 years was strictly implemented. Administrative land reallocations then still continued in some villages to accommodate demographic changes in these places. Based on an almost nationally representative rural dataset collected in 119 villages of 6 provinces across China in 2008, this paper lays out some stylized facts about the administrative land reallocation after 1998. By analyzing the opinions of over 2200 farmers on the central policy of maintaining farmland tenure security, we are able to rationalize why some farmers support the policy while others oppose it. This analysis helps us to better understand the dilemma between efficiency and equity embedded in the current agricultural land system in China. It is further shown that social conflicts among village members may easily arise either due to administrative land reallocation or due to lack of it. We argue that this dilemma cannot be resolved effectively without coordinated reforms in household registration system which can help hundreds of millions of Chinese rural migrant workers to permanently settle in cities and release their farmland to those who stay in the countryside.     

林农对集体林权制度改革影响的评价——基于云南30个县1554个样本农户的问卷调查结果

基于对云南省全部16个州市30个县1 554个样本农户的问卷调查资料的分析发现,林改后林农对林业投入有了明显增加,林业收益水平总体提高的同时向多样化方向发展。同时,林改使农户把主要精力放在了经济林、用材林的种植和非木质林产品的有效开发利用上。伴随着林权纠纷的减少以及农户管理措施的加强,森林资源管理得到了明显加强。这些方面也折射出广大农户对本次林改工作的高度关注和积极支持,对林改成效的充分肯定。     

Institutions for improving access to land for settler-housing: Evidence from Papua New Guinea

This paper provides household level evidence of the institutions that are developing to provide security of access to land for housing within the settlements of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. Data collected from a survey of 441 randomly selected households shows that households organise around regional, family, and professional cleavages to provide security to person and property. Further, some households pay rent to landlords and keep evidence of the above to legitimise their claims to the land settled upon. In one case, a community has formed an organisation to mediate between the settlers and the customary landowning group. The above is evidence of the maturation of institutions to provide tenure security. It also provides the opportunity for policymakers to adopt and then adapt (migrate) the existing institutions into the formal system as part of ongoing reforms.     

Land tenure security: Revisiting and refining the concept for Sub-Saharan Africa's rural poor

In more developed societies the concept of land tenure security is implicit and backed by long standing institutions. In contrast, the concept is less recognised and carries divergent meanings in developing countries. In these contexts past conceptualisation efforts have favoured reductionist approaches: the concept is narrowed to one aspect or another, but, no shared agreement on a definition prevails. The absence of this basic theoretical knowledge impedes discourse on land policy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. This paper contributes to this issue by revisiting and refining the concept of tenure security in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa's rural poor. Using a systematic review, scientific evidence on the conceptualization issue is provided. A typology of different schools of thought is developed: land tenure security is shown to be understood through (1) economic, (2) legal or (3) adaptation lenses. Generic constructs from these viewpoints tend to dominate the notion of tenure security and subsequent land policy formulation; however, it is argued that none adequately describe the totality of the concept. Using the review results and a systems approach a new inclusive concept of tenure security for rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa is developed. The refined concept of security is defined as an emergent property of a land tenure system. The content of such security is explained by interactions between all elements of a land tenure system as a whole. It is concluded that rural poor in Sub-Saharan Africa can enjoy the total security when interactions between all elements occur in a dynamic equilibrium.     

集体林权改革制度下农户劳动力分配情况分析——基于辽宁省农户调查数据

利用辽宁省5个县农户2000、2006、2010年的面板数据,进行林改前后农户劳动力分配变化、产权安全对农户就业影响的回归分析,结果表明:林改后随着户均林地面积的增加,农户增加了对林业的投工,林业生产与非农就业存在一定程度的替代性,但随着农户年龄、教育水平的增长,非农就业,特别是工资性劳动的投工呈增长趋势;产权安全的增长对农户加强林业生产有正相关关系。     

Localizing Land Governance,Strengthening the State: Decentralization and Land Tenure Security in Uganda

Decentralization of land governance is expected to significantly improve land tenure security of small‐scale farmers in Africa, through ensuring better protection of their assets and reducing land‐related conflicts. This paper, however, cautions not to have too high expectations of transferring responsibilities for land administration and dispute resolution to local government bodies. Field research in Mbarara District in south‐western Uganda brings out how decentralization has limited impacts in terms of localizing land services provision. Nonetheless, local land governance has transformed in important ways, as decentralization adds to institutional multiplicity, and fuels competition among state and non‐state authorities, and about the rules they apply. Rather than strengthening local mechanisms for securing tenure, the reforms introduce new forms of tenure insecurity, fail to transform local conventions of dealing with land disputes and delegitimize local mechanisms for securing tenure. In practice, decentralization has had limited effects in securing tenure for the rural poor, yet reinforces the presence of the state at the local level in diverse ways.